Who says you can't go home again?

The marketing report from the 'summit' held in Las Vegas is out and for those of you who couldn't bear to read to the end of my last post, here it is, again. All of it was way over my head, I am still trying to figure out how to program my Betamax, but it looks outstanding. It is past time for our game to bring itself into the 21^st century.

A hearty cyber-DAP to Green but Game, Superfecta, Handride, Railbird, The Aspiring Horseplayer, and Left at the Gate. I am sure that others were involved but their names weren't readily available (read:right in front of me)-then again, neither were their ages.

Hawthorne Race Course opens on Friday, the 26_th and we go back to the dirt in Chicagoland. My nephew says that w00t, w00t is an appropriate expression in this case so I will take him at his word.

I will not attempt to describe the history of this track; there are far better and more qualified sites for that.

A recent exchange I had on Equispace reminded me of the special place that Hawthorne holds for me. She was my first time and you never forget your first. I played and cashed my first ticket at Hawthorne on a filly, Book the Devil. (She has gone off to be a broodmare and has had a few foals as far as I can tell but I can't seem to find where she is.) If anybody has news of her whereabouts, I would love to know.

Hawthorne is a beaten down track that runs thoroughbreds during the Spring, Fall and Winter. Basically, whenever Arlington isn't open. The Illinois Derby GII and the Hawthorne Gold Cup are their main events. The clientele is definitely not pulled from a Norman Rockwell painting and the backstretch is reminiscent of an industrial park waste dump. West of Downtown, just north of Midway and the highlight of my day when going eastbound off of 22L on the Midway Six departure.

Admission is a reasonable $3 and Dollar Fridays are definitely my favorite. Races can be seen on TVG, which has recently become a sponsor of the TBA standings. Hawthorne holds a harness meet whenever the thoroughbreds aren't running and this past summer they had a 'Race your friends', racing school promotion where you get the chance to ride in a cart with a driver but you are at the reins. In addition to their regular handicapping challenge, Hawthorne is implementing this tasty morsel.

They are definitely trying.

The Hawthorne Gold Cup GII, is this Saturday and while entries are not final, Student Council, Zanjero, A.P. Arrow and Grasshopper are nominated. Perfect Drift took this race in 2003 and Student Council might be back to defend his title.

Hawthorne is a little out of my way, it takes me about an hour to get there and getting out during rush hour is a drag but it holds an honest meet and Wayne Catalano is not so prominent, so fair odds can be had.

Royalty won't go there and it will never host the Breeder's Cup but it is a horse track and an honest one. It can hold its head high and in the words of Robert Burns:

What though on hamely fare we dine
wear hodden-gray an' a' that
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine,
A man's a man for a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
their tinsel show an' a' that;
the honest man, though e'er sae poor,
is king o' men for a' that.