Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer earned his 6,000th career victory on Saturday at
Golden Gate Fields when his three-year-old filly Just Tappin It (Tapit) captured
the
6TH race in front-running fashion.
Just Tappin It, the 3-5 favorite ridden by Russell Baze, won the 5
1/2-furlong dash for $4,000 claimers by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:05 4/5 and paid
$3.40. Hollendorfer watched the race via simulcast from Del Mar, where he was
running three horses Saturday.
“Did we get it?” Hollendorfer joked when contacted via cell phone by Bay Area
reporters. “Yeah, we kind of took a while to get it.”
Hollendorfer recorded win No. 5,998 on August 21 when Indian Gracey (Indian
Ocean) took the 9TH race at Golden Gate. He then went winless with 28 starters
before scoring win No. 5,999 with Going for a Spin (Minister Wild Cat) in the
1ST race Friday at the Northern California track. He missed with his final two
starters Friday and his first two runners Saturday before securing No. 6,000
with Just Tappin It.
Baze felt good about helping Hollendorfer get his milestone victory.
“I’m really happy I got to do it for him,” Baze said. “Jerry’s been awfully
good to me. I was beginning to wonder if I could do it for him. He was stuck on
5,998 so long I took five or six swings at it.”
Hollendorfer’s wife and chief assistant, Janet, was simply happy the waiting
for 6,000 came to an end.
“I’m just glad that it’s over with,” she said.
Hollendorfer, who became only the fourth trainer in Thoroughbred racing
history to win 6,000 races, said he appreciated the accomplishment but doesn’t
plan to rest on his laurels.
“I think I have some good years left in me and I’d like to keep training and
work as long as I can,” he admitted. “I’d like to keep going if I can keep my
health and try to keep winning races. If I could ever make 7,000 I guess I’d be
very happy about that, but I’m just going to do what I can do and work every
day. We spend a lot of time at the racetrack but it’s because we like it and we
like the horses.”
Hollendorfer joins the late Dale Baird (9,445 career victories) and active
trainers Jack Van Berg (6,406) and King T. Leatherbury (6,324) in the exclusive
6,000 victory club.