The Hawthorne Handicap was an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually in May from 1974 thru 2008 at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to t ...

in Inglewood, California. The race was open to fillies and mares age three and older and regularly drew from the West Coast's top female runners. The Hawthorne Handicap was raced on three different surfaces. *1973-1974: dirt *1976-1980: turf *1981-2006: dirt *2007-2008: all weather dirt composite track

Historical notes

The inaugural running of the Hawthorne Handicap took place on May 25, 1974 and was won by Tallahto. Owned by Elizabeth Keck and bred by her husband Howard, Tallahto would win eight stakes races for her owner of which three were Grade 1 events and two were Grade 2 stakes. In 2001, Hall of Fame jockey

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

won his fifth consecutive edition of the Hawthorne Handicap aboard Printemps. That feat tied McCarron with the Hollywood Park record for most consecutive wins of a single race set in the

Los Angeles Handicap The Los Angeles Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California during the spring racing season. It was previously run at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California), which closed in 20 ...

in 1974 by Don Pierce. Hall of Fame jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr. and Chris McCarron each won the Hawthorne Handicap eight times. Their combined total of sixteen wins equals half of all the Hawthorne Handicap editions ever run. In 1989 and 1990

Bayakoa Bayakoa (October 10, 1984 – June 14, 1997) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse bred in Argentina. After racing successfully in that country, Bayakoa was sold to Janis and Frank Whitham and subsequently raced in the United States, mainly in C ...

won back-to-back editions of the Hawthorne. Both times, she would go on to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff and be voted the

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

as the

American Champion Older Female Horse The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the ...

. The final edition of the Hawthorne Handicap took place on May 4, 2008 and was won by Tough Tiz's Sis owned by Karl Watson & Paul Weitman and ridden by Aaron Gryder.

Records

Speed record: * 1:32.80 @ 1 mile:

(1989) * 1:40.60 @ 1-1/16 miles on turf: Country Queen (1980) * 1:41.84 @ 1-1/16 miles on dirt: Tough Tiz's Sis (2008) Most wins: * Country Queen (1979, 1980) * Adored (1984, 1985) *

(1989, 1990) Most wins by a jockey: * 8 - Laffit Pincay Jr. (1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990) * 8 -

(1981, 1987, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) Most wins by a trainer: * 6 -

Ron McAnally Ronald L. McAnally (born July 11, 1932, in Covington, Kentucky) is an American Hall of Fame trainer in Thoroughbred horse racing. Called "one of the most honored and respected of North American trainers" by Thoroughbred Times Co., Inc, as a chi ...

(1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001) Most wins by an owner: *2 - Maribel G. Blum (1979, 1980) *2 -

H. Joseph Allen H. Joseph Allen (born July 19, 1941 in The Bronx, New York) is an American businessman and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Biography A graduate of the University of Michigan, Allen is a partner with his cousin Peter M. Brant in the pri ...

(1981, 1982) *2 -

Ethel D. Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs (March 18, 1910 - November 9, 2001) was a prominent American Thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder who was a three-time leading owner in North America. Married to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame trainer Hirsch Jacobs, Ethel Jacobs us ...

(Lessee) (1984, 1985) *2 - Frank & Janis Whitham (1989, 1990) *2 - Sidney &

Jenny Craig Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. The company has more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The pro ...

(1995, 1999)

Winners

References

{{reflist Discontinued horse races Horse races in California Hollywood Park Racetrack Mile category horse races for fillies and mares Recurring sporting events established in 1974 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2009