Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700

Perfect Drift Heads List of 29 Nominated to Hawthorne Gold Cup

STICKNEY, IL -- 2003 Champion and 2004 runner-up Perfect Drift heads the list of nominations for the 2005 edition of the Hawthorne Gold Cup. The Grade 2 Gold Cup runs at 1 ¼ miles and carries the largest purse of any dirt event in the state of Illinois as competitors will race for their share of the $750,000 in purse money.

Recently, the Gold Cup has shown to be one of the top final prep races for the Breeders’ Cup as past Gold Cup winners Buck’s Boy and Awesome Again have won both the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Breeders’ Cup races, while many others have gone on to compete in the Breeders’ Cup events.

In the 2004 edition, the heavily favored Perfect Drift was run down in the final strides by Freefourinternet as each went on to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in their next start. Both of those runners are nominated again as Perfect Drift looks to be hitting his stride in perfect time in 2005. Coming off a win in the Grade 2 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park on July 30, Perfect Drift followed that race up with a game second place finish in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on August 21.

The complete list of Hawthorne Gold Cup Nominees:

Horse Trainer

A Bit O’Gold Catherine Day Phillips
Alumni Hall Neil Howard
Ascertain (Ire) Niall O’Callaghan
Captain Corelli Michael Maker
Choctaw Nation Jeff Mullins
Collateral Damage Bernie Flint
Congrats Richard Mandella
Desert Boom Art Sherman
Evening Attire Patrick Kelly
Fantasticat Bobby Barnett
Freefourinternet Michael Maker
Good Reward Claude McGaughey
Habaneros Thomas Ray Bell, II
Home Of Stars Frank Springer
Ice Wynnd Fire Robert Frankel
Iosilver Chris Block
Lord of the Game Tom Tomillo
Magna Graduate Todd Pletcher
Mambo Train Nick Canani
Naversink River Todd Pletcher
Nkosi Reigns Christine Janks
Perfect Drift Murray Johnson
Purge Todd Pletcher
Roman Ruler Bob Baffert
Shaniko Todd Pletcher
Suave Paul McGee
Super Frolic Vladimir Cerin
Tap Day Mark Hennig
Vangelis Robert Frankel

For any questions, our Group Sales office can be contacted at 708-780-7050 and general questions can be directed to 708-780-3700. Visit Hawthorne on the web at www.hawthorneracecourse.com.