Hawthorne joins in new wager

Hawthorne Race Course has become the latest participant in 123 Racing, a Philadelphia Park-hubbed multi-race wager developed by an Australian company and offered to limited markets in the United States

Hawthorne began offering the 123 wager Wednesday, and the bet will be based at Hawthorne each Wednesday and Thursday this fall, while rotating to races at Philadelphia Park and Mountaineer Park on other days. Thoroughbred tracks offering the 123 include Hawthorne, Philadelphia, Canterbury, Presque Isle, and Mountaineer.

The 123 has a $2 base amount, and requires a player to select one or more horses in a designated series of races. If a selected horse finishes in the top three, the player is awarded the horse's $2 win, place, and show payoffs as points.

At the end of the sequence, the payoffs are totaled, and the player with the most points wins. A lone winner receives 60 percent of the pool, with 30 percent for the second-highest total, and 10 percent for third. Payoff are split differently for ties. Pools are averaging $600 to $1,200 right now, according to Hawthorne officials. Takeout for the bet is 35 percent, and the bet is treated like a simulcast wager.