Hollywood Park: O’Neill gets 500th win at track

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Trainer Doug O’Neill became the ninth trainer to win 500 races at Hollywood Park when Pop the Cork won a maiden claimer in Thursday’s eighth race. Earlier in the day, O’Neill won his 499th race at Hollywood Park when Liberal Arts won a $10,000 claimer.

O’Neill, 43, joins a list of trainers with 500 wins led by the late Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, who won 952 races at Hollywood Park. Other trainers with 500 wins at Hollywood Park are Charles Whittingham, Mike Mitchell, Ron McAnally, Richard Mandella, John Sadler, Mel Stute, and Bob Baffert.

This weekend, O’Neill has a chance for another Hollywood Park milestone. Through Thursday, he was third in the trainer standings with 13 wins, two fewer than Mitchell and one fewer than Baffert. The autumn meeting ends on Sunday. O’Neill last training title came at the 2010 Hollywood Park autumn meeting.