Hollywood Plans Big Boost for Juvenile Stakes

Betfair Hollywood Park has boosted purses considerably for its 2-year-olds stakes program during both the 2012 spring/summer and autumn meets.

Purses for the Hollywood Juvenile Championship (gr. III) and the Landaluce Stakes, fixtures on the spring/summer calendar, have doubled from $100,000 to $200,000. The Cinderella Stakes and Willard L. Proctor Memorial have gone from $70,000-added in 2011 to $100,000 this year.

Additionally, the Hollywood Starlet (gr. I), one of the highlights of the fall meet, has been raised from $200,000-added to $500,000 guaranteed.

The Hollywood Juvenile, contested at six furlongs, will be run for the 73rd time July 14. The Landaluce, restricted to fillies and also at six furlongs, will have its 68th renewal the same day.

Both the Cinderella, which is for fillies, and the Proctor will be offered June 16. The two races are at 5 1/2 furlongs.

The Starlet, which is run at 1 1/16 miles, is scheduled for Dec. 8. The race has been captured in the past by such stars as Blind Luck, Surfside, Sharp Cat, Serena’s Song, Very Subtle, and Althea.

The first payment of $250 for both the Starlet and the $750,000 CashCall Futurity (gr. I), which is Dec. 15, are due May 18, according to Martin Panza, Betfair Hollywood Park’s racing secretary and vice president for racing.

“These increases reward those owners and trainers who support the 2-year-old program during the spring/summer meet,’’ said Panza. “We’ve doubled the purses for two of our four stakes during the spring/summer and we have eight stakes for 2-year-olds – at different distances on two surfaces – during the autumn season.’’

Betfair Hollywood Park’s 50-day spring/summer meet will begin April 26 and continue through July 15.