Horse Racing Roundup : Forlitano Wins Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park

Forlitano moved to the front in the upper stretch and beat Conquering Hero by three-quarters of a length in the $134,500 Citation Handicap on the turf course at Hollywood Park Sunday.

Forlitano, ridden by Patrick Valenzuela and carrying 120 pounds, clocked 1:47 2/5 in the 1 1/8-mile race for horses 3-years-old and up. Coupled with third-place Ifrad in the betting, Forlitano paid $6.60, $3.60 and $4.

Conquering Hero, the third-longest shot in the field of 12, finished a neck ahead of Ifrad and paid $27.40 and $25.40. Conquering Hero was ridden by Rafael Meza and carried 115 pounds.

Ifrad, ridden by Bill Shoemaker and carrying 115 pounds, was 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Lord Grundy at the finish. Favored Tasso was fifth.

The victory brought a purse of $71,500 to the Evergreen Farm of C.N. Ray of Paris, Ky., and increased Forlitano’s career earnings to $485,745.

Angel Cordero rode four winners Sunday, Cold N Hard in the first, Move Free in the second, Pettraz in the third and High Hook in the seventh.

At Fuchu, Japan, Le Glorieux of France, ridden by Alain Lequeux, won the Japan Cup, finishing three-quarters of a length ahead of South Jet.

It was the 3-year-old colt’s first Grade 1 victory since he won the Washington, D.C., International at Laurel on Oct. 31.

Le Glorieux was timed in 2:24.09, a Japan record, for the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2 miles) race at the Tokyo Race course, just outside Tokyo. The old mark of 2:25.00 was held by Britain’s Jupiter Island, winner of this race in 1986.

The victory was worth $630,000 and other allowances.

South Jet, a 4-year-old colt, was one-half length ahead of Japan’s Dyna Actress, a 4-year-old filly.

Pre-race favorite Triptych finished in fourth place, another 1 3/4 lengths further back.

A field of 14 horses from Ireland, France, Britain, the United States and Japan competed in the race.

At Aqueduct in New York, Ballindaggin battled Fourstardave in a hard drive to the wire and won the $200,000 New York Stallion Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds in stakes record time.

Ballindaggin, ridden by Jore Velasquez, covered a mile on the fast track in 1:36 4/5 and paid $4.40, $2.80 and $2.20.