INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 22, 2007) - Country Star, impressive winner of the $431,500 Hollywood Starlet, was voted Horse of the Meet in the annual media poll as Hollywood Park's 32-day Autumn Meet concluded Saturday.
The daughter of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker stamped herself as one of the premier fillies in the nation with an impressive 2 3/4-length victory under jockey Rafael Bejarano in the Starlet. She covered 1 1/16 miles in a Cushion Track record 1:40.54, easily shattering the stakes record of 1:41.80 set by champion Serena's Song in 1994.
Her performance stirred talk of next year's Kentucky Oaks, but Bejarano had other thoughts.
"Oaks? She's going to be the next Kentucky Derby winner," he said.
Country Star, who campaigns for Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable, won her second straight Grade I race for trainer Bobby Frankel in only her third start. Her first came as a maiden in the Alcibiades at Keeneland in October following a second in her career debut in September at Belmont Park.
The complete list of winners:
2-year-old - Into Mischief
2-year-old filly - Country Star *
3-year-old - Daytona *
3-year-old filly - Romance Is Diane
Older male - Heatseeker
Older female - Precious Kitten
Turf Horse - Sunriver
Female Turf Horse - Precious Kitten *
Sprinter - Bushwacker
Claiming Horse - O Bee Naki *
Horse of the Meet - Country Star
Trainer - John Sadler *
Jockey - Garrett Gomez *
Apprentice Jockey - Alonzo Quinonez *
* Unanimous selection
