“We are going to run,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. “We hope we can come out and make a good effort. She has been training very well. She will be there Wednesday afternoon, and I am planning on arriving on Friday. We are not shy about going on the road because sometimes you have to do it, but all the guys who run, they all ship if they have too. We try to do the best thing for our horse, but the purse is big there, and we have never ducked anybody, especially with this filly. Sometimes we win and sometimes we take our lumps, but we are always in there trying. You know if you are running for big money, the race is supposed to be tough.”
“She did, but this a different year so we will see,” said Hollendorfer.
Since then, they have met four times at venues across North America, with Havre de Grace winning two and Blind Luck winning one. The only time one or the other did not win while facing each other was in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic at Churchill Downs last year, when Unrivaled Belle won, Blind Luck finished second and Havre de Grace finished third.
In her most recent, the 4-year-old daughter of Pollard’s Vision notched a half-length victory in the Grade I Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 18. Previously, the Kentucky-bred posted a half-length victory in the Grade II La Troiene at Churchill Downs on May 6. On March 19, she finished second, beaten by 3¼-lengths by Havre de Grace in the Grade III Azeri at Oaklawn Park. She has a career record of 11 wins, seven seconds and two thirds from 20 starts, with earnings of $2,829,520.
Although his base of operations is in California, Hollendorfer knows his way around Delaware Park. Not only did he win the Delaware Oaks last year with Blind Luck, but in 2008, he won the Delaware Handicap with Hysterical Lady.
