Hawthorne Racecourse, Stickney, IL, Spring 2011

It is a sad, sad Spring to visit Hawthorne. The field sizes are just so small, and the wagering so uninteresting. The horses are all somewhere else, somewhere with higher purses. And the crowds that used to make first Sportsman's and then Hawthorne interesting this time of the year? They're somewhere else, too. So, so sad.