Hollendorfer, Del Mar Agree to Resolve Litigation

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has reached an unconditional settlement agreement in a lawsuit against Del Mar that had been filed after the Southern California track initially prohibited him from running horses there early in its summer 2019 meet.

The action follows a settlement agreement reached last year with 1/ST Racing, the operators of Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields. 1/ST Racing barred the trainer from competition after he had a cluster of equine breakdowns in the spring of 2019 during a time when Santa Anita was experiencing a rash of fatalities. Del Mar followed that action by not initially allowing him to stable and race there—though a couple of weeks into its summer meet, Hollendorfer was able to secure an injunction that allowed him to train horses at Del Mar and participate.

The trainer, who once ran one of the largest stables in California, has seen the number of horses in his care diminish over the last few years, particularly in California, which had been his primary base. He has continued to run horses at Del Mar, though on a much smaller scale than when he was a leading trainer there in 2014-15. 

Most of his horses have raced at Oaklawn Park and Monmouth Park thus far in 2023. Del Mar opens for its summer season July 21.

Del Mar president and COO Josh Rubinstein declined to comment in an email to BloodHorse, beyond a statement from the track that said in part that the agreed resolution of the litigation "does not reflect the merit of or any acceptance of liability by any party."

Thoroughbred Daily News, which first reported the settlement, noted the terms of the agreement are confidential.

Last week, Hollendorfer announced that he would focus upon directing a small stable competing at Los Alamitos Race Course and Del Mar and that his former assistant Dan Ward would take over the training of 29 horses that had been with him at Monmouth Park.