Las Vegas, NV - The Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap comes our way from Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero Illinois this Saturday, October 6. A purse of $500,000 will be on the line for horses three years old and upward willing to race 1 1/4 miles on Hawthorne`s main dirt track.

A field of seven will line up for race 8 on Hawthorne's Saturday card. Post time is 5:50 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all the entries ahead of this Grade 1 race.

2012 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap Race Favorites

Alternation - comes into this race on quite a role - six starts in 2012 with five wins including the Grade 3 Pimlico Special Stakes, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 14, the Grade 2 Razorback Handicap on March 10 and the Essex Handicap on February 4 - he swept the three stakes at Oaklawn Park for older horses this year. Last time out was another impressive score - the Governor's Cup Stakes at Remington Park to follow up his only substandard result - a fifth in the Grade 1 Steven Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs June 16.

Cease - has six starts this year with two wins in the Maxxam Gold Cup Handicap and an Allowance Optional Claiming, a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming race, a very nice third last time out in the Grade 1 Woodward, a fourth in the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland on April 22 and a fifth in the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap on May 26. Cease's best work is done on dirt - just the surface that the Gold Cup happens to be run on.

Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap 2012 | Remaining Field Entries

Nate's Mineshaft - had a string of four straight wins interrupted with a sixth in the Grade 3 Alysheba on May 4th - wins in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap by 7 ¼ lengths in record time, the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap and a pair of Allowance races. After that sixth he bounced back with a win in the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap and he was most recently third in the Grade 1 Steven Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs June 16. He is an intriguing entry for the Gold Cup.

Pool Play - is a multiple graded stakes winner coming off a third in the Washington Park Handicap September 1 - the only race that he has placed in after two fourths in his other two starts this year. He has shown good form however - before his one year layoff, Pool Play won the Grade 1 Steven Foster Handicap in a rare dirt appearance.

Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap betting at Hawthorne with OffTrackBetting.com

Mister Marti Gras - has six wins in 26 career starts and has placed in his last four starts - all graded stakes races. Last time out was a second in the Grade 3 Washington Park Handicap to follow a third in the Grade 3 Arlington Handicap July 14, a second in the Grade 3 Eclipse at Woodbine May 26 and a third in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in April. Mister Marti Gras has been knocking on the door the last six months and could surprise Saturday.

Eldaafer - last tasted victory in an Allowance a year ago before a win last time out in the Carl Hanford Memorial at Delaware Park September 8. In 2012 Eldaafer has six starts with that win, a decent second in the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap as his only really good results. He has 39 career starts with 12 wins but the bulk of his success was much earlier on.

Fly Lexis Fly - is a two time Peruvian classic winner - two wins in a row coming into an American debut. In that debut he was fifth in the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar on July 27 but he followed that up with a second last time out in the Grade 2 Super derby at Louisiana Downs September 8.

2012 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap Entries & Odds

Race 8 on Hawthorne's Saturday card with a Post Time of 5:50 PM.