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Gomez, Sadler wrap up Hollywood titles When the curtain came down on Hollywood Park's 32-day stand on Saturday, jockey Garrett Gomez took home his second straight Autumn Meet riding title and John Sadler registered his first training title. Gomez, the nation's leading money-winning jockey, racked up 35 wins at the meet. After riding in the East since April, he returned to California following the October 27 Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park. The title was the fourth overall for Gomez at Hollywood Park. Tyler Baze, the leading rider at Oak Tree, finished second with 28 wins, while his cousin, Michael Baze, the leading jockey at the 2007 Spring/Summer Meet, was third with 26 wins. Gomez also led the meet with five stakes wins, pushing his record yearly total to 75. He won the November 11 Moccasin S. at Hollywood aboard Spring Awakening (In Excess [Ire]), breaking Jerry Bailey's 2003 record with his 71st stakes win of 2007. Gomez also rode Sunriver (Saint Ballado) to victory in the December 8 Hollywood Turf Cup (G1), his nation-high 12th Grade 1 victory of the year. He leads the nation with 42 graded stakes wins. Gomez, who will celebrate his 36th birthday on New Year's Day, led the nation with North American purses totaling $22.4 million entering Saturday's program and still has a chance of topping Bailey's 2003 record of $23.3 million. Including international races, his mounts have earned $23.4 million in 2007, about $900,000 shy of the record set by John Velazquez in 2005. Sadler came in second in the standings here one year ago, just two adrift of Doug O'Neill. This time, Sadler saddled 21 winners to finish a comfortable 10 wins ahead of Mike Mitchell and earn top trainer honors. "It feels good," Sadler said. "We've been building toward this. We just missed in this meet last year. We've been close in Southern California all year. We've had 100-plus wins on this circuit. We got off to a good start at this meet, winning the War Chant on opening day with Warning Zone (Chester House), and just stayed steady. We won in a lot of different divisions: maidens, allowances, stakes. "I couldn't have done this without having great people working for me," Sadler added. "Larry Benavidez has emerged as one of the top assistants around. As the stable has grown, we have needed to cover more ground, and Larry has been here most mornings while I have stayed at Santa Anita." Sadler also saddled Playa del Rey S. winner Lady Gamer (Game Plan) and Cat's Cradle H. winner Curiously Sweet (Mud Route) at the Autumn Meet. COUNTRY STAR (Empire Maker), impressive winner of the $431,500 Hollywood Starlet S. (G1), was voted Horse of the Meet in the annual media poll. While finishing a commanding 2 3/4 lengths clear under jockey Rafael Bejarano, the Bobby Frankel filly 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 (G1), but Bejarano had other thoughts. "Oaks? She's going to be the next Kentucky Derby (G1) winner," he said. A homebred campaigned by Robert and Janice McNair's Stonerside Stable, Country Star had previously captured the Alcibiades S. (G1) at Keeneland.
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