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Hawthorne Surpasses Record Handle for Illinois Derby Day

STICKNEY, IL -- Racing in Illinois got a big boost on Saturday as a crowd of 5,015 turned out for the ten race card, featuring the 47th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Illinois Derby. Won by favorite Pollard's Vision, the Illinois Derby could possibly send three hopefuls to Kentucky for the first Saturday in May as second-place finisher Song of the Sword and third-place runner Suave may also be considered for the Kentucky Derby.

Handle figures were very strong on the day as a record $5,581,557 was wagered on Hawthorne's live card from all-sources. That number was up considerably from the 2003 figure of $4,223,226 for Illinois Derby Day. On-site figures were very strong as well as $601,876 was wagered on-site on Hawthorne's live card, up from the $504,722 in 2003.