Saturday’s Hollywood Park feature honors the great Citation

Citation wins the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup.

Saturday’s Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park is named for Thoroughbred racing’s first millionaire horse and the eighth Triple Crown champion. Citation, whose name has become synonymous with greatness, was owned and bred by Calumet Farm in Kentucky and trained by Hall of Famers Ben Jones and son Jimmy Jones. Citation earned $1,085,760 in a 45-race career that spanned 1947 to 1951.

On July 14, 1951, Citation won the Hollywood Gold Cup – the race that pushed his career earnings past $1 million and signaled the end of his racing career. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1959 and died in 1970 at the age of 25.

Saturday is the second day of Hollywood Park’s Turf Festival and marks the 34th running of the Citation, a Grade 2 event for three-year-olds and up at a mile and one-sixteenth on the turf.

A field of nine will go postward in the Citation, including Oak Tree Mile winner Jeranimo. Trained by Mike Pender for B.J. Wright, Jeranimo was seventh of 13 in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

Video: Jeranimo wins Oak Tree Mile.

Bob Black Jack, winner of the 2010 San Carlos Handicap, will make his turf debut for owners Jeff Harmon and Tim Kasparoff and trainer Jim Kasparoff. Bob Black Jack was second in his comeback in the California Cup Sprint Oct. 29 – his first start since February, 2010.

Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally will try for his third Citation victory with Buenos Dias, a 6-year-old Irish-bred son of Peintre Celebre. Buenos Dias has lost 10 in a row since winning an optional claimer over the Hollywood Park turf June 10, 2010. Owned by Charles Cella, the bay has won three of 29 and earned $306,253.

McAnally’s previous wins in this race were with Pewter Grey (second division-1983) and Brave Act (1999).

From the inside out, the field for the 34th running of the Citation Handicap: Calimonco, Mike Smith rides, 116 pounds; Jeranino, Garrett Gomez, 122; Buenos Dias, Brice Blanc, 113; Leroy’s Dynameaux, Rafael Bejarano, 114; War Element, Joel Rosario, 113; Make Music for Me, Chantal Sutherland, 114; Bob Black Jack, Joe Talamo, 118; Assessment, Daniel Vergara, 115 and John Johny Jak, Victor Espinoza, 118.

The Citation will run as the ninth race Saturday with a post time of 4:37 p.m. Also on Saturday’s 10-race program is the Grade 3 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes for three-year-olds and up at six furlongs.

Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park Honors One of Racing's All Time Greats

Citation winning the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup, the final race of his career.

Today's Grade 1 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park celebrates one of racing's greats: Citation, the eighth Triple Crown champion and one of two North American Thoroughbreds (along with Cigar) to win 16 races in a row in major stakes competition. For 25 years following his Triple Crown triumph, Citation's name was used as the gold standard in Thoroughbred racing, as each year's most talented three-year-olds attempted to become "the first horse since Citation in 1948 to win the Triple Crown."

Owned and bred by Calumet Farm in Kentucky, Citation was a bay colt by Bull Lea out of the mare Hydroplane. He was Thoroughbred racing's first millionaire horse, earning $1,085,760 in a 45-race career that spanned 1947 to 1951. He was trained by Hall of Famers Ben Jones and son Jimmy Jones.

Citation, Steve Brooks up, after winning the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup. Pictured left to right are Thomas W. Simmons, Mrs. Steve Brooks and daughter Kathy, Goodwin Knight, Mrs and Mr. Jimmy Jones.

Citation won his first start at the old Havre de Grace Racetrack in Maryland on April 22, 1947 in a 4-1/2 furlong race. He would go on to win 32 times, finishing out of the money only once. He was Champion Two-Year-Old in 1947, Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse of the Year in 1948, and Champion Older Horse in 1951.

Injuries kept Citation from racing as a 4-year-old, but he came back to the races in 1950, winning his 16th race in a row at Santa Anita Park. His owners had brought him back to racing with the goal of becoming the first horse to win $1 million.

Down the backstretch in the 1951 Hollywood Gold Cup (Citation on outside).

On July 14, 1951, Citation won the Hollywood Gold Cup, pushing his career earnings past $1 million and signaling the end of his racing career. He was retired to Calumet Farm, where he sired a number of noteworthy offspring. In 1959, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. He died on August 8, 1970 at the age of 25.

Photographs courtesy of Hollywood Park.

Hyperbaric Wins Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park

Jockey Tyler Baze sent Hyperbaric to the lead out of the gate, got him to relax down the backstretch, and took advantage of the lack of other speed to cruise to victory in the 31st running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Citation Handicap at 1-1/16 miles on the turf at Hollywood Park. The win was the 4th in a row and first Grade 1 victory for Hyperbaric, who provided trainer Julio Canani with his second Citation Handicap win. Canani won the 1990 running with Colway Rally.

Canani said Hyperbaric's next start will most likely be in the Duty Free Stakes in Dubai, run during the Dubai World Cup in March. The 5-year-old Sky Classic gelding is owned by Prestonwood Farm LLC. He paid $13.00, $6.20, and $4.00. Running second and third were Formal Decree and Becrux.

Whatsthescript Tops Field of 10 in Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park

Friday's main race is the $400,000 Citation Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on turf. Garrett Gomez has the call on Whatsthescript for trainer John Sadler. Whatsthescript, third in the Breeders' Cup Mile, is owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC. Here's how the field shapes up:

The 31st Running of the Citation Handicap (Grade I)
$400,000 Guaranteed
One Mile And One Sixteenth (Turf)
A HANDICAP FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD AND UPWARD

1 HYPERBARIC           03 G 120 Baze, T           Canani, Julio
2 GALANTAS             03 H 116 Rose, J           Motion, H.
3 FERNELEY             04 C 114 Espinoza, V       Cecil, Ben
4 LORD ADMIRAL         01 H 118 Solis, A          O'Brien, Charles
5 BECRUX (ITY)         02 G 117 Smith, M          Sadler, John
6 REBELLION (GB)       03 H 118 Bejarano, R       Motion, H.
7 MEDICI CODE (GB)     04 G 113 Pedroza, M        Vienna, Darrell
8 PROUDINSKY (GER)     03 H 116 Valdivia, Jr., J  Frankel, Robert
9 WHATSTHESCRIPT (IRE) 04 C 120 Gomez, G          Sadler, John
10 FORMAL DECREE (GER) 03 G 117 Samyn, J          bin Suroor, Saeed