Hollywood announces stakes schedule

The 73rd running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup and the Grade 1

American Oaks, which was increased from $250,000 to $400,000, headline a stakes

schedule worth more than $6.8 million for the 2012 Spring/Summer meet at

Hollywood Park.

The 50-day season begins April 26 and continues through July 15.

Over 1 1/4 miles over Cushion Track, the Gold Cup, which was won a year ago

by First Dude in thrilling fashion over stablemate Game On Dude and favored

Twirling Candy, will be run July 7, and is part of a stakes doubleheader. The

card will also feature the Grade 2, $150,000 Royal Heroine Mile for older

fillies and mares on turf.

The American Oaks, which featured a historic dead heat between Cambina and

Nereid for its 10th anniversary in 2011, will be contested July 14 and is the

last of seven Grade 1s during the meet.

An invitational for three-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on turf, the

American Oaks anchors a program that also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 A Gleam

Handicap for older females at seven furlongs and the $200,000 Landaluce for

two-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

The Landaluce is one of four stakes races for two-year-olds that have

increased purses.

A Grade 3 at six furlongs, the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, which will be

run July 14, has, similarly to the Landaluce, doubled to $200,000. The Willard

L. Proctor Memorial and Cinderella have gone from $70,000 to $100,000. The

Proctor and Cinderella are scheduled for June 16.

"With the increase to $400,000, the American Oaks is one of the top races in

the country for three-year-old turf fillies and we believe it will attract a

quality field," said Martin Panza, Hollywood Park's racing secretary and vice

president-racing. "There's no doubt two-year-olds play an important role in the

Spring/Summer meet, so the larger purses for the Willard Proctor, Cinderella,

Landaluce and Hollywood Juvenile Championship is a way to try and reward the

owners and trainers that do participate during the season.'"

A Grade 1 on turf, the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, will be run June 30, along

with the Grade 1, $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap at seven furlongs.

For the first time, the Grade 2 Swaps will be offered on July 4. The 1

1/8-mile race for three-year-olds, which has a purse of $150,000, is the main

attraction of the special Wednesday holiday card.

The Hollywood Gold Cup and American Oaks programs are among nine multiple

stakes days at the meeting. The first is Gold Rush XIII, the annual showcase for

California-breds, which will be held April 28.

Run at 1/18 miles, the $300,000 Snow Chief and the $300,000 Melair are the

main Gold Rush events. The Snow Chief, which is for three-year-olds, was worth

$150,000 in 2011 while the Melair, which is for three-year-old fillies, had a

$125,000 purse a year ago. The other notable Gold Rush stakes are the $125,000

B. Thoughtful and $125,000 Tiznow.

The May 5 card will feature the Grade 2, $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap, the

Grade 3, $100,000 Senorita and the $70,000 Cool Frenchy. The LeRoy, at 1 1/16

miles, is the first prep for the Gold Cup.

The primary race June 9 is the Grade 1, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial

Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on turf. There will be two other stakes that afternoon

-- the Grade 2, $150,000 Honeymoon Handicap and the $70,000 Manhattan Beach.

A Grade 2 at 1 1/8 miles, the $150,000 Californian, which was taken by Crown

of Thorns in 2011, will be run June 2.

The Vanity, which has been won the last four years by either Zenyatta or

Blind Luck, will be run June 16. A Grade 1 at 1 1/8 miles, the Vanity has a

purse of $250,000.

For a second consecutive year, the Gold Cup, Shoemaker Mile and A Gleam are

"Breeders' Cup Win and You're In" races. The winners of those events will earn a

spot in the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

The stakes schedule commences April 26 with the $70,000 Harry Henson. Named

in honor of the legendary track announcer who worked at Hollywood Park from

1958-1982, the Henson is for three-year-olds at six furlongs on turf.

Headlining the first Friday night program of the meet April 27 is the Grade

3, $100,000 Inglewood Handicap. The Inglewood has been lengthened from 1 1/16

miles to 1 1/8 miles on turf in 2012.