Hollywood Park: Boat Trip will miss Hollywood turf course

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Boat Trip, a 4-year-old Harlan’s Holiday colt, made the most of the final seasons of Betfair Hollywood Park.

The track will close permanently at the end of the meeting Dec. 22, and Boat Trip is going out a winner. He won Sunday’s $100,000 Hollywood Turf Express over six furlongs on grass by a half-length over No Silent, Chips All In, and Unbridled’s Note, who finished second in a triple dead heat.

In five starts on turf at Hollywood Park, Boat Trip won four races. The Turf Express was his second stakes win, preceded by the minor Tsunami Slew Stakes for 3-year-olds over a mile on turf at Hollywood in June 2012.

The win in the Turf Express has led trainer Mike Pender to plan two-turn races for Boat Trip in 2014.

“I’d like to see him go back to a mile,” Pender said. “As he gets older, we’ll look in that direction.”

Boat Trip has won 5 of 14 starts and earned $253,196. He earned $189,990 in races on Hollywood’s turf course.

“We’ll be sad to see the place go,” Pender said.