by Mitchell Demick, communications manager, Hawthorne Race Course

Stickney, IL — Hawthorne Race Course begins its 39-evening summer harness meet on Tuesday, June 24, with a stakes schedule locked and loaded with purses in excess of $900,000.

The stakes action begins on Saturday, June 28, with the Chicago and the Lady Chicago, a pair of $60,000 stakes for 3-year-old pacers of both sexes. This stakes duo debuted last year and was won by Johnny Charisma and Cabana Fever, respectively. The latter edged out the talented Sportsfancy, a filly that earned $359,280 in her 2007 campaign.

Two staples of any Hawthorne harness season are back on tap in 2008. The Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Open Trot and the Robert F. Carey Memorial Open Pace will once again highlight the Standardbred meet.

The Dygert Final is slated for Saturday, July 12, and may be headlined by standout 4-year-old trotter Before He Cheats, already an earner of $463,575. The Carey Memorial Final is Saturday, August 2, and among those nominated are Booze Cruzin and My Boy David, two sub-1:50 pacers who regularly knock heads on the Chicago circuit.

On August 2, Hawthorne’s Night of Champions will feature eight $50,000 stakes races for Illinois-bred 2 and 3-year-olds. Two qualifying legs will be conducted in the weeks leading up to the final and will determine the championship entrants.

Racing Secretary Billy Perkins has added a new bullet to the stake’s arsenal by introducing the President’s Series. Perkins recognized a need for the “elder” Illinois-bred pacers and trotters to get in on the stakes action, and will offer $50,000 per event for three races, one for trotters and two for pacers. The President Series will be run on August 6 and 7, the final two days of the meet.

2008 Hawthorne Stakes Schedule
Day & Date-Stake-Class
Saturday, June 28-$60,000 Chicago-3-year-old Colt & Gelding Pacers
Saturday, June 28-$60,000 Lady Chicago-3-year-old Filly Pacers
Tuesday, July 8-$25,000 Just A Con Man-Open & Conditioned Trotters
Friday, July 11-$25,000 Cubs Pacing Series-Open & Conditioned Male Pacers
Saturday, July 12-$80,000 Dygert Final-Aged Trotters
Sunday, July 13-$25,000 Sox Pacing Series-Open & Conditioned Female Pacers
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Lil’ Bit Tuff-2-year-old Filly Trotters, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Maxter-2-year-old Colt & Gelding Trotters, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 She’s So Hot-2-year-old Filly Pacers, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Omaha Survivor-2-year-old Colt & Gelding Pacers, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Mogo On The Gogo-3-year-old Filly Trotters, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Thundercrack-3-year-old Colt & Gelding Trotters, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Sportsfancy-3-year-old Filly Pacers, ICF
Saturday, Aug. 2-$50,000 Booze Cruzin-3-year-old Colt & Gelding Pacers, ICF
Saturday, August 2-$80,000 Robert Carey Final-Aged Pacers
Wednesday, Aug. 6-$50,000 President’s Series-Aged Trotters, ICF
Thursday, Aug. 7-$50,000 President’s Series-Aged Mare Pacers, ICF
Thursday, Aug. 7-$50,000 President’s Series-Aged Pacers, ICF