On a windy Sunday afternoon at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Ill., jockey E.T. Baird scored his 2,500th career riding victory. Baird won his 2,498th race on Saturday afternoon at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., as he rode Breeze Rider to the win in the My Charmer Stakes for trainer Steve Manley. Baird and Manley teamed up again on Sunday at Hawthorne, taking race five about Rodeo Man for win 2,499. The 2,500th victory was also for Manley as Dancin At Midnight scored in the sixth race from just off the pace.
Known for his excellent ability to get horses away from the gate, Baird began his riding career in 1985. Baird was Hawthorne's leading rider as an apprentice in 1986 as he won 171 races on the year. A winner of 17 graded stakes on his career, Baird is approaching 19,000 career mounts and this year surpassed $50 million in career earnings from those mounts. He was inducted into the Hawthorne Hall of Fame in 1998.
Hawthorne Race Course, Chicago's Hometown Track, races year-round in 2022. The winter harness season begins Friday, January 7, and races through Sunday, March 20. Spring thoroughbreds kick off Saturday, April 2, and conclude Saturday, June 25. The summer harness season begins on Thursday, June 30, and races through Sunday, September 11. Fall thoroughbreds return Friday, September 23, and race through Saturday, December 31.
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