Hawthorne business continues to decline

All-sources average daily handle on Hawthorne races at this winter-spring meet dropped 11 percent from the same meet last year, continuing a steady decline in business at the Chicago-area track over the last few years.

According to information provided by the Illinois Racing Board, Hawthorne averaged $1,346,383 in daily handle from all sources during a meet that included three days in early January, resumed Feb. 20, and ran through April 26. That figure is down from the $1,518,080 Hawthorne averaged last year, and weather this year was far more amenable to readying horses for the resumption of racing after the winter dark period than was the case in 2014.

Handle has declined by double-digit percentage points at Hawthorne for three springs in a row and is down a grim 41 percent from the daily average of $2,291,678 during the winter-spring meeting in 2012.

Field size seems the likely culprit for the continued downturn, as Hawthorne, despite racing a compacted schedule this year, averaged only 6.67 starters in its 305 races. In 2012, the last decent spring meet that Hawthorne had in terms of handle, there were an average of 8.16 starters in the 371 races run.

Apprentice rider Vicente Gudiel easily won the jockeys’ title, his 53 wins 16 more than runner-up Tim Thornton. Scott Becker, the private trainer for owner William Stiritz, topped the trainers’ standings with 27 wins. Stiritz easily wound up the leading owner.