Blueskiesnrainbows helps give Hollendorfer 1-2-3 finish in
Native Diver
Jockey Martin Pedroza gunned Blueskiesnrainbows straight to the front of
Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,500
Native Diver at Hollywood Park, and the pair never looked back en route to
victory over fellow Jerry Hollendorfer trainees Hear the Ghost and Rousing
Sermon.
“I’ve run 1-2-3 before in the El Camino Real Derby (in
Northern California), but you don’t ever expect to do it in Southern California,”
Hollendorfer grinned.
“I’m a very fortunate guy.”
Blueskiesnrainbows found company rounding the first turn with Soi Phet,
Rousing Sermon and Hear the Ghost lined up to his outside. The English Channel
four-year-old managed to get a half-length in front but never could shake loose
from his pursuers while setting splits of :23 2/5, :47 4/5 and 1:12 1/5.
Soi Phet had begun fading by the time the trio reached the lane, but Rousing
Sermon and Hear the Ghost were still going strong. That duo put their best
hooves forward, but just could not run down their barnmate as he pulled off a
half-length score over Hear the Ghost in a final time of 1:50 for nine furlongs
on the Cushion Track.
“I’ll tell you
what, that horse is doing so well,” Pedroza stated. “(Hollendorfer) has done such a good job with
him. I rode him when he won in Pomona (in the September 22 Ralph M. Hinds Handicap) and that track is very deep. For him to win like he did going a mile and an
eighth on the lead was really good.
“I had no choice but to go from the rail
today. I figured I’d put him on the lead and they’d get tired chasing me. That’s
exactly what happened.”
Blueskiesnrainbows, who is campaigned by Bad Boy Racing LLC and Whizway
Farms, paid $8.40 for the win as the 3-1 second choice. Hear the Ghost, the 5-2
favorite, got the better of Rousing Sermon by a half-length on the wire, and the
Hollendorfer $1 trifecta returned $59.30.
“When (Fire With Fire and Slim Shadey)
scratched, I thought (Blueskiesnrainbows) would be on the lead. Our other two
horses were tactical and they did a really good job, too,” Hollendorfer remarked.
“When I
was thinking about this race and discussing it, we thought that if Blueskiesnrainbows was on the lead in the lane, he’d be hard to get by. He’s
been running better and better. If he keeps it up, he looks like a good prospect
for the coming year.
“Hear the Ghost really
impressed me. He was in between horses down the backside, with a hard way to go.
He might be better prepared when we run him in the (Grade 2, $200,000) Strub
(on January 18 at Santa Anita), which is the next race we are pointing for with
him. I think any one of these three might qualify for the (Grade 1, $750,000
Santa Anita Handicap on March 8), but we’ll see. We have a long way to go.”
Drill took fourth by just a head over Soi Phet, and completing the order of
finish were Mobilized and Setsuko, who was returning in this spot off a
runner-up effort in the 2012 Santa Anita Handicap following a 21-month layoff.
Fire With Fire and Slim Shadey were both withdrawn.
Blueskiesnrainbows entered the Native Diver off a runner-up effort in the
Breeders’ Cup Marathon on November 1 at Santa Anita. The chestnut colt has now
competed 12 times this season, taking the Ralph M. Hinds Handicap at Fairplex
Park in late September and finishing third in the Cougar II Handicap along the
way. Last season, Blueskiesnrainbows just missed by a half-length when third in
the Santa Anita Derby before capturing the Swaps two races later.
Following Saturday’s Native Diver, the inconsistent Virginia-bred boasts
$549,552 in earnings to go along with his 22-6-3-3 scorecard.
Bred by Edward P. Evans, Blueskiesnrainbows brought $33,000 as a Keeneland
September yearling. He is out of the Deputy Minister mare Cho Cho San and counts
as a half-sister stakes heroine Cho Cho Cat. The four-year-old’s second dam is
multiple Grade 2 queen Dance Colony, who placed in a pair of Grade 1 contests
while on track and also produced Grade 2 runner-up Big Prairie and multiple
Grade 3-placed Gold Colony.
Dance Colony is herself a half-sibling to Grade 1-winning sire Another Review
as well as Grade 1 victress and black-type producer No Review. She is a full
sister to the dam of Grade 2 heroine Promenade Girl and stakes vixen Dattts
Awesome.
Others of note in this female family include multiple Group 1-scoring sire
Lyphard, multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Urbane and Grade/Group 1 queen
Nobiliary.
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