Hawthorne Race Course hosted a pair of first leg divisions of the Plum Peachy Stakes for Illinois-bred three-year-old fillies on Friday night (June 3). Each division carried a purse of $12,500.
In the first division of leg one, a field of seven lined up with Lexington Lady the heavy favourite at 1-5. The favourite left for the lead and made the front easily through the opening quarter of :28.1. On the backstretch, Lexington Lady and driver Matt Krueger maintained their lead through a half in :57.4. Into the lane after three-quarters in 1:26.2, Lexington Lady led by two and held firm at the wire, stopping the clock in 1:54 over the fast track. Lks Nancy Lee finished second while Aunt Ethel was third.
Owned and trained by Hosea Williams, Lexington Lady returned $2.60, $2.20, and $2.20. Lks Nancy Lee came back $4.80 and $3.60 while Aunt Ethel returned $3.20 to show.
In the second division of leg one of the Plum Peachy, Char N Marg was sent off as the even-money favourite. Art Angel Baby got away with the early lead, tracked by Likeafireballshot and Char N Marg through the quarter in :28.1. Likeafireballshot took over on the backstretch, covering the half in :56.3. In the turn, Char N Marg took command through three-quarters in 1:25.4. In the end, Casey Leonard and Char N Marg drew away, stopping the clock in 1:53 for the mile. Whiskersonkittens finished second and Ashlees Fine Lady was third.
Owned by Quaid Racing LLC and trained by Nelson Willis, Char N Marg paid $4.00, $3.20, and $2.40. Whiskersonkittens came back $6.40 and $3.80. Ashlees Fine Lady paid $8.00 to show.
With no live tickets for consecutive nights at Hawthorne, the Early Pick 5 has a two-day carryover of $11,061. With that carryover into the Saturday evening card, Hawthorne and the USTA Strategic Wagering Program have teamed up for a $30,000 guaranteed pool in the Early Pick 5 Saturday. The Early Pick 5 covers the first five races on the card and is a 50-cent minimum wager. Takeout for the Early Pick 5 is 15 percent.
(With files from Hawthorne Race Course)