Hawthorne Invitational is a celebration of the horseplayer

When it comes to walking the walk on putting the horseplayer first, few in racing have traveled as far as Hawthorne Race Course.

The Chicago-area racetrack lowered takeout on its win, place and show wagers to 12 percent this year and offers the lowest takeout of any wager in North America with the eight percent place Pick 8. Throw in pool parties throughout its off-track betting network in the nation’s third-largest metropolitan area and rake-free contests throughout the year, and it is easy to see why horseplayers are attracted to this brand.

But all that does not even mention the pièce de résistance: the Hawthorne Invitational contest, which invites more than 60 of the top players in the game for a one-day tournament that Hawthorne will livestream.

This year’s fifth event offers a $2,500 buy-in, and, as with all of Hawthorne’s tournaments, there is no rake. First prize is $10,000 cash plus a bounty of prizes that includes a berth in the National Handicapping Championship with a million-dollar bonus for completing the HI-NHC double. The last prize is not tangible, but it is sweet, it is the bragging rights that come with beating the best contest players in the game, including all four previous winners of the Hawthorne Invitational, eight NHC winners and the current top two players on the NHC Tour.

“Hawthorne views players as such an important part of the game, and in talking to them and how cater to them we keep hearing, ‘Hey, what about us?’ Players want to be paid attention to,” Hawthorne head of marketing Dakota Schultz said. “When it comes to Hawthorne, we’re led by players themselves: president John Walsh, director of racing Jim Miller, and bringing an accomplished handicapper like Emily Gullikson on board. They love the game and have been instrumental in involving players in our strategy to grow racing and our business.

“Contests give us events to cater to players and shine a spotlight on that segment of the industry.”

It is that mission that attracts major players such as Eddie Olczyk, an American Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and NBC analyst who bets a lot of money and participates in contests as his schedule allows.

Olczyk won last year’s Hawthorne Invitational, going all in on the last race and getting home 81-1 shot Command Central to finish with a bankroll of $52,921, which he got to keep, plus all the aforementioned spoils for first place.

“I’ve had a relationship with the people at Hawthorne for a long time,” said Olczyk, a former Chicago Blackhawks player who now resides in suburban Chicago. “John, Jim, (marketing manager) Rhonda Sarsnowski and Dakota always have the horseplayer in mind, and I’m proud of the relationship I’ve had with Hawthorne dating back to my time playing with the Blackhawks.

“I’ve played Hawthorne for a long time and love supporting it through the windows, but what they’ve done with the invitational takes it to the next level. Especially now that Hawthorne is the only racetrack in town, I love supporting it.”

Schultz conceived the Invitational not only as a showcase of the top contest players but also as vehicle to take advantage of streaming technology to show how exciting betting on horse races could be. That notion was on full display last year when Olczyk’s root home of his $164 horse to win the tournament was caught on the live stream and went viral on social media after garnering hundreds of thousands of views across all platforms.

“The fun part about that is that’s how I root whether I’m in my family room or at the track,” Olczyk said. “My wife jokes that when Eddie is home the family room is an OTB, which I take as a compliment.

“We all love winning money and the prizes, and the end result for me last year was very lucrative, but nothing beats that feeling of knowing you figured out a puzzle no one else did.”

Matthew Bickey finished second to Olczyk last year. In the interim, he won $149,310 in the Player’s Championship tournament.

“I’m really looking forward to the (invitational),” Bickey said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This is another sterling collection of players at the best home of live-money tournaments; you can’t beat no entry fee.”

Olczeyk said Hawthorne should serve as a model for how horse racing promotes the excitement of betting on it.

“If I were commissioner for a day, my mandate would be that all tracks promote their biggest scores,” Olczyk said. “Racing needs to do a better job promoting that excitement. The equine athlete is where it all starts, and they’re the most important part of the game, but after that it’s the gambler and the money we bring in. Casinos and sports books do a great job celebrating massive scores. Racing does not.”

See the video below to watch last year’s Invitational won by Olczyk, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about this year’s live stream.

Coverage of the Hawthorne Invitational and horse racing at Hawthorne Race Course is made possible through a marketing cooperative agreement with Hawthorne.