Jerry Hollendorfer has Del Mar ban overturned as breakdown crisis continues

After becoming indelibly linked to the breakdown crisis gripping US racing, Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has had a ban preventing him from running his horses at Del Mar overturned by a San Diego judge.

Earlier this month Hollendorfer was prevented by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club from having runners at its summer meet after he became the public face of a disastrous six-month period during which 39 horses suffered fatal injuries at both Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields, six of which were trained by Hollendorfer.

The trainer, 73, last week reacted to the ban by suing Del Mar and describing the action taken as "arbitrary and capricious".

Del Mar's move to ban the trainer followed similar action taken by The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, and the New York Racing Association, both of whom felt the recent fatality record of the trainer's horses was unacceptable.

Del Mar: attempted to ban Jerry Hollendorfer from its summer meetCredit: Edward Whitaker

In a three-page statement, Judge Ronald Frazier said: "There is evidence Del Mar Thoroughbred Club did indeed arbitrarily deny Mr Hollendorfer's stall application without first providing him fair procedure."

Over the previous two seasons at Santa Anita, Hollendorfer-trained runners suffered just one fatality in 550 starts at the track, a point emphasised by the trainer's attorney Drew Couto, who alluded to heavy rainfall and the pressure being placed on trainers "to run horses more often" by tracks as reasons behind the recent fatality spike.

Thursday's decision by Judge Frazier is subject to a final ruling on Friday and does not extend to bans at other tracks. The DMTB will have the opportunity to convince the judge that his tentative reasoning was incorrect.

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