In a banner year, Dr. Mark Dedomenico-owned runners continue to amass stakes hardware. The two latest winning black-type forays occurred in California in early December.

  On Saturday, December 4, Dedomenico and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer's two-year-old filly Cathy's Crunches, a Florida-bred daughter of West Acre out of stakes-placed Miss Atticus, by Atticus, came from first to last to take her third stakes, and fifth win in seven starts, when she won the $75,000 Corte Madera Stakes at Golden Gate Fields. Finishing a half-length behind the Chad Schvaneveldt-ridden winner in the mile race was Game to Run and Lilacs and Lace, who finished in a dead-heat for second. Final race time over a fast track was 1:40.01.

  Cathy's Crunches has now earned $153,520.

  The results were even better on Sunday when Dedomenico and Hollendorfer's Washington Bridge, who had taken the $50,000 Life Is Sweet Stakes run at Hollywood Park on November 12, became a graded stakes winner after winning the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap (G2) by 1 3/4 lengths over Sister Dawn. The three-year-old daughter of Yankee Gentleman filly out of WTBOA summer sale graduate and $179,889 multiple stakes winner Stirling Bridge, by Prized, was ridden to her most recent win by Rafael Bejarano. Final race time for the 1 1/16-mile race run over a fast track was 1:44.25.

  It was Washington Bridge's fifth win in 18 starts for the filly, but third straight victory.

  "She was very nervous earlier in her career, but she's settled down quite a bit lately," noted Hollendorfer. "We just took our time, schooled her a lot, and stood her in the gate a lot."

  With her $90,000 earnings in Hollywood Park stakes, Kentucky-bred Washington Bridge has earned $221,089.

John Casey 

  Grade 3 New York stakes winner and Washington sire John Casey, 33, died of the infirmities of old age on November 28, 2010, at his longtime home at Clemans View Farm in Naches.

  "He was very active and in good condition up to his final day," said Jeff Harris. "Even though he was retired, we still used him in the spring for our 'teaser' and he loved making the trip up to the main barn to visit the girls."

 He was one of 55 (ten percent) stakes winners sired by 1969 leading juvenile sire and four-time leading broodmare sire Prince John and was the first foal out of unraced Fuchsia Filch, a daughter of No Robbery who was a full or half-sister to three stakes winners, including Meadowlands Cup Handicap (G2) winner Princelet. Fuchsia Filch was also the dam of Secretariat Handicap (G2) winner Sing Sing, a son of Stop the Music who earned $520,642.

  John Casey raced over five seasons, making 40 starts and earning a 6-10-7 record. He also ran second in the Stymie Handicap (G3) en route to winnings of $204,001.