A field of 10 is set to compete in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade III El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields racetrack in Berkeley, California. The race will cover 1 1/8 mile over the Tapeta surface and is the eighth on a nine-race card.
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will send two to the gate—a colt and a filly. Russian Greek, a son of Giant’s Causeway, has been installed as the morning-line favorite at odds of 5-2. Russian Greek will again pair with jockey Aaron Gryder who piloted the colt to a one length victory over El Camino Real Derby contender Cahill Chrome in the 1 1/16 mile California Derby on Jan. 14 Golden Gate Fields. He has three wins out of four starts, two of which were stakes victories.
Lady of Fifty, owned and trained by Hollendorfer, will make her first start against the boys. She is undefeated in her last three starts which comprised the Golden Gate Fields series of stakes races for fillies. She has consistently increased her distances and, with four wins at Golden Gate, appears to be a horse for the course. Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze gets the mount on the morning line’s fourth choice in the field at 5-1.
Since the El Camino Real Derby’s inception in 1982, Baze holds the record for most wins by a jockey with eight. Hollendorfer holds the record for the most wins by a trainer with five, four of which were with the assistance of Baze. Interesting that Hollendorfer has chosen Baze to ride the longer odd of his dual entry. As owner of Lady of Fifty, should she win, Hollendorfer would stand to take home purse money as both owner and trainer.
