horse racing writing. horse racing enthusiasm.
Yesterday I went out to Hawthorne. Before the races, I got the chance to meet trainers Angie Coleman and Rob Rittof, talk a bit about harness racing, and learn firsthand what it’s like to drive a Standardbred
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, and read about a day at the track that I’ll never forget.
Hawthorne’s spring meet draws to a close Saturday, with an eight-race card. With the forecast calling for rain, closing day looks like a great opportunity for those who enjoy playing slop monsters.
For those who like to chase carryovers, there are a couple. The $0.20 Pick Six, usually a jackpot wager, has a mandatory payout and a $3,047 carryover into closing day. The $0.20 Super High Five, also usually a jackpot, has a mandatory payout and a $1,901 carryover into the pool.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the card!
Continue reading “Hawthorne closing day selections and analysis: 4.29.17”
As the sun set over the clubhouse turn at Hawthorne on March 11, 2016, I remarked to myself that if Hawthorne were still running the Land of Lincoln Stakes, the sprint for Illinois-bred sophomores, I had my horse. Debut runner Cat’s Alley had just won an Illinois-bred maiden special weight in impressive and professional manner. The gelded son of Flower Alley took the early lead, relinquished it to Fast Punchnrichie, came back after that foe looked gone, and drew off to thrash older foes by daylight.
Alas, Hawthorne did not run the Land of Lincoln in 2016, so he did not return in that spot. I expected him to return in a one-other-than allowance, either state-bred or open, to test his mettle against winners. Perhaps, if he liked the polytrack, he could turn up in the Springfield Stakes across town in a few months?
Instead, he turned up three weeks later for a claiming tag.
Saturday was the biggest day of racing all spring at Hawthorne: the Grade 3 Illinois Derby was back, as were two stakes for older state-bred sprinters, the Third Chance Handicap and the Robert S. Molaro Handicap! The Illinois Derby marked the stakes debut of a promising — yet later-developing — three-year-old runner. The Molaro proved the exact opposite, the local return of a horse who has been a dependable stakes-quality sprinter for four seasons now. And, in the Third Chance, a mare who had been knocking on the door for a while finally annexed her first stakes.
Over at Picks and Ponderings, I look back at all three of these races.
Tomorrow is the biggest day of racing at Hawthorne all spring: Illinois Derby (G3) Day! The card features ten races, including three stakes, and I have analysed them all.
All three stakes races on the card are tight betting races, as are many of the other races. The 4th and 10th, a pair of allowances, are particularly contentious, and ripe for a surprise.
Head over to Danonymous Racing, read my analysis of Saturday’s Illinois Derby Day card, and good luck playing Hawthorne’s biggest card of the spring!
This Saturday is the biggest day of the Hawthorne spring meet: Illinois Derby day!
The day’s action features three stakes races. The Grade 3 Illinois Derby, which drew a field of seven sophomores, is the day’s centerpoint. The card also includes a pair of six and a half furlong stakes races for Illinois-breds. The Robert S. Molaro Handicap, open to any Illinois-breds aged three and up, will pit Grade 3 winner Recount against eight state-bred foes. The Third Chance Handicap, its fillies’ and mares’ complement, drew a wide-open field of seven, including Illinois-bred stakes winner Go Lady Jay.
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of Saturday’s stakes races, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
(And then, if you haven’t jumped in yet, make sure to enter the Illinois Derby Challenge for Galloping Out!)
Once again, I’m teaming up with Danonymous Racing to host an Illinois Derby contest to benefit Galloping Out!
Saturday’s action has been drawn, and the contest races have been selected. The contest includes ten stakes races — all three from Hawthorne, and more action from coast to coast. Just a $10 donation to Galloping Out makes you eligible for the grand prize, a signed picture of War Emblem, the horse who parlayed an Illinois Derby win into Kentucky Derby and Preakness wins in 2002!
What are you waiting for? Get to handicapping the races — and, good luck in this weekend’s Illinois Derby Challenge!
No one hit the Pick 5 at Hawthorne yesterday. Their loss is your gain, as there’s a carryover of almost $9,000 into the Pick 5 pool.
I take a look at the sequence over at Picks and Ponderings. It isn’t easy — two of the five races are maidens, and a thorny $4,000 N2L. But, the other side of that coin? If you hit, it should pay well.
Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of today’s Pick 5, and take your shot at the carryover!
After a year off, the Illinois Derby (G3) will be run once again on Saturday, April 22. Over at Picks and Ponderings, I take a look at the three-year-olds you’re likely to see in the biggest race of the Hawthorne spring meet.
Take a read, and let me know in the comments there who you’re most excited to see!
The Illinois Derby is coming up on April 22. Once again, I’m thrilled to be hosting, in conjunction with Danonymous Racing, a contest to benefit Galloping Out!
The contest will feature stakes racing at Hawthorne, including the Grade 3 Illinois Derby, as well as stakes action across the country. The best $2 win-place return on the day, among players who have donated at least $10 to Galloping Out, wins a signed and framed photo of War Emblem after his Kentucky Derby score! War Emblem prepared for his Derby win with a victory in the 2002 Illinois Derby.
Head over to Danonymous Racing to read all about the contest, make your donation to Galloping Out, and get ready for the Illinois Derby Challenge on April 22!
