Del Mar has responded to a complaint filed on behalf of Jerry Hollendorfer in San Diego County Superior Court in which the trainer is seeking reinstatement saying that allowing the Hall of Fame trainer to compete was a public relations risk it was not willing to take on.
The story was broken by USA Today, which obtained a copy of a 13-page filing submitted by Del Mar by their attorney, Chris Jaczko. The story said that Del Mar claimed Hollendorfer was a “radioactive public-relations hit for the sport.”
Four horses under Hollendorfer's care had to be euthanized at the Santa Anita meet that ended in June. He also trained two horses that had to be put down at Golden Gate Fields. According to USA Today, Hollendorfer accounted for 15% of the horse deaths at California racetracks up to the time he was banned by The Stronach Group, which owns both Santa Anita and Golden Gate.
“The racing industry in California is in the midst of an almost existential crisis amid calls from the public, media, Governor's office, the California legislature, Congress and the (California Horse Racing Board) to pull out all reasonable stops to assure everyone that the industry is doing everything it reasonably can to ensure the safety of horses,” an attorney for Del Mar, Chris Jaczko, wrote in 13-page filing in San Diego County Superior Court, according to the newspaper.
Jaczko also wrote: “Criminal investigations are ongoing in Los Angeles relating to what led to 30 thoroughbred race horses losing their lives in the first six months of this year at Santa Anita, and animal rights activists have called for the industry in California to be shut down. Ordering DMTC to permit Hollendorfer to train and race horses at Del Mar will lead to cries that DMTC is not doing what it can to ensure horse safety, and if a fatal injury were to occur to one of his horses, the clamor to end horse racing would be deafening.”
The paper also reported that Del Mar's president, Josh Rubenstein, submitted a statement to the court as well, claiming that Hollendorfer's attorney, Drew Couto, told him, “We get it. Jerry's radioactive.”
Attorneys representing Hollendofer and the California Thoroughbred Trainers have argued that Del Mar's ban of the trainer is arbitrary and capricious and in violation of an agreement between the track and the CTT.
A ruling is expected to come from a San Diego County judge on Friday.
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