Hawthorne Racecourse (11/17/11)
Contact: Jim Miller
(708) 780-3700
Carryovers at Hawthorne
It’s a bit chilly out, but the sun is shining and the winds have calmed. We have a fast main track and are good on the turf for the 9-race card. Also, the only two early scratches are the also-eligibles in the finale.
Today is a day to shoot for the carryovers as we have a pair of nice carryovers for a very competitive Thursday afternoon card. The Pick 6 begins in the fourth race with a carryover of $4,474. You can play the Pick 6 for $1 and a reminder that the takeout on the Pick 6 has been reduced to 20 percent this meet. For the Pick 5, the takeout is only 14 percent and you can play the Pick 5 for a minimum of only $.50.
This card is very competitive with sizeable fields and a track surface that continues to play very evenly. As we saw on Wednesday, there are price options all over the place, with a $93 winner on the grass in Wednesday’s second race and Ikaros paying big to close out the Wednesday card.
Jockey Julio Felix continues his fine riding this meet as he won three more races on the Wednesday card. In the third race, Felix guided Aka Lily’s Lad to another gate to wire victory, in the fifth he pulled a major upset with longshot Campo Joti, and in the sixth he came flying late aboard Mulata on the grass. The three-bagger brought Felix within 3 wins of Tim Thornton for second in the standings and put him only 10 back of Florent Geroux for the top spot.
We have a big weekend of action ahead with fine cards both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we have a 10-race card highlighted by a pair of excellent Optional Claiming allowance fields. This weekend is also our RICF Food drive as we ask for donations of non-perishable foods to give to those in need. Those making a donation will receive free admission and program to the day’s races.
Also, this weekend we will have our online chats on HorseplayerNow.com as I will join Joe Kristufek and Brian Spencer to cover the racing action from Hawthorne. The chats will cover all of our races, as we give input and selections for the action. The chat opens at 1:15 pm each day.
In addition, on Saturday, ESPN personality Harry Teinowitz will be onsite for one of our pool parties as he looks to make some money for our patrons. For just $20 fans will get two hours of food and drink along with getting a return from anything that Harry makes on his wagers. For details on the pool parties, visit Guest Services on the first floor of our grandstand.
