Friday, August 15, 2008
Hawthorne Summer Harness Recap
Stickney, IL---The Hawthorne Summer Harness Meet was a success by most any measure.
On site handle increased by nearly 11 percent, as full fields, contentious races, and a cornucopia of promotions brought more people to the Stickney venue.
The quality of racehorse was evident by no less than four new track-record performances, either equaled or surpassed, and by the continued popularity of the Harness Racing School, which has introduced scores of new fans into the standardbred arena.
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Hawthorne category.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Southern Rocketop Ignites Hawthornes Night of Champions
Stickney, IL--The fourth annual Night of Champions at Hawthorne Race Course on Saturday, August 2 anointed the newest kings and queens of Illinois-breds. Eight divisions of 2 and 3-year pacers and trotters of both sexes battled it out for supremacy. They were led by Southern Rocketop, who for the second straight week obliterated the track record for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings, and Maxter, who won his eighth straight race and cemented his hold on the 3-year-old trotting division. In addition, leading driver Mike Oosting and Brent Holland each won three stakes.
Here’s a brief recap of each race as the champions were crowned.
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Hawthorne category.
It’s Champion’s Night!:Hawthorne’s Fourth Annual Illinois-Bred Stakes Night
For the last two weeks Illinois-bred 2 and 3-year-olds of both genders and gaits have mixed it up for a chance to participate in tonight’s Night of Champions. The top ten money-earners from the two legs have earned the chance for a big payday as $534,000 will be on the line for nine stakes including the Robert F. Carey Jr. Memorial Pace.
Let’s preview the Championship races and the top contenders.
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Hawthorne category.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Night of Champions: Two-Year Old Trotters in Spotlight
Southern Rocketop Tries to Top Record-Setting Performance In Maxter
Stickney, IL---As part of Hawthorne’s annual Night of Champions that takes place tomorrow night, we’ll feature a pair of Trotting events, The Maxter and the Lil Bit Tuff, for ICF 2-year-olds.
Much of the attention will be focused on Claude Powers’ talented colt, Southern Rocketop, the probable favorite in the Maxter Final, for 2-year-old ICF Colt and Gelding Trotters. In a dominating and track-record shattering performance, Southern Rocketop, with driver Brian Carpenter in the bike, grabbed the immediate lead and never let a rival within three lengths of him, ultimately winning by nine lengths. He stopped the clock in 1:57.3, lowering the standard of 1:59.1, that was set last year by Maxter himself and equaled the previous week by Definer, another member of this field.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Walter Paisley’s back for Hawthorne’s Night of Champions
A couple of weeks ago the name of iconic driver Walter Paisley appeared on the overnight for a Qualifier. Some of us thought that it was a typo. It wasn’t.
You see, the 67-year-old “Butch” Paisley retired from active driving in 1993 with purses earned in excess of $34,000,000 and over 5,700 victories. He’s a member of the Illinois Harness Racing Hall of Fame. But, his last win in a pari-mutuel race came in 2005.
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Hawthorne category.
