Contact: Jim Miller (708) 780-3700

He came, he saw, he conquered

Ave De Rapina was the narrow winner of Monday's sixth race but it wasn't the win that was noteworthy. He was winning the first local start this year for Jerry Hollendorfer. Hollendorfer, who is branching out to the Midwest, has been one of the top conditioners in northern California for years. He has about a dozen stationed here now and will apparently be shipping more from California as the weather warms. Welcome!

"Gold Cup" update

Desert Demon's connections have chosen to pass the Hawthorne Gold Cup this year.

Rain Woes

Monday's seventh race, originally scheduled for the turf, was switched to the main track, at one mile and seventy yards, after a sudden storm struck Hawthorne. The main track was listed as wet-fast for the first race but was sloppy for the rest of the card.