Handle figures down at Hawthorne

Hawthorne's Fall Meet concluded on New Year's Day with across-the-board

declines in handle figures.

The Stickney, Illinois, track reported daily average on-site handle of

$148,900, down 11.89 percent compared to last year. The daily

average in-state handle of $324,584 fell 8.91 percent while the daily average

out-of-state handle of $2,311,619 dropped 2.23 percent. The daily average total

handle of $2,785,104 fell 9.88 percent.

"I would have liked to have seen better numbers on site," Hawthorne President

Tim Carey said. "This will be an area of focus in '07. We need to address the

Advance Deposit Wagering (phone and internet account betting) issue more

aggressively moving forward.

"We can no longer ignore the fact that people sit in our track and wager on

our races via their cell phone," Carey continued. "It has a negative impact on

our live handle. We have to be more proactive on this issue. As an incentive to

fans who play our live races on track, we offer 4 percent back through our Club

Hawthorne program. We want our players to take advantage of what is one of the

best on-track rewards initiatives in the country."

Hawthorne reported an average of 8.46 starters per race compared to 9.01

starters per race in 2005. Rainy weather early in the meet caused many turf

races to be run on the main track.

Jockey Chris Emigh booted home 102 winners to capture his fifth consecutive

Hawthorne riding crown. Emigh, who has won a total of seven Hawthorne jockey

titles, completed a sweep of all three Chicagoland meets for the first time in

his career. Emigh won 273 races in Chicago in 2006, 134 more than his closest

pursuer, Eddie Razo Jr.

Frank Kirby saddled 43 winners to earn his sixth overall Hawthorne training

title, and his second in the last three years. For the year in Chicago, he

scored 89 victories, placing him third behind Wayne Catalano (98) and Tom

Tomillo (92).

Frank Calabrese led all Hawthorne owners this fall with 30 wins. Once again,

Calabrese swept the Chicago circuit in 2006, winning 97 races, 57 more than 2

Blondes Inc.

Hawthorne will reopen on February 23. The 50th running of the $500,000

Illinois Derby (G2) is slated for April 7, pending Illinois Racing Board

approval. Hawthorne's daily racing and stakes schedule will be finalized by

mid-January.