Hawthorne Racecourse (2/19/11)
Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700
Meier update, Hawthorne changes
A nice afternoon for the Saturday card and a fine card with a pair of allowance races and a good maiden allowance to close out the card. In addition, we have another of our onsite Handicapping Contests that will be sending qualifiers to the NTRA Handicapping Championships next year. The contest is fun to play and the money you make, you keep. For details on the contest, or to sign up, please visit Guest Services on the first floor of the grandstand.
Looking back at Friday, we must first touch on the incident in the second race of the day. In that race, #2 – Ubiquitous was injured and unseated jockey Brandon Meier. The horse to the inside, Gray Vision, also unseated Jesse Lantz, then hit Meier. Ubiquitous was humanely euthanized while Gray Vision was uninjured. Jockey Jesse Lantz sustained some scrapes and scratches but otherwise was ok. Jockey Brandon Meier was initially unconscious on the track but did regain consciousness on his way to the hospital. CT scans on Meier showed no head injuries and Brandon was able to talk, and move his arms and legs. He had X-rays taken on his back, shoulder and hip but results of those are not available. Regardless, this is a very tough game with some very good athletes and I am happy to say that Brandon Meier is improving quickly from yesterday.
On the card yesterday, a strong headwind in the stretch may have played a big part in the results as many speed horses were able to hold on for victories on the Friday card. For today, the sun is shining, but there is zero wind to speak of. We will be adding water to the track throughout the card and expect the track to play evenly. On the Friday card, a pair of riders, Jozbin Santana and Eddie Perez, each had a pair of victories while trainer Tammy Domenosky won two races as well. If you are watching replays today, focus on the ride Perez gave to Lakeaway in the 4th race. While inside speed was good yesterday, Perez gave a perfect ride to Lakeaway as he moved early, tucked in behind horses into the stretch to avoid the headwind as long as possible, and then tipped out at the right time to get up for the win. That race put Perez only 5 wins from 2,000 on his career.
Also, make sure to mark your calendars for Monday Night at 7:30 pm CST as HorseplayerNow.com will have the first of their “Night School” events. The Monday Night School will take place all year long, covering different topics in the racing industry. Joe Kristufek and Jeremy Plonk lead the charge for HorseplayerNow but they will also have a great group of panelists that will speak to different topics. I will be on the majority of the chats too. This is the most interactive education option that is available on a national level so please join in. Fans can just follow along, or join the chat with questions and comments. Again, Monday Night School takes place from 7:30 - 9:00 pm CST every Monday night on www.HorseplayerNow.com.
Changes
Main Track – Fast
Race 2
#6 – Jockey – T. Houghton
Race 3
#2 – Jockey – TBA
Race 4
#5 – Jockey – TBA
Race 5
NO SHOW WAGERING, NO SUPERFECTA WAGERING
Scratch #2 – Luck Be A Ladybug
Scratch #5 – Fashion N’ Fun
Scratch #7 – Wildcat Miss
Scratch #8 – Mark Thescore Even
Race 6
#5 – Jockey – F. Geroux
Race 7
Scratch #1 – Lucky Pins
Scratch #3 – Modern Mind
Race 8
Scratch #6 – Thinking of Sal
#7 – Jockey – T. Houghton
Race 9
#10 – Jockey – TBA
Scratch #14 – Sendin Me Angels
Survivor Contest Update and Selections for Saturday
The online Survivor contest kicked off Friday with an excellent turnout. The Friday card wasn’t easy and while many were knocked out, quite a few remain as well.
Total Survivor Entrants: 1,780
Eliminated Friday: 1,146
Total Remaining: 634
Note #1 for Survivor today, because there is no show wagering offered in the 5th race today, the 5th race is not available for selections for Survivor as well. I was going to go in that race to Missjeanlouise, but instead I will look to the other Illinois Allowance race and give the nod to #3 – Domain’s Rap. This youngster has been solid in every start and has been working well towards his return. He has good tactical speed and today I expect a fine trip from just off the pace.
Jim’s Survivor Selection: Race 8 - #3 – Domain’s Rap
Inez’ Survivor Selection: Race 3 - #3 – Long Story Short
