The Race In Question

If I was going to do this, I was going to do it right.

The race, the 53rd running of the Illinois Derby, is the only feeder race to the Kentucky Derby in the state, making it not only one of the oldest races in Illinois, but also one of the most prestigious.

The last eight champions of the Illinois Derby, in fact, have made the jump to the big dance in Kentucky, with 2002 champion War Emblem winning the Kentucky Derby and making a run at the Triple Crown.

Finishes in the Kentucky Derby for the last eight winners of the Illinois Derby:

Year	Horse	Finish in Kentucky Derby
2002	War Emblem	1st
2003	Ten Most Wanted	9th
2004	Pollard's Vision	17th
2005	Greeley's Galaxy	11th
2006	Sweetnorthernsaint	7th
2007	Cowtown Cat	20th
2008	Recapturetheglory	5th
2009	Musket Man	3rd

 
"For those who can't make it out to Kentucky on May 1 for their big race, the Illinois Derby offers a small taste of what that experience is," stated Hawthorne Race Track's assistant general manager, Jim Miller. "It's a really quality race with an extremely strong field. It has become a race that people really point to nationally."

I have to admit, on face value the race seemed rather interesting. I may not be a huge fan of racing, but the prospect of a Kentucky Derby-style spectacle was a bit titillating.

Even the day before the big event there were radio specials, contests, free giveaways and plenty of other attractions to rouse uncontrollable excitement in even a thoroughbred laymen such as myself. I did manage to avoid becoming overstimulated, but I'll say it was pretty close...        

Cool Stuff

Okay, this might sound like PR dribble, but I don't care. Taking a break from the big race for a second let me present to you something I found beyond awesome, the jockey cam.


...just maybe the sickest thing ever...

...Back to the Spectacle

So anyway, the purse of the 53rd Illinois Derby was $500,000, with $300,000 of that going to the champion. Added to this was that rather large crowd that had turned up on what ended up being a very nice Saturday before Easter, bent on spending their week's pay on ponies. Needless to say, there was a lot of money floating around Hawthorne Race Track this past weekend.

I really couldn't very well go to the race track and not bet anything--right?--so I decided to see what the experts had to say about the big race.

The assistant general manager Jim Miller, who also is one of the two in-house handicappers for Hawthorne, told me he was caught between two horses, Backtalk and American Lion.

American Lion, Miller said, was one of the quickest horses in the field while Backtalk had been running a "blistering workout"--whatever that means--all week and many had high hopes for the horse.

I didn't stop there, however--my $2 first bet was going to be really well informed, dammit. I talked with jockey Willie Martinez, who was riding Game Ball in the race.

Although a long shot--going off at 12/1 at the Hawthorne cages--Martinez explained that he was riding a true dark horse, which was on a two race winning streak.

After soaking up all the knowledge these two experts had to give and then polling some of the Hawthorne regulars I decided to go with Yawanna Twist, based purely on the strength of his name.

I am an idiot

This idiot almost came through, however, as Yawanna Twist finished second to American Lion after a good battle. Backtalk finished third and Dave in Dixie crossed the line in fourth.

Not bad for a totally arbitrary bet.

Anyway, I had my reservations, but Friday and Saturday turned out to be really fun days. Looking back at it, the derby seemed like a really good way to spend a weekend of unusually good Chicago weather.

Don't know if I'll every bet on horses again, but if you like ponies I recommend the Illinois Derby.