Hawthorne opens

Hawthorne begins its fall season of racing on Friday. The 71-day meet

continues through January 2. Mondays and Tuesdays will be dark with the

exception of Columbus Day, October 10. In addition, there will be no racing on

Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.

The inaugural Fall Harvest Festival of Racing will take place on Saturday.

The event features the 69th running of the $750,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup H. (G2)

for three-year-olds and up at 1 1/4 miles, the $150,000 Robert F. Carey Memorial

H. (G3) for three-year-olds and up at one mile on the turf, and the $150,000

Indian Maid Breeders' Cup H. for fillies and mares at 8 1/2 furlongs on the

turf.

Other highlights at the Stickney, Illinois, oval include the $250,000 Hawthorne Derby

(G3) for three-year-olds and the $150,000 Hawthorne Oaks for three-year-old

fillies on October 15. The Derby will be contested at nine furlongs on the turf

while the Oaks will be decided at 8 1/2 furlongs on the grass.

Six $75,000 stakes races for Illinois-bred horses will be featured on the

November 12 program, and a pair of stakes races for state-bred two-year-olds --

the $100,000 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante S. for fillies on December 10 and

the $100,000 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity on December 17 -- complete the stakes

schedule.