by Michael Antoniades, Balmoral Park racing analyst

Crete, IL — The 27th edition of Super Night will take place Saturday (Sept. 12) at Balmoral Park. The one mile oval will host eight championship races on the 13-race program with a special first post of 6:30 p.m. (CDT).

The biggest night in Illinois racing will be a Super Night for horseplayers as well. Balmoral Park will offer four guaranteed pools totaling $135,000 on Saturday, giving players carryovers, a low takeout Pick-4 and some of the biggest pools of the year to shoot at. Free program pages are now available courtesy of TrackMaster at www.ustrotting.com.

The first guaranteed pool of the night starts on race five with a Pick-5 carryover of $7,032. The Saturday Pick-5 will have a guaranteed pool of $35,000. The opening leg of the Pick-5 is the $155,000 Orange and Blue Championship for 2-year-old pacing fillies. With a final pool of $35,000, this bet would have zero takeout. The minimum bet is 50 cents.

The Pick-4 starts on race 10. The Super Night Pick-4 features four championship races on Saturday with purses of $507,000 and another guaranteed pool of $35,000. The opening leg of this multi-race wager is the $92,000 Tony Maurello Championship for older pacers featuring a spectacular field where six of the pacers possess a mark of under 1:50. The Pick-4 has a $1 minimum and is offered with a low takeout of 15 percent.

Race 12 brings out ten 3-year-olds competing in the $112,000 Pete Langley Championship. This race offers trifecta wagering with a guaranteed pool of $40,000. Last week, this trifecta pool clocked in at a season high $63,365. The Balmoral Park trifecta has a low minimum of 50 cents.

The final leg of the Pick-4 also features the final guaranteed pool and the richest purse of the night. Race 13 on the card, the $187,000 Orange & Blue Championship for 2-year-old pacers has a guaranteed pool of $25,000 for the 10-cent Hi-Five wager giving fans the “ultimate get out bet.” This wager, which is wildly popular thanks to that low minimum of 10 cents also brings out a very evenly matched field of 10 youngsters and could produce a big payout for some lucky fans.

Balmoral Park has made every attempt to make sure the wagering menu for Super Night XXVII is something special. Let me personally thank horseplayers, owners and their connections for their continued support of Illinois racing.