By Alan Carasso
Having secured a court order that paved the way for his return to the training ranks, Jerry Hollendorfer saddles a single horse on Saturday's Del Mar program. That runner just happens to be Vasilika (Skipshot), the queen of the hill among California's turf distaffers, who will jump a warm favorite in the GII Yellow Ribbon H.
Claimed for $40,000 a year and a half ago, the chestnut has made 14 appearances for the barn and has had her picture taken a dozen times, her lone finish outside of the top three coming in last year's GI Matriarch S. at this track last December. She is a perfect four-for-four this season, three victories over a mile and a latest defeat of East Coast shipper Rymska (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in the nine-furlong GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita.
But it will not be a walkover for Vasilika, who will carry 125 pounds as the race's top weight and is asked to concede four pounds to the in-form Beau Recall (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}). Formerly trained by Simon Callaghan, the bay missed by a nose in the GI Del Mar Oaks two summers ago but has taken her game to a new level under the tutelage of Brad Cox, with three wins and a pair of seconds in five appearances. After rattling down the center of the Matt Winn turf course to upset the GII Distaff Turf Mile S. at Churchill May 4, she streaked her final two furlongs in an other-worldly :21.79 to complete the exacta underneath 'TDN Rising Star' Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the GI Just A Game S. at Belmont June 8.
New Jersey-bred Valedictorian (Temple City) is set to become the first Del Mar starter for Monmouth-based Kelly Breen and his first Southern California entrant in five years. Winner of Gulfstream's Listed Sand Springs S. Mar. 30, she was a tiring eighth from a high draw in the Distaff Turf Mile, but punched her ticket to this with a popular 2 3/4-length tally in the GIII Eatontown S. at the Jersey Shore June 22.
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