Hawthorne Racecourse (12/11/10)
Contact: Ron Uchman
(708) 780-3700
A BITTERSWEET ENDING IN THE JIM EDGAR ILLINOIS FUTURITY
Virginia H Tarra Trust’s Table Games, fifth choice in the wagering, got up by the narrowest of noses to take the 32nd running of the Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity.
The race, a one mile and a sixteenth event for Illinois Conceived and/or Foaled 2-year-old colts and geldings, offered a purse of $99,400.
Content to race well back early, rider Eusebio Razo guided his mount to the inside and tried to take the shortest way around the track. When he asked him to run coming out of the turn and eased him off the rail, Table Games dug in and closed with dogged determination.
"Everything worked out. We saved some ground on the first turn, and that was the key. He was trying pretty hard," said Razo after the race.
They made steady progress through the lane and just managed to win the head bob over Domain’s Rap, who had taken a clear lead in the stretch.
Rider Lyndie Wade, second on Domain's Rap was pleased with the effort. "The horse ran good, he's going to be nice. At the head of the lane he made the lead, he took off a little bit. I think once we get him straightened out he's going to be really nice."
It was another half-length back to beaten favorite Next Kitten.
Both Next Kitten and Domain’s Rap survived objections.
Chris Block, trainer of winner Table Games and Maxton, who didn't finish: "It's bittersweet for me, but Table Games ran his heart out. He looked like he struggled with the mud early on. He’s a gutty horse. He showed that in his last race. He just never gives up. Hats off to the horse. Even at the 1/8 pole I didn't think he was going to get there, but he just continued to go on."
Maxton, Block’s other runner, appeared to brush the rail on the turn and then appeared to clip heels, though no one seemed to know for sure, in the stretch. He didn’t finish the race and had to be humanely euthanized.
On a track rated sloppy (and sealed) they covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:46.80 after fractions of :25.04; :48.15; 1:13.49, and 1:39.87
For the win, Table Games earned $59,640, boosting his lifetime earnings to $80,640.
He paid $15.40, $7.00, and $3.60
Domain’s Rap returned $4.00 and $3.00
Next Kitten paid $2.60 to show.
Hawthorne Race Course is in its 101st year of racing under Carey family ownership. Hawthorne offers the only traditional dirt track for thoroughbred racing in Northern Illinois. Live racing at Hawthorne runs Wednesday – Saturday through December 31. Post time daily is 1:35 pm. Club Hawthorne membership is free and available at Guest Services at Hawthorne Race Course. For more information, visit www.Hawthorneracecourse.com.
