Summer Hit goes coast to coast in All American

Summer Hit was part of a big Memorial Day for Jerry Hollendorfer (Vassar Photography) John Carver and Jerry Hollendorfer’s Summer Hit made all the running in Monday’s Grade 3, $100,000 All American at Golden Gate Fields, holding off runner-up Hudson Landing by nearly a length. Summer Hit completed a transcontinental double for Hollendorfer, whose Sahara Sky had earlier prevailed in a Met Mile thriller at Belmont Park. Winner of the grassy Silky Sullivan last summer and a neck second in the San Francisco Mile on April 27, the four-year-old son of Bertrando switched from turf to Tapeta and recorded his first graded stakes victory. Summer Hit increased his bankroll to $281,835 and his record reads 11-7-2-2. Russell Baze guided the Hollendorfer-trained gelding, who completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:44. The 6-5 favorite paid $4.60, $2.80 and $2.60. The dark bay sprinted clear after the break and posted splits in :24 2/5, :48 3/5 and 1:12 4/5. Hudson Landing, who rated off the early pace in fourth, advanced into contention on the far turn and tried to make a run at the leader in midstretch, but he could never seriously threaten.

The runner-up left the starting gate at 10-1 finished 4 1/2 lengths ahead of
the 15-1 Adminster, who rallied belatedly to edge the 29-1 Siberian Laughter by
a nose for third. Control Seeker came next in fifth and was followed by Positive
Response, Ashtar and Tres Borrachos.

Bred in California by Kenneth and Janice Heidt, Summer Hit is out of the
winning Tough Knight mare Mia F Eighteen and counts Starbird Road, a multiple
stakes winner at Emerald Downs, as a half-brother. This is the immediate female
family of multiple Grade 2 winner Hilco Scamper.

Summer Hit was haltered for $12,500 from his debut, a nine-length score over
maiden claiming rivals in January 2012. After a second versus starter allowance
foes, he sandwiched a third in the state-bred Grey Memo at Hollywood Park
between a pair of starter allowance wins at Golden Gate. He then captured the
Silky Sullivan last June in his turf debut, but Summer Hit headed to the
sidelines for the remained of his sophomore season.

Hollendorfer brought him back to the races in an open entry-level turf
allowance at Santa Anita in January and Summer Hit just missed in third by a
neck. He went on to post consecutive wins over allowance and optional claiming
foes prior to the San Francisco.

The versatile Summer Hit improved his mark to 4-3-1-0 on Golden Gate’s Tapeta.

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