Hawthorne will offer 8 percent takeout place pick 8 this year
The lowest takeout wager in 2024 will be at Hawthorne Race Course.
The singular home of horse racing in Chicagoland will offer an 8 percent takeout place pick 8 when its Thoroughbred meeting begins March 23. The bet will have a $1 minimum with carryover potential.
"Racing needs to offer new wagers, but it has to be wagers people want to play," Hawthorne director of racing Jim Miller said. "With the place pick [8], people will have to look at the entire card. That was important to us, and the 8 percent takeout gives them an incentive look."
The place pick 8 will be offered on every card, encompassing the first 8 races if there are more than 8 carded.
"We decided to go with a dollar minimum to start, but we'll be open to adjusting that," Miller said. "Maybe 50 or 20 cents will make more sense. This is a bet we're excited about, we want to see it succeed."
In addition to now having the lowest takeout of any wager, Hawthorne's 12 percent takeout on win, place and show wagers also is an industry low.
"Our horsemen group has been very willing to work with us on lower takeout wagers," Miller said. "We lowered WPS and there was some concern about lost revenue, but it's led to more people looking at our product, and those people are betting when they do look."
Hawthorne is also removing the jackpot provisions from its Pick 6 and Super High 5 wagers. They will have traditional carryover provisions similar to its Pick 4s and Pick 5.
The place pick 8 and pick 5 both begin race 1. The early Pick 4 will begin race 2. The Pick 6 will be on the last six races, and the Pick 4 on the last four races. Pick 4 carryovers go the same sequence the next race day, early to early and late to late.
Recently, only Del Mar and Los Alamitos have offered a place pick all, but Arlington and Hawthorne have offered it in Illinois previously.
The previous low takeout was 10 percent on the Pick 5 and early Pick 4 at Canterbury Park. Click this link for a complete list of track takeouts.