Hawthorne Race Course
Encyclopedia
| Horse Race Track | |
|---|---|
| Hawthorne Race Course | |
| Location | Stickney Stickney, Illinois Stickney is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,148 at the 2000 census. It was well known in the 1920s and early 1930s as the home for several bordellos linked to mobster Al Capone's empire.... /Cicero Cicero, Illinois Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator.... , Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Owned by | Carey family |
| Race type: | Thoroughbred racing Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing... : Spring & Fall Harness racing Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:... : Summer |
| Principal Races – Hawthorne Race Course | |
| Hawthorne Gold Cup (G II) | |
| Illinois Derby Illinois Derby The Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in early April each year. First run in 1923, the Derby takes place at Hawthorne Race Course located in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago... (G III) |
|
| Hawthorne Derby Hawthorne Derby The Hawthorne Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1965 at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. Raced in October, it is open to three-year-old horses... (G III) |
|
Hawthorne Race Course is a race track
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
for horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in Stickney
Stickney, Illinois
Stickney is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,148 at the 2000 census. It was well known in the 1920s and early 1930s as the home for several bordellos linked to mobster Al Capone's empire....
/Cicero
Cicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, near Chicago.
The oldest continually-run family-owned racetrack in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Hawthorne was ranked #8.
History and information
In 1890, Edward Corrigan, a Chicago businessman who owned the 1890 Kentucky DerbyKentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
winner, Riley
Riley (horse)
Riley was a bay colt sired by Longfellow out of Geneva and was the winner of the 1890 Kentucky Derby, finishing the race at the slowest time recorded to that point, at 2 minutes 45 seconds, due to a very muddy track...
(by Longfellow
Longfellow (horse)
Longfellow was one of America's first great Thoroughbred racehorses and the sire of great racehorses. A legend in his own time, he was out of the first crop of the outstanding imported English stallion Leamington....
), bought 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) of land in Cicero and started constructing a grandstand for a new racecourse. His track opened in 1891 with a five-race card including the featured Chicago Derby. In 1902, the grandstand burned to the ground, which moved all racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
to the Harlem racetrack in Chicago. The re-opened track held a 12-day summer meet at its own facility later that year.
In 1905, horse racing was banned in Chicago, leading to the closure of Hawthorne.
In 1909, the track was sold to Thomas Carey who tried to reopen the track twice but was stopped by the sheriff's department and the local police. But in 1916, the track ran a 13-day meeting which included the American Derby
American Derby
The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at the city's old Washington Park race track and raced there until 1905 when the facility was closed and the track demolished....
. That would be the last race until 1922.
In 1922, the track reopened legally for a 13-day race meeting. In 1923, the meet expanded again to 25 days. The Chicago Business Men's Racing Association took over racing operations in 1924 and ran a 52-day meet in the fall. This same year a new clubhouse was constructed at Hawthorne, and a form of parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
was introduced.
By 1927, the racetrack was gaining prominence on the national scene. A new starting was introduced as was the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap
The Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois each year. The Hawthorne Gold Cup trophy has always been made of solid gold....
, a major stakes event. In 1929, Sun Beau
Sun Beau
Sun Beau was an American Thoroughbred Champion Hall of Fame racehorse. Sired by Sun Briar, his damsire was Fair Play who sired Man o' War. Sun Beau accomplished a great deal in five years of racing despite having eight different trainers....
won his first Gold Cup. He would later capture two more. In 1931, an electric time was introduced as was an infield tote board.
The track introduced Daily Double wagering to Chicago and used a new infra-red timer in the early 1930s. In 1936, the track began the Chicago racing season with a spring meet.
The Hawthorne continued to advance in the 1930s and 1940s, taking over the racing dates of Lincoln Fields Racetrack as well as racing earlier in the spring. The track also introduced races restricted to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
-bred horses.
Turf
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
racing returned to Hawthorne in 1948 with the renovation of the racing strip and the introduction of a six-furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
turf course. In 1959, a new clubhouse was opened with vastly expanded seating to serve the racing needs of the Chicago market. The track continued to thrive during the 1960s and 1970s, but it had crested in attendance and the attendance slowly began to drop.
By 1970, harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
was held at Hawthorne in an effort to offer a product to lovers of standardbred racing. The track was awarded spring dates and ran a spring, summer and autumn thoroughbred meet and a winter standardbred meet. The track stopped in September for the Arlington Park
Arlington Park
Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks than any other major metropolitan area...
meet. The track also began to hold occasional Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
races.
In 1978, a fire destroyed Hawthorne's grandstand. The attempt to move the meet to Sportsman's Park Racetrack failed for 1978. In 1979 racing was moved to Sportsman's Park. In 1980 the track officially opened for a 72-day thoroughbred meet begin at the end of September.
In 1985, Arlington Park burned to the ground and Hawthorne Race Course gained all summer dates except Arlington Million
Arlington Million
The Arlington Million is a Grade 1 flathorse race in the United States for thoroughbred horses aged three years and upward. It is raced over a distance of 1¼ miles on the turf at Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois in August each year...
day. In 1986, 1987 and 1988 the track also held these summertime meetings.
The track continues to do well having a very good 1990s. Hawthorne is now second tier to Arlington Park, the premier thoroughbred track in Chicago. In early November, it hosts the Illinois Festival of Racing
Illinois Festival of Racing
The Illinois Festival of Racing, held at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, is a series of six horse races run for and restricted to Illinois state-bred Thoroughbred race horses. The event usually takes place in November just after the Breeders' Cup series.-The Six Races:...
restricted to state-breds.
Physical attributes
The track has a one-mile (1.6 km) dirt oval and a seven-furlong turf oval. The main track homestretch is 1,320 feet, one of the longest in the country.TV Personalites
- Jim MillerJim MillerJim Miller may refer to:* Jim Miller , college football coach* Jim Miller , University of Richmond athletic director* Jim Miller , former Carlton and Dandenong full-forward...
(2000–present) - Mitch Demick (2007–2009)
- Katie Mikolay (2006–2010)
- Nancy Ury (2000–2002)
- Peter Glassi (2002–present)
Racing
The track runs the following graded stakes:- Grade IIGraded stakes raceA graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
– Hawthorne Gold Cup HandicapHawthorne Gold Cup HandicapThe Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap is a Grade II race for thoroughbred horses run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois each year. The Hawthorne Gold Cup trophy has always been made of solid gold.... - Grade III – Illinois DerbyIllinois DerbyThe Illinois Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in early April each year. First run in 1923, the Derby takes place at Hawthorne Race Course located in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, just west of Chicago...
- Grade III – Hawthorne DerbyHawthorne DerbyThe Hawthorne Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1965 at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. Raced in October, it is open to three-year-old horses...
- Grade III – Robert F. Carey Memorial HandicapRobert F. Carey Memorial HandicapThe Robert F. Carey Memorial Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the first week of October at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois...
- Grade III – Sixty Sails HandicapSixty Sails HandicapThe Sixty Sails Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of April at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois...
As well as the following important ungraded races:
Bill Hartack Memorial Handicap
Bill Hartack Memorial Handicap
The Bill Hartack Memorial Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois in the early spring of the year. The ungraded stakes race is for horses three-year-olds and older, and is set at a distance of one and one-eighth of a mile...
(Inaugurated in 2008, originally called the National Jockey Club Handicap.)