When the announcement that Hollywood Park's last season of racing would be in 2013 was made public, it meant that major changes were in store for the Southern California racing circuit. Del Mar, Los Alamitos and Santa Anita divided up the race dates occupied by the Home of Champions, and the track's stakes races were split up among the venues as well.

Of course, staples like the Californian, CashCall Futurity, Hollywood Gold Cup, Landaluce, Native Diver and the Starlet Stakes would find new homes, while other events like the Sunset Handicap disappeared from the area. And several races, notably the Swaps Stakes, would be given another moniker after finding a new place on the circuit.

Multiple traditions that made up the storied history of Hollywood Park have continued on, but others have not been seen since the Track of the Lakes and Flowers was in operation.

And one of those traditions that vanished belonged purely to Hollywood Park.

One of the most popular editions of many spring/summer meets was Friday night racing. There was something quite unique and magical about those programs. Seeing the horses racing under the lights and hearing the excitement of the crowd made for a truly different setting, and you could not find it anywhere else in Southern California.

And that is what made the July 5, 2013 program one of the most significant of Hollywood Park's last spring/summer meet.

Those in attendance that night were part of the final evening program on Prairie Avenue. An eight-race card, anchored by the one and one-quarter mile Lucie Manet Stakes, was on tap. And perhaps appropriately, the live crowd was treated to a little bit of everything as racing began at 7:06 pm.

The biggest story that unfolded over those few hours was the fact it became ladies' night early on. Kristine Leahy, a local news personality, made history as she became the first woman to announce a race at Hollywood Park. Calling the second race (she would return to the booth later on that same evening), Leahy informed racegoers that Wrinkle Room had prevailed in a close finish over Rossi Reserve. And that in turn segued perfectly into another special moment, for that marked the first time apprentice jockey Cecily Evans had ever won a Thoroughbred race. Of course, scoring that first victory is special, no matter where the rider is. But to do that at a legendary track like Hollywood Park had to make the moment even more sweeter for Evans.

Girl power continued on in the third race. The winner, Keep Movin', was a gelding. But his trainer was Karen Headley, who saddled her first winner in that contest. For it being such an important night in Hollywood Park's history, it was perfect that Headley won for a couple of reasons. First, it was just a terrific night for the ladies, but also because the Headley family has long been prominent in California racing. Bruce Headley was a longtime trainer on the circuit, known for conditioning champion sprinter and Breeders' Cup winner Kona Gold. There had to be an immense amount of pride for Bruce as his daughter became a winning trainer. And Karen had to have loved it came at Hollywood Park.

The occasion also featured a first-time winner in Tom's Tribute. Anytime one goes to the track, it is very possible to see a future stakes winner, and the July 5 program was no exception. Tom's Tribute would go on to take some stakes races, winning Santa Anita's Thunder Road Stakes along with Del Mar's Grade I Eddie Read and Grade II Del Mar Handicap later in his career.

Speaking of stakes, the Lucie Manet went off as the seventh race of the night. A field of six took part, and the one in the winners' circle when all was said and done was Customer Base. The result had been a culmination of what had been the daughter of Lemon Drop Kid knocking on the door. She had placed in a couple of stakes prior to the Lucie Manet, and it was finally her time. She would go on to place in more stakes, and she also added a Grade III victory to her collection by capturing the Grade III Robert J. Frankel Stakes later that season. But from a historical standpoint, Customer Base put herself in the California racing timeline as one of the last horses to win a stakes race at a Hollywood Park spring/summer meet.

As for the jockeys, it was a good night for two members of the colony. Veteran riders Martin Pedroza and Mike Smith combined to win two races each, collectively giving them half the card. No trainer won more than once throughout the evening, but that was in its own way fitting. All eight of them won on a special but bittersweet night, and it could be said they were all sharing the moment by achieving a victory.

But of all the trainers, it might have been the most special for John Sadler, who guided Barocci to the win in the fourth race. Sadler won hundreds of races at Hollywood Park, and he also trained the great Cal-bred Melair to an undefeated campaign at the track during the spring and summer of 1986. Hollywood Park had been good to the longtime fixture in Southern California, and to win there that night only added to his fond memories of the venue.

And the bettors? It was a night filled with favorites, middle-priced horses and longshots going to the winners' circle. The odds of each victor ranged from 4-5 to over 15-1, running the gamut from start to finish. And that 15-1 winner was Colinda, who sprang the upset in the nightcap. That was the only to close out the last nighttime card, having a longshot win.

Simply put, the July 5, 2013 card at Hollywood Park had it all. There was no way it could have been otherwise. Much like the entertainers that comprised the Hollywood Turf Club back when the track opened in 1938, Hollywood Park had that flair for showmanship. And it was going to remind everyone of that fact.

Live action would continue at the Home of Champions until December. But on that summer night, fans at Hollywood Park experienced the last renewal of a longtime tradition.