The dismissal of a lawsuit brought by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer against the California Horse Racing Board has been affirmed on appeal.
Hollendorfer sued the CHRB in 2020 after the agency refused to take any action when Del Mar ruled Hollendorfer off its grounds the prior year following the deaths of multiple horses in his care in California. The trial court dismissed multiple theories of liability claimed by Hollendorfer.
Hollendorfer was allowed to continue racing at the Southern California track after being granted a temporary injunction in 2020. His suit for damages against Del Mar, filed the same year, was settled on confidential, unspecified terms in 2023. Del Mar told BloodHorse at that time the settlement does not reflect an “acceptance of liability.”
At about the same time the Del Mar suit was settled, Hollendorfer appealed from the order denying his claims against CHRB. The appeal was unanimously rejected Oct. 28 by a three-judge panel of the 4th Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal. The trainer has the right to ask the California Supreme Court to review the decision.
Hollendorfer was inducted in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2011, but he no longer competes at its higher levels. According to Equibase records, from 2007 through 2018 Hollendorfer averaged 159.5 stakes starters per year. This year through Nov. 9 he’s started 11 horses in 29 races with two wins, two seconds, four thirds, and earnings of $105,136.
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