Jerry Hollendorfer

At the time of his Hall of Fame induction, Jerry Hollendorfer ranked in the top 10 in all-time wins and purse earnings among North American trainers. Born in Akron, Ohio, Hollendorfer arrived in California in the late 1960s and began working as a groom at Bay Meadows. He later went to work for trainers Jerry Dutton and Jerry Fanning in various capacities before taking out his own training license in 1979.

Inducted

2011

Born

June 18, 1946, Akron, Ohio

Career

1979-

Wins

7,771

Earnings

$207,107,254

Racing Record

22.55

Win %

Biography

At the time of his Hall of Fame induction, Jerry Hollendorfer ranked in the top 10 in all-time wins and purse earnings among North American trainers. Born in Akron, Ohio, Hollendorfer arrived in California in the late 1960s and began working as a groom at Bay Meadows. He later went to work for trainers Jerry Dutton and Jerry Fanning in various capacities before taking out his own training license in 1979.

“I used to go to the races once in a while in Ohio at Ascot Park, or to Northfields to watch the trotters. But my family had no horse experience," Hollendorfer said. "Fate plays a big role. Once I was on the backside of the track, I felt very comfortable. I could work with horses. I knew I could learn this. I loved it right away.”

Success didn’t come overnight for Hollendorfer. He failed to win more than 16 races in any of his first six years as a licensed conditioner. However, things began to change for Hollendorfer when he won 56 races in 1985. The next year that total increased to 117 and he eclipsed $1 million in purse earnings for the first time. That same year, 1986, also marked the first time Hollendorfer won the training titles at the Northern California tracks Golden Gate Fields and Bay Meadows.

Hollendorfer’s first stakes winner was Novel Sprite, a $16,000 claimer. Under Hollendorfer’s care, Novel Sprite went on to win more than $400,000 and was named Claimer of the Year in 1986. The talent in Hollendorfer’s stable continued to improve and he began to capture numerous marquee races. From 1986 through May of 2008, Hollendorfer won 37 consecutive training championships at Bay Meadows and 32 in a row at Golden Gate Fields.

Major races won by Hollendorfer horses include three runnings of the Kentucky Oaks with Lite Light in 1991, Pike Place Dancer in 1996, and Blind Luck in 2010. Hollendorfer has also won the Santa Anita Handicap, Haskell Invitational, Hollywood Futurity, Delaware Handicap, Alabama Stakes, Humana Distaff Handicap, and Ohio Derby, among others.

Hollendorfer has trained Eclipse Award winners Songbird, Blind Luck, and Shared Belief, and has won three Breeders' Cup races.

Through 2023, Hollendorfer has won 7,771 races (No. 3 all time) with purse earnings of $207,107,274 (No. 9 all time).