The Hawthorne Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1965 at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. Raced in October, it is open to three-year-old horses. It is contested for a purse of $250,000 over a distance of 1 1⁄8 miles on turf.Inaugurated as the Hawthorne Diamond Jubilee in 1965 (through 1968), it was run on dirt until 1984 when it was switched to the turf course. The John R.