Hawthorne ends guarantee

Hawthorne Racecourse has pulled the $50,000 guarantee on its pick six wager after losing money on the bet each time it was hit this meet - on four of the first five cards.

It was the second time this year that Hawthorne canceled a pick six guarantee. During its spring meet, Hawthorne guaranteed the pick six for $100,000, but the guarantee was pulled after bettors hit the wager on six of the first nine cards. Handle was in excess of $100,000 on only one of the payouts.

The pick six returned for the live racing card on Wednesday, but without the guarantee.

Hawthorne had lost an estimated $65,000 on the pick six since the fall meet started on Oct. 31, officials said. Handle on the bet never exceeded $50,000.

"I'm perplexed," said Thomas Carey III, Hawthorne's director of operations. "I anticipated it getting hit, but at no point did I think that it could be so easily hit so often. I'm going to retool something and hopefully come back with a new bet, because our players like these gimmicks."