Broken Sword Crushes Field In

ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIR STAKES RACE RESULTS

By Dennis Miller

There had been a lot of steam around the track about Jerry Hollendorfer’s 2-year-old filly Broken Sword, largely about the quality and ease of her workouts around the Pleasanton track.

But Broken Sword had yet to run a race and despite a series of very nice works, there were questions to be answered when she finally raced.

Not any longer.

Saturday under the guidance of Russell Baze, Broken Sword answered all questions as she cruised to an 11-length win in the Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes.

“I knew if she ran up to what she had been doing, she would be awfully tough to beat,” said Baze. “She has showed a lot of class in the mornings.”

Baze and Broken Sword were challenged twice in the race, first by Frank Alvarado and Set’N Ready, then by Island Frolick and jockey Ronald Richard. Both times with some gentle urging from Baze, Broken Sword cruised away.

Set’N Ready ended up second, followed by Island Frolic in third.

For Hollendorfer, who always keeps things close to the vest, it was an impressive performance.

“Early on, we didn’t know what she was going to be,” said Hollendorfer. “But the works became faster and easier and in those works, we really never set her down.”

Being a 2-year-old gives Hollendorfer a number of options and at a number of tracks.

“She’s been pretty much nominated for everything,” said Hollendorfer. “It is likely we would run one more time at Santa Rosa and if she runs the same type of race, then we would probably take her to Del Mar.”

Hollendorfer was referring to The Wine Country Debutante on August 11 at the Sonoma County Fair and then the Grade I Del Mar Debutante on Saturday, September 1 at Del Mar.