From Betfair Hollywood Park Publicity
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 15, 2013)—In commemoration of the closing of Betfair Hollywood Park, mutuel tickets purchased on the final day of racing – Sunday, Dec. 22 – will have special messages highlighting some of the unforgettable achievments from legendary performers – both human and equine – during the 75-year history of the legendary track.
Known as the Home of Champions and the Track of the Lakes and Flowers, Hollywood Park has been the playground of thoroughbred superstars such as Seabiscuit, winner of the inaugural Hollywood Gold Cup in 1938, Noor, Citation, Swaps, Round Table, Affirmed, Ferdinand, Ack Ack, Native Diver, Lava Man, Skip Away, Cigar, John Henry and Zenyatta.
Many of the game’s greatest jockeys and trainers have added to their glowing resumes at Hollywood Park, including numerous Hall of Famers.
Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Bill Shoemaker are the runaway leaders in terms of wins among riders at Hollywood Park, having combined for 5,465 victories – 568 coming in stakes.
Other Hall of Famers who were once local regulars include Sandy Hawley, Chris McCarron, Eddie Delahoussaye, Gary Stevens, John Longden, Kent Desormeaux, Don Pierce and Milo Valenzuela.
Hall of Fame trainers Charlie Whittingham and Bobby Frankel combined to win over 1,800 races – 371 of them in stakes – at Hollywood Park.
The top 40 trainers – in terms of victories – in Hollywood Park history include a dozen others – Ron McAnally, Mesh Tenney, Richard Mandella, Bob Baffert, Buster Millerick, Neil Drysdale, Bill Molter, D. Wayne Lukas, Jack Van Berg, Lazaro Barrera and Bob Wheeler – who are residents of the Hall of Fame.