This week at Golden Gate Fields, Jan. 12-16
Papa George, who has won all four starts beginning at the bottom of the class ladder, steps up again into the allowance ranks in Friday’s third race.
Many of the best local horses ran in stakes-quality allowance races last week.
Bronze Star and G. G. Ryder gave trainer Jerry Hollendorfer a 1-2 finish going 1 mile Friday as Berkeley Handicap winner Stryker Phd finished well back in third.
Quick and Silver had led from the start in almost all of his 22 races in Northern California (10 wins), but Distinctiv Passion led him by 5 lengths after a quarter-mile and by 3½ lengths after a half-mile.
Hollendorfer also finished 1-2 in the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita as Unique Bella resembled the brilliant Songbird in a 7½-length win over It Tiz Well.
Under Mike Smith, who also rides Songbird, Unique Bella rolled to the lead from fourth place on the turn of the 7-furlong event and went effortlessly to the wire.
Songbird, who romped in her first 11 starts before a loss by a short nose to Beholder in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, is scheduled to return to Hollendorfer’s barn Jan. 24 after resting at WinStar Farm in Kentucky. …