Hawthorne Race Course

Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700

Sun, chat and March Madness at Hawthorne

The best day of the year thus far! Sunny skies, temperatures approaching 60 degrees and a fast main track for the nine race card.

We have a bunch of competitive racing all day long and while we will be a focal track, make sure you check into HorseplayerNow.com throughout the day as myself, Katie Mikolay and Peter Galassi will be chatting live with Joe Kristufek and Brian Spencer about racing at Hawthorne and around the country.

Looking back at Saturday, we had our first off track day of the meet and inside speed held rather well. Jockey Ramsey Zimmerman had his second straight riding double and he is lined up with more live runners over the next two racing days.

Also, for those college basketball fans, Hawthorne will have all of the March Madness games on TVs throughout our facility. We will have four different games showing at any one time with a focus on the basketball action at our first floor bar.

Watch how the track plays today as I expect things to even out, but we won’t know until the first couple of races are run.

Changes

Main Track – Fast

Race 1

Scratch #6 – Believe It Honey

Race 6

Scratch #1 – Ultimate Event

Race 8

Scratch #1 – Campo

Best Bets

Race 5 - #2 – Distorted Groom – This seven-year-old gelding has only won at Hawthorne in his career and he makes his return today off a good pattern of morning drills. He is clearly the speed of the field and has had success with Ferrer in the saddle. Look for him to find the front and never look back today.

Race 7 - #7 – Jingle Jangle – A runner who likely needed his last, Jingle Jangle chased his stablemate New Grange in that spot and ran on for third. That was his first start back around two turns. I expect better stamina from him today and an easy recent drill should have him sharp for this spot.