For Immediate Release
Contact: Jim Miller (708) 780-3700
JimMiller@ClubHawthorne.com
Bramble Queen, Mohs, Readthecliffnotes Take Hawthorne Stakes
STICKNEY, IL – Stakes action was back on the Hawthorne turf
course on Saturday as the return of the Illini Princess and Hawthorne Derby,
presented by BetMakers were run over the firm
course. The Illini Princess was for
Illinois-bred females at 1 1/16 miles while the Hawthorne Derby went at 1 1/8
miles. A wet Sunday washed The Pizza Man Stakes to the sloppy main track.
In the
$60,000 added Illini Princess, 2019 race champ Bramble Queen made her return
for trainer Mike Dini and was sent away as the 8-5 favorite. Leaving the gate
quickly was talented three-year-old filly Katie M’Lady
as jockey Julio Felix was able to clear the lead from the outside and carve out
the early fractions. Chased by Cat Attack and Northern Alliance through quick
fractions of :23.51 and :47.41, Katie M’ Lady led the field into the final turn
as favorite Bramble Queen and jockey Jareth Loveberry
began to pick off horses. At the top of
the stretch, Katie M’Lady held a three-length
advantage while Bramble Queen had move into second. In the stretch, Katie M’Lady
battled but Bramble Queen was too good, running by late to win by a length in
1:42.70. Katie M’Lady was a clear second while 21-1
longshot Embarrassing rallied to finish third.
Owned by Ballybrit Stable, LLC, Bramble Queen returned $5.40, $3.40 and $2.80. Katie M’Lady came
back $5.00 and $4.20. Embarrassing returned $10.80 to show. Following the race, jockey Jareth Loveberry was asked about his trip aboard Bramble Queen,
“The race set up really well for her. I
got to know her when I rode her a couple of times at Arlington Park. The filly, Katie M’Lady
got away to a comfortable lead. I just
tried to have as much horse left at the end and she
did. The course seemed to be playing
even, maybe even a little “Good”, but I just tried to ride the horse, not the
course. This was a good field, the
three-year-olds are getting better and better. This mare had a bunch of heart and just dug
it out.”
Two races
later, on the Saturday card, the 52nd running of the $100,000 Hawthorne
Derby, presented by BetMakers returned to the
Hawthorne turf. With the scratch of
morning-line favorite Last Samurai, the field of six saw Royal Prince, from the
barn of Brad Cox, sent away as the 2-1 favorite. After the break in the 1 1/8 miles event,
there was very little early pace as Temper Tantrum and Royal Prince guided the
compact field through an opening quarter in :24.80 and a half in :50.32. With only three lengths separating the field
from front to back on the run into the final turn, Modus Operandi and Grey
Streak joined the due to challenge through three quarters in 1:14.41. Biding his time in the turn was Mohs and
jockey Jareth Loveberry as the field turned for
home. In the lane, Temper Tantrum
grabbed a brief lead as Mohs split horses and raced into contention while Grey
Streak battled on. At the wire, Mohs emerged
three-quarters of a length ahead of Grey Streak for the victory while Temper
Tantrum held third. Mohs covered the 1
1/8 miles on the firm turf course in 1:50.32.
Owned by
ABL Stable, Dominic Bossone, Petter
Donnelly and William Oberdorff and trained by Patrick
McBurney, Mohs paid $6.20, $4.60 and $3.20. Grey Streak returned $5.40 and $3.40 while
Temper Tantrum paid $3.60 to show. With
his second stakes win on the day, jockey Jareth Loveberry
commented on Mohs victory, “I thought that there would be a lot more pace but nobody went.
My horse settled nicely and we found a good
trip and were fortunate to find a hold.
I knew we needed to start picking things up because they were going so
slow in front so I kind of just judged the horses in front of me and when they
started picking things up, so did we. I
was hoping we were going to find a hole and fortunately we did.”
On Sunday
afternoon the rains began to fall at Hawthorne, washing The Pizza Man stakes
off the grass to be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the sloppy Hawthorne main
track. The original field of 11
scratched down to six as Hawthorne dirt specialist Readthecliffnotes
was sent away as the 7-5 favorite for trainer Michele Boyce. Getting away well in the sloppy going for
jockey Edgar Perez, Readthecliffnotes made the lead
through an opening quarter in :24.91 as longshot Iwillpersevere
chased in second. Down the backstretch, Richiesgotgame ranged up to challenge through a half in
:49.88. After three quarters in 1:14.09,
it appeared Richiesgotgame was going to give jockey
Jareth Loveberry a weekend stakes sweep as he put a
head in front. In the lane, Readthecliffnotes dug in
gamely and fought back, drawing clear by three-quarters of a length at the
wire. Richiesgotgame
was a clear second while Iwillpersevere held
third. The final time for the 1 1/16
miles on the dirt was 1:45.23.
Readthecliffnotes returned $4.80, $3.00
and $2.20 for owners Cherrywood Racing Stables, II, Terry Biondo and Laura
Donohoe. Richiesgotgame
returned $3.20 and $2.80 while Iwillpersevere paid
$5.40 to show.
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago’s
Hometown Track, races three meets in 2021.
The spring thoroughbred meet concluded on April 25. The summer Suburban
Downs at Hawthorne harness meet began Friday, May 7 and concluded on September
26. The fall thoroughbred meet opened October 8 and races through December 27. First
post daily in October and November is 3:10 PM. In December, first post moves to
12:55 PM. For any information about Hawthorne Race Course
visit the website www.HawthorneRaceCourse.com.
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