Kobe’s Back wins $100,000 Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes

Lakers fan Lee Searing waited until he thought he had a really nice horse, and it happened to coincide with an injury to his favorite player, Kobe Bryant, so he named his 2-year-old colt Kobe’s Back. And what a debut for the son of Flatter on Saturday at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Running in the $100,000 Willard L. Proctor Memorial Stakes, Kobe’s Back broke slowly out of the starting gate in the 51/2-furlong race and was last in a field of nine. But he came charging in the stretch under jockey Rafael Bejarano and won by 31/4 lengths over Willie B Awesome.

Searing beamed afterward and told the story of how much he and his wife, Susan, love the Lakers and Bryant.

“I’ve watched him for 17 years,” he said. “I knew he’d be back, so we named him, ‘Kobe’s Back.’”

Bryant is recovering from surgery on a torn Achilles’ tendon.

Kobe’s Back was purchased for $480,000 at the March sale in Ocala, Fla.

“He’d shown a lot in the morning,” said trainer John Sadler.

The winning time was 1:05.42.

In the Grade I, $250,000 Vanity Handicap for fillies and mares going 11/8 miles, Byrama and jockey Gary Stevens pulled off the upset, defeating More Chocolate by 31/2 lengths. Lady Of Fifty finished third. Stevens has won two races at the Hollywood Park meeting, and both were in Grade I races.

Byrama, trained by Simon Callaghan, ended a six-race losing streak and paid $14.00 for the victory in a race that has been won by Zenyatta and Azeri, among others, in its 72 years of running.

In the $100,000 Cinderella Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Sprouts, under jockey Mario Gutierrez, scored a 31/2 -length victory over Pleasant Miss, finishing the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.45. The daughter of Square Eddie is trained by Edward Freeman.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com