by Tom Kelley, for Hawthorne Racecourse

Stickney, IL — After a seven-year absence from the harness racing scene at Hawthorne Race Course the trotters and pacers returned to the Stickney spa for a short four-week meet which kicked off on Jan. 8. If the numbers that were put up are a sign of things to come, racing fans will be in for a treat when the Standardbreds return to Hawthorne in May for an extended five-month meet.

Casey Leonard is joined by Assistant General Manager John Walsh and Harness Operations Tom Kelley in the winner’s circle upon receiving his award as leading driver at the winter meeting.

With “mother-nature” cooperating and fans throughout the country embracing the very competitive racing, the 22-card meet averaged more than $916,000 on the mainly 10-race programs with $50,000 of that total coming on track. Those numbers far exceeded management’s expectations, lending further hope for a very successful summer meeting.

“The support we received from everywhere around the country was just tremendous,” said Publicity Director and Racing Analyst Jim Miller. “I would also like to thank TVG Network for all the support they gave us showing every card from start to finish. That is something we haven’t had for harness racing here in Illinois and that had a great impact on the handle.”

Longshot players enjoyed the non-stop action at Hawthorne as favorites clicked at less than a 36 percent clip. There were several $100-plus win mutuels throughout the meet with the highlight being the $110,906 payout in the 20-cent Jackpot High Five on Jan. 29.

The horsemen certainly did their part to support the product as well, filling the entry box night after night for Racing Secretary Peter Hanley. The meet featured three 11-horse fields, 174 10-horse fields, 36 nine-horse fields, 12 eight-horse fields, and just one seven-horse field and one six-horse field.

Hawthorne photos

Jim Ellison is joined by John Walsh upon receiving his leading trainer award.

“Considering the fact this was my first time working in the Chicago market the horsemen were just super to work with,” said Hanley. “I really think we developed a great relationship with them and we did our best to get everyone raced as much as possible. It’s pretty amazing when you can say that 97 percent of your races featured full fields.”

Casey Leonard continued to dominate the local driving ranks taking home his first Hawthorne title over Simon Allard and Todd Warren. The training title came down to the final races of the Saturday card with veteran Jim Ellison edging out Ronnie Roberts, Terry Leonard and Alex Adam by a single win.

The fastest mile of the meet was recorded by Burke Racing & Weaver Bruscemi’s Ontario Success who stopped the clock in 1:51.1 for trainer Roger Welch.