Hawthorne Racecourse (12/8/10)
Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700
Winter weather procedures at Hawthorne
This is a tough time of year when it comes to weather, but it is also a time we prepare for as colder temps and winter weather have hit the entire country this week. In regards to maintaining a racing surface, the job now becomes a 24/7 procedure as we have had our night-time crew working the track for the past couple of weeks. From here until the end of the meet, the only time a piece of track maintenance equipment won’t be on the track is when we have morning training or are running a live race. To the credit of our crew, the racing surface has also remained very consistent as there has been no inside or outside, or front end bias for the races. For Wednesday, expect the races to be run a bit more quickly during the day due to the cold and make sure to get wagers in early as we will have shortened post parades.
Looking back at the Saturday card, we had a pair of very impressive two-year-olds on the track. The first came in the 7th race as a first time starter from the barn of Jimmy DiVito, Papa Tango, cruised to a very impressive maiden score. Early on, it appeared that Papa Tango would be hard pressed to win as he was part of a pressured three-horse pace duel. The son of Kitten’s Joy responded very well in the lane, drawing away to an easy win. Expect more from him in the future. In the following race, the ladies were the focus in the running of the Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante. Trainer Lisa Merritt posted a repeat of her 2009 victory in this race won by Sweet Lemon Chello as her Seans Silverdancer broke on top and never looked back, destroying the field of 11. She didn’t appear to even have to work hard to win and may have no issue with even further distances as her career goes on.
As always, I will be on www.HorseplayerNow.com to cover the races today with Brian Spencer and tomorrow with Jeremy Plonk. Last Saturday, Joe Kristufek and I each had good days which included us giving the final Pick 3 of the day for a $36 ticket that returned $1,268.20 for $1. Let’s see if we can hit the Late Pick 4 today which carries a carryover of $14,000. Go get it!
Changes
Main Track – Fast
Race 2
Scratch #9 – Strong N True
Scratch #12 – Look Homeward
Scratch #14 – Champ Dimare
Race 4 – Pick 6 Carryover $5,204
Scratch #1a – Laugh And a Half
Race 6 – Late Pick 4 Carryover $14,000
Race 8
Scratch #4 – Sahmmy Davis Jr
Scratch #6 – Stolen Chevy
Race 9 – High Five Carryover $5,411
