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.

Ventura to Make Final Career Start in Saturday's Matriarch

Ventura at Santa Anita, 10-17-08.

Ventura will be saddled by Humberto Ascanio, the longtime assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, for the final start of her career in The Matriarch on Saturday at Hollywood Park. Frankel, who passed away Nov. 16, is the all-time leading trainer at Hollywood Park. He captured 13 training titles at the Inglewood track -- six of them consecutive -- and saddled a record eight Matriarch winners.

Ventura won the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and was runner-up in 2009. She has earned more than $2 million in 20 career starts, with 9 wins, including the Woodbine Mile against males.

The Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares three years old and up will be run at one mile on the turf. Saturday is the second day of Hollywood Park’s 18th Turf Festival, a series of grass races that was introduced at the 1991 Autumn Meet. Saturday's card also features the Grade 3 Generous Stakes.

Friday features the Grade 1 Citation Handicap. Sunday — Zenyatta Day at Hollywood Park — will feature the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and the Grade 3 Miesque Stakes.

Habaya Wins Miesque Stakes at Hollywood Park

Habaya picked up her first graded stakes victory for owner Shadwell Farm in today's Miesque Stakes for two-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf. The Miesque is the first of six graded stakes in the Hollywood Park Turf Festival and will be followed up by the Grade 1 Citation today, the Grade 3 Hollywood Turf Express and Grade 3 Generous Stakes Saturday, and the Matriarch Stakes and Hollywood Derby, both Grade 1, on Sunday.

Coming off a 6-week rest, Habaya was ridden by Richard Migliore, who has been aboard on all three of her starts. Following today's race, Migliore said, "Today was the best trip she's had of her two starts." Habaya defeated maidens in her debut at Belmont Park on Sept. 25, then was second in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 9 to Laragh, who subsequently ran third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains Habaya, decided to pass up the Breeders' Cup.

Representing Kieran McLaughlin today at Hollywood Park was his brother Neil, who commented, "Hopefully she'll be coming back out here for the American Oaks, because she looks like she wants to go a little further." The Grade 1 American Oaks, a 1-1/4 mile turf test for 3-year-old fillies, will most likely be part of the 4th of July weekend card during the Hollywood Park Spring/Summer meet.

Habaya is by Storm Cat and is out of the Eclipse Award-winning turf mare Golden Apples. She paid $6.80, $4.20, and $3.20. Finishing second and third were Internallyflawless and Eloquently.