Purses take a trim

STICKNEY, Ill. – Seeking to level off an overpaid purse account, Hawthorne trimmed purses for races starting April 7. Maiden special weight and allowance-race purses were cut $1,000, while lower-level claimers were cut as little as $200, and the lowest-level purses were left unchanged, according to racing secretary Allen Plever. Hawthorne came into the meet with a significant purse overpayment and is trying to balance the account as much as possible by meet’s end.

◗ Turf races might have been carded as early as this week had not a late dose of winter come to Chicagoland, with scattered light snow on several recent days and low temperatures below freezing. Even so, the grass has greened up nicely, and Hawthorne hopes to begin using the course perhaps as soon as next week.