Hollywood Gold Cup once again top stakes of meeting

Led by the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 9, Hollywood Park will run seven Grade 1 races during its upcoming 54-day spring-summer meeting, which runs from April 21 to July 17.

The schedule of 49 stakes was released on Thursday, and includes a few changes from the 2010 meeting. The $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on turf, has been moved from Memorial Day to July 2 with a $50,000 purse increase. The $150,000 American Handicap, which was run on Fourth of July weekend in the past, will be run on May 28, at one mile on turf, a furlong shorter than past runnings.

The Gold Cup purse is the same as in 2010 and will be part of a program that includes the $150,000 Swaps Stakes for 3-year-olds, a Grade 2 that dropped in value by $50,000.

The first major event of the meeting is the eight-race California Gold Rush program, with stakes ranging in value from $70,000 to $150,000. The program is led by the $150,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-old statebreds, which is worth $50,000 less this year than last year. Three other Gold Rush races are worth $125,000, a decline of $25,000 each this year.

The $250,000 American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on turf will be run on July 16 as part of a program that includes the $200,000 A Gleam Handicap for female sprinters. The purse for the A Gleam has been increased by $50,000.

The $100,000 Will Rogers Handicap for 3-year-olds on turf is not part of the calendar, leaving the meeting without a two-turn stakes for 3-year-olds on that surface.