Facts and figures regarding Monday’s $400,000 Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup, the centerpiece of Santa Anita’s Memorial Day weekend of racing:

• The Gold Cup was Hollywood Park’s signature race, beginning when the legendary Seabiscuit won the inaugural running in 1938 with George Woolf aboard until Game On Dude’s victory in the race’s final edition in Inglewood in 2013.

• The purse for the first Gold Cup was $50,000, and it was not run in 1942 or ’43 because Hollywood Park was closed and used as an airplane parts storage depot during World War II.

• The 1949 Gold Cup, and the entire Hollywood Park meet, was run at Santa Anita after a fire at Hollywood Park on May 5 of that year. The Hollypark grandstand was rebuilt and the track reopened in time for a split 1950 season.

• The fastest Gold Cup was turned in by Quack in 1972. The Charlie Whittingham-trained stakes standout ran the mile and a quarter in a track and world record of 1:58 1/5. The jockey? Donald Pierce.

• Quack’s victory was the second of four consecutive victories in the race by Whittingham, who won the stake a record eight times, tied with Bob Baffert for most all-time. Baffert won three consecutive with First Dude (2011) and Game On Dude (2012-13).

• Doug O’Neill and Buster Millerick are the only other trainers to win the Gold Cup at least three consecutive years. O’Neill accomplished the hat trick with Lava Man in 2005-07 and Millerick turned the trick with Native Diver in 1965-67. Jerry Lambert rode Native Diver in all three races.

• Laffit Pincay Jr. leads all jockeys with nine Gold Cup victories, beginning with his first aboard Pleasure Seeker in 1970 and culminating with Sky Jack in 2002 for O’Neill. Shoemaker won the race eight times, the final one coming in 1987 aboard Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner.

• Nine horses have won the Gold Cup and Santa Anita Handicap in the same year, most recently Accelerate in 2018. Lava Man is the only one to have accomplished the feat twice, in 2006-07, with Corey Nakatani aboard.

• Affirmed in 1979 and Citation in 1951 are the only Triple Crown champions to win the Gold Cup. Pincay rode Affirmed to a gate-to-wire victory. Citation, who became racing’s first millionaire with his four-length victory under Steve Brooks, was retired after the race.

• Beginning with Santa Anita’s first Gold Cup after Hollywood Park closed in 2013, the race was known as the Gold Cup at Santa Anita its first six years until Santa Anita management restored the original name in 2020.

• “The Hollywood Gold Cup is one of the most storied races in all of American racing and we are right to remember it,” Aidan Butler, COO for The Stronach Group, said after the name was restored. “Beginning when Seabiscuit won the inaugural in 1938, it has attracted some of the finest older horses in the world. Even though Hollywood Park doesn’t exist anymore, this race does, and it deserves to be linked to its grand past.”

• Butler was right. Some of the biggest names in racing have won the Gold Cup. In addition to the aforementioned Seabiscuit, Affirmed and Citation, other prominent winners include 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet (1999), Skip Away (1998), Cigar (1995), Ancient Title (1975), Ack Ack (1971), Round Table (1957) and Swaps (1956).

• Last year’s winner, Country Grammer, has gone on to do some special things since outfinishing Royal Ship by a head with Flavien Prat aboard last May. The 5-year-old son of Tonalist finished second in the $20 million Saudi Cup after being away from the races for nine months and then rallied to win the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March over Hot Rod Charlie.

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• Only three fillies or mares have won the Gold Cup, and none since Princessnesian found the winner’s circle in 1968. Life Is Sweet finished third in 2009 and Cascapedia was runner-up behind Crystal Water in 1977.

• Two female trainers have saddled Gold Cup winners, Mary Lou Tuck in 1980 with Go West Young Man (Eddie Delahoussaye) and Laura de Seroux in 2004 with Total Impact (Mike Smith).

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73