INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Nov. 23, 2007) - Longshot Lang Field, given a perfect stalking trip by jockey Jon Court, caught Japanese-bred Silent Name inside the sixteenth pole and held off hard-charging favorite Zann by a neck in the final strides to capture Friday's $400,000 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park.
Despite a victory by odds-on favorite The Leopard in the Generous in the opening event of Hollywood Park's 16th Turf Festival, the $39.60 upset by Lang Field in the Grade I Citation and a series of other surprises resulted in a Pick Six carryover of $143,896.
Lang Field, third-highest price in the field of nine older horses, was a comfortable third most of the way as Court coolly bided his time. He moved on the outside rounding the far turn and Lang Field ran very gamely through the stretch, covering 1 1/16 miles on the Lakeside Turf Course in 1:39.72 under 115 pounds.
"I had to utilize his speed a little to get position but we were able to sit behind and save the best for last," Court said. "That turned out to be the best thing in a Grade I."
Oak Tree Mile runner-up Zann was last much of the way under Garrett Gomez before making a determined charge in the final quarter, falling just short.
"I had a decent trip, not a great trip," Gomez said. "I got caught up in a little bit of traffic around the three-eighths pole. I wasn't losing any ground from where I was at, but I just had to wait until I could start making some kind of a run."
Proudinsky, another half-length back in third under Rafael Bejarano, finished a head in front of fellow Bobby Frankel-trainee Silent Name. Besides the $39.60 win mutuel, Lang Field paid $12.80 and $6. Zann returned $4 and $2.40, while the show payoff on Proudinksy was $3.20.
Lang Field became just the second Grade I winner for 70-year-old trainer Art Sherman, who saddled Siren Lure to win the 2006 Triple Bend Breeders' Cup Handicap here. His son, Alan, handled the saddling duties Friday.
"This is just a good horse," Alan Sherman said. "I've always been pretty high on this horse since I got him from Kentucky. He gives it his all every time we bring him over here. He really likes this turf course, that's for sure. We had him in the All American up north, but scratched him and decided to run him here."
Lang Field, a 4-year-old son of Langfuhr who races for Nigel Shields, won an allowance race here on turf in May before finishing sixth in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap. In his most recent start, he was third in the War Chant Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 13. The winner's check of $240,000 more than doubled his earnings to $422,923. He has won six of 20 starts.
Earlier on the program, trainer Todd Pletcher broke his 2006 North American earnings record of $26,820,243 as The Leopard cruised to a 2 ¼-length victory under jockey Gomez in the $111,800 Generous.
The victory - worth $71,800 to owners John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor - pushed Pletcher's season total to $26,850,873 as the trainer completed a five-win afternoon from coast to coast. It also capped a stakes hat-trick as Pletcher won the $150,000 Top Flight at Aqueduct with Mini Sermon and the $500,000 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs with A.P. Arrow.
"It was a good day," Pletcher said from Louisville where he saddled a pair of winners before heading here for Day 2 of the Turf Festival on Saturday. "It's nice to break the record with some important wins. It's been a great year for the whole team."
Gomez, who has ridden a record 72 stakes winners in 2007, broke Jerry Bailey's 2003 record of 70 stakes wins when he rode Spring Awakening to victory in the Moccasin Stakes here Nov. 11.
The Leopard won the Pilgrim at Belmont Park two starts back before finishing seventh Oct. 26 on a yielding course in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Monmouth Park. Gomez was up for the first time in the Generous.
"He's got room for improvement because he's still learning," Gomez said. "He's a big old colt, got a little warm going to the gate. He's got a little of that warm blood in him, but he's a very talented little horse. I watched this horse in New York and I knew he could run."
The Leopard, a comfortable fifth down the backstretch of the one-mile race, moved into contention on the outside nearing the quarter-pole and assumed command in the stretch to win for the third time in six starts. He was clocked in 1:34.28 while paying $3.60, $2.80 and $2.40 as the odds-on favorite. The winner's share boosted his earnings to $173,700.
Indian Sun, ridden by Alex Solis, returned $4.80 and $3.20. Irish-bred Meer Kat, another 2 ¾ lengths back in third under Victor Espinoza, paid $4.20.
