by Tom Kelley, for Hawthorne Racecourse
Stickney, IL — Hawthorne Race Course will offer a $20,000 guaranteed pool on Thursday night’s (Sept. 8) Late Pick-5 as the countdown to the Night of Champions, Illinois’ biggest night of harness racing action, kicks off.
The popular 50-cent minimum bet, which was not hit last Sunday night, now features a carryover pool of more than $7,500 which will be added to Thursday night’s action. The Late Pick-5 will entail races 6-10 on tonight’s competitive 10-race program which kicks off at 7:10 p.m. (CDT).
That is just one of three big pools available to Hawthorne players on Thursday night as the 20-cent Jackpot High Five, which is on race 10 on Thursday night, features a carryover pool of more than $52,000 heading into the big weekend of racing action at Hawthorne.
As always on Thursday nights, the 50-cent Late Pick-4 on races 8 through 11 also features its usual $10,000 guaranteed pool. These three big exotics should give Hawthorne players plenty of incentive to head for the windows as they look to accumulate a nice bankroll before heading into the biggest night of racing in 2016 in the Chicagoland area on Saturday night.
Fans are reminded of the special 7 p.m. post time for the Night of Champions on Saturday (Sept 10) as the big 12-race program, featuring 11 Illinois conceived and foaled championships for the first time in Chicagoland harness racing history, figures to provide plenty of excitement from start to finish.
There will be an autograph session as well as a meet and greet with the drivers from Hawthorne beginning around 5 p.m. on Saturday so fans are urged to get to the races early and get their pictures signed and autographed by their favorite reinsmen.
Fans can also get more information on dining, seating and drink packages by visiting www.hawthorneracecourse.com or by calling 708.780.3700.
Handicappers across North America can get their head start on the competition with free 12 line program pages for the guaranteed pools courtesy of the USTA Strategic Wagering Program and TrackMaster on the handicapping section at www.ustrotting.com.