History
Hollywood Park opened in June 1938, organized by the Hollywood Turf Club with film executive Jack L. Warner as chairman and a roster of shareholders drawn from the film business. Its link to the movie industry gave it a glamour few American tracks could match.
The track became one of the most important in the West. Citation became racing's first million-dollar earner there in 1951, the Hollywood Gold Cup was a fixture of the national calendar, and the venue staged the first Breeders' Cup in 1984 and two more in 1987 and 1997.
The closure was announced on May 9, 2013 with the land slated for redevelopment, and racing ended on December 22, 2013, after 75 years.
Demolition took place in stages, with the grandstand imploded on May 31, 2015. The site is now the Hollywood Park district, home to SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, a new casino and housing.
Why it matters: Southern California's signature Hollywood-era racetrack and host of the inaugural Breeders' Cup, now the site of one of the NFL's largest stadiums.
Timeline
- June 10, 1938
The Hollywood Turf Club, backed by film industry figures, opened the track; Valley Lass won the first race.
- 1951Citation's millionth dollar[2]
Citation won the Hollywood Gold Cup to become racing's first millionaire horse.
- 1984First Breeders' Cup[2]
Hollywood Park hosted the inaugural Breeders' Cup, and hosted it again in 1987 and 1997.
- December 10, 1999Pincay passes Shoemaker[2]
Laffit Pincay Jr. broke Bill Shoemaker's record for career wins.
- December 22, 2013
Woodmans Luck won the last race, ending 75 years of racing at the track.
- May 31, 2015
The grandstand was brought down with explosives; other structures were removed in stages through 2016.
- November 17, 2016Stadium groundbreaking[1]
Construction began on SoFi Stadium on the former racetrack grounds.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[2,4] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Hollywood Park master-planned district including SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater, Hollywood Park Casino, housing and retail[1,2] |
| Built on the site | SoFi Stadium (Built on the former racetrack grounds; opened 2020.) |
| Built on the site | YouTube Theater (Part of the Hollywood Park development, under the same roof as SoFi Stadium; opened 2021.) |
| Mapped location | Former venue parcel |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Venue facts
| Official name | Betfair Hollywood Park |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hollywood Park (1938–2013); Betfair Hollywood Park (2012–2013) |
| Location | 1000-1050 South Prairie Avenue, Inglewood, California, Inglewood, California[2] |
| Venue type | Racetrack |
| Sports | Horse racing |
| Level | Thoroughbred |
| Opened | June 10, 1938[2,3,4] |
| Last used for sports | December 22, 2013[2,3,4] |
| Demolished | 2014–2016[2,4] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Final capacity | 10,000[2,3] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia says the track regularly seated about 10,000. More than 13,000 attended the final day (LA Magazine). |
| Architect | Arthur Froehlich[2] |
| Owner / operator | Hollywood Turf Club (founded with Jack L. Warner as chairman)[2] |
| Closure | The land was redeveloped as the Hollywood Park mixed-use district. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- SoFi Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: current land use, events
- Hollywood Park Racetrack, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, owner operator
- Final Finish: A Last Day at the Races at Hollywood Park, Los Angeles Magazine. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, events, opened
- Fire in the Hole!: Implosion Demolishes Hollywood Park Racetrack Grandstand, NBC Los Angeles. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, demolished, events, opened
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.