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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: racing123 on February 17, 2025, 09:04:48 AM

Title: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: racing123 on February 17, 2025, 09:04:48 AM
9 races - handled > 800k - all four pk4 and pk5 pools were 5 figures....
i know i know ....not close to what big m or even northfield handles....
but at least it was a bettable card...
hope you enjoyed it because you'll never see a chicago harness racing card do > than 800k ever again...
and yes...i miss the years when chicago was relevant...miss it a lot...
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: Papillon on February 17, 2025, 10:16:48 AM
The Hawthorne harness meet ends next weekend--then tbred racing begins March 27

the only track left that races both harness and tbred

Cal Expo/Sacramento was the only other track in recent years to do it-but now there will be no more California Fair racing for tbreds
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: GOAT on February 17, 2025, 10:53:04 AM
Hawthorne is a _hit hole and Carey is an ass hole
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: Newt Lobell on February 17, 2025, 11:17:51 AM
The Hawthorne harness meet ends next weekend--then tbred racing begins March 27

the only track left that races both harness and tbred

Cal Expo/Sacramento was the only other track in recent years to do it-but now there will be no more California Fair racing for tbreds

Meadowlands races harness and t-breds.
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: luker2453 on February 17, 2025, 11:51:31 AM
For anyone that enjoyed watching Hawthorne have its last good day/night, remember it, because I don't think that they will be around in 2026.  Bad management, bad idea to bank on a casino for which they didn't have the money to build, and the misfortune of being in the state of Illinois, the Grim Reaper of racing!
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: Grandstand Handicapper on February 17, 2025, 12:26:20 PM
The Big M used to have a nice, small, mini-t-bred meet. It was cool. Even I liked it, LOL. Eventually they cut it out because it was too expensive to convert the track over for t-breds, and then quickly convert it back for the standardbreds return.

Now it is a turf racing on meet-----at night, Friday's and Saturday's (maybe a Monday night if it's a holiday or something) during September and October. This past fall I think they had 10 or so nights.

I would like to see a t-bred meet back at the Meadowlands. There is not stabling on the grounds any longer for any horses. The old barn area is like a ghost town, and pretty eerie at night, LOL. Maybe they race harness from January to August, close with the Elite meet, race t-breds in September and October, and perhaps do well enough and keep a population of horses for November. Then convert and get ready for qualifiers in December for a January opening for harness racing. Bring back the late closers too!!! Too bad the money just ain't there. LOL.
Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: Papillon on February 17, 2025, 12:39:45 PM
Meadowlands races harness and t-breds.

the turf course that is rented by Monmouth is not the same surface as the limestone for harness

you are correct as I did not word it as intended

Hawthorne is the only track remaining that uses the same surface for both-and yes it is not cheap to convert

Title: Re: Hawthorne - the only show in town Sunday night
Post by: Papillon on February 17, 2025, 12:41:53 PM
The Big M used to have a nice, small, mini-t-bred meet. It was cool. Even I liked it, LOL. Eventually they cut it out because it was too expensive to convert the track over for t-breds, and then quickly convert it back for the standardbreds return.

Now it is a turf racing on meet-----at night, Friday's and Saturday's (maybe a Monday night if it's a holiday or something) during September and October. This past fall I think they had 10 or so nights.

I would like to see a t-bred meet back at the Meadowlands. There is not stabling on the grounds any longer for any horses. The old barn area is like a ghost town, and pretty eerie at night, LOL. Maybe they race harness from January to August, close with the Elite meet, race t-breds in September and October, and perhaps do well enough and keep a population of horses for November. Then convert and get ready for qualifiers in December for a January opening for harness racing. Bring back the late closers too!!! Too bad the money just ain't there. LOL.

M1 used to have a major meet albeit a few months a year--they usually opened on Labor Day and raced in to November

I was there when Dr. Patches defeated Seattle Slew--so it wasn't small time racing

they had a race called The Meadowlands Cup--and they attracted horses like Alysheba and Skip Away

Spectacular Bid raced there and John Henry had his final race there
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