Pricy Hollendorfer 2-year-old 'everything they said he would be'

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will stable up to 20 horses in New York this spring and summer under the care of assistant trainer Don Chatlos.

The first three Hollendorfer trainees, all owned by OXO Equine – Brill, Rowayton and Oggonis – arrived at Belmont Park in mid-May. That number has now strengthened with the addition of the OXO Equine-owned Cardiff Cay and Vegas Strong as well as an unnamed 2-year-old half-sister to Brill, by Curlin, who brought $420,000 as a weanling at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Purchased for $850,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale last week, Vegas Strong, a 2-year-old son of Colonel John has impressed since arriving at Belmont.

"He's been everything they said he would be. He's like an older horse," Chatlos said. "I don't have a bunch of horses here yet that I can put him in company, so he's been galloping by himself. 

“He's been going out to the training track, the main track and just marches around there – nothing phases him. He's by Colonel John, who won the Travers and the Santa Anita Derby, so I don't think there will be any distance limitations for him. He looks pretty versatile."

Cardiff Cay, a 3-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro and Lemon Kiss, is a full brother to multiple graded stakes winner Lochte, who captured the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2014.

He was purchased for $560,000 at the 2017 Keeneland Yearling Sale by Larry Best's OXO Equine, and Chatlos said the promising colt had trained well in California last year before they had to stop on the colt.

"Cardiff Cay was one of our better 2-year-olds last year and had an injury. He's ready to start breezing and he's one to look forward to," Chatlos said.

Chatlos said Brill, who finished fourth in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) last out at Pimlico, has settled in well at her new home in Elmont, N.Y., and will be pointed to the $250,000 Mother Goose (G2) set for June 29 at Belmont.

"It wasn't the result we wanted at Pimlico," Chatlos said. "It was the third time on the plane for her off the layoff. She shipped twice to Oaklawn before that and then to Pimlico and it might have caught up with here a little bit. We gave her a little freshening here and she seems to be bouncing around here good, so we'll see how it goes at the end of the month in the Mother Goose."

Rowayton, a multiple Grade 1-placed son of Into Mischief, is under consideration for the $400,000 Woody Stephens (G1) set for Belmont Stakes Day, June 8.

"I think Rowayton is a horse that can step up at Saratoga and really make some noise," Chatlos said.

Hollendorfer will also be represented at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival by multiple graded stakes winner Kanthaka in the Jaipur Invitational (G1) and by Danuska's My Girl in the $250,000 Bed o' Roses Invitational (G3).

Kanthaka, a 4-year-old son of Jimmy Creed owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, won the San Vicente (G2) and Lazaro Barrera (G3) at Santa Anita in a productive 2018 campaign. He finished third last out in the Daytona (G3).

Bad Boy Racing's Danuska's My Girl has posted back-to-back Grade 3 wins at Santa Anita taking the Las Flores in April and the Desert Stormer in May. The 5-year-old Shackleford bay has flourished since graduating in a maiden claiming tilt in July 2018.