STICKNEY, IL – The first three day harness racing week of the Hawthorne meet saw the addition of Friday racing as horses continue to get fit and race-ready. While the opening three weeks of the Hawthorne meeting saw different drivers and trainers making their mark, everyone seemed to get into the mix in week four.
The Friday evening eight race card found eight different trainers in the winner's circle with driver Juan Franco being the only driver to post a double on the card. Friday's card saw Fancy Creek Jolene (1:55.2) return to the form see showed a couple of years ago in winning the opener for trainer Kim Hamilton. 16-1 shot Undrafted (1:55.2) gave Franco his driving double in winning race three. The fastest mile on the night came in the finale as Youmakemyheartsing (1:53.2) won for driver Kyle Wilfong and trainer Brett Wilfong.
Saturday opened with Fox Valley Lincoln (1:56.3) getting his second consecutive win for Mike Oosting and trainer Dee Cozzi. Louscaramon (1:57.2) became a three-time winner this meet as Casey Leonard guided him home in the second for trainer Steve Searle. Leonard got his second driving victory on the card in the fourth as Lindy's Big Bang (1:56.2) took the Open trot in the evening's feature.
A driving double on the card also came from Mike Oosting, winning race three with Spunky Bottom Girl (1:57.1). Kyle and Brett Wilfong closed out the night taking the late double as Boogie on Down (1:55.4) won the eighth race followed by Be Magical (1:59.0) winning the finale. Trainer Steve Searle got his second Saturday win as Coming Up (1:57.1) was handled nicely by driver James Molitor in race five.
Sunday's action found us with a three-time winner to start the night as My Uptowne Girl (1:56.0) took the opener for Juan Franco and trainer Gerald Hansen. Back to back Open paces followed with Dee Rocks (1:54.2) holding off favored Rollin Coal for driver Ridge Warren in the second race while Castle Flight (1:52.1) was impressive once again in winning race three for Kyle Wilfong. The Sunday card closed with three consecutive driving doubles.
First it was Mike Oosting winning races four and five with Valar Morghulis (1:56.0) and Dirt E Rock (1:56.0). Next up was Brandon Bates as he took the sixth with Bluebird Luigi (2:00.2) followed by Slow Your Roll (1:59.2) in the seventh. Todd Warren drove home the final double on the night, winning the eighth behind Cookies Empire (1:56.2) and Crystal Hotspur (1:58.4) in the evening's final race.
Overall on the weekend, 20 different trainers and 11 different drivers won races from the 26 conducted in the three day period. Through four weeks, Mike Oosting has taken over the lead in the driving standings with 14 victories. He is followed by Kyle Wilfong (13), Casey Leonard and Todd Warren (12), and Brandon Bates with 11 victories. Trainer Steve Searle remains atop the training standings, sending out eight winners from 33 starters. Derek Burklund follows in second with seven wins and there is a three-way tie for third between Brett Wilfong, Mike Brink, and Ronnie Roberts, each with six victories.
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago's Hometown Track, returned for live harness racing on Saturday, February 15 and races through Sunday, September 20. Post time nightly is 7:10 PM. Hawthorne races live during the summer harness meet every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Fall thoroughbreds close out the year, running from October 2 through December 26. For more information, visit www.Hawthorneracecourse.com or contact Hawthorne at 708-780-3700.
by Jim Miller, for Hawthorne Race Course