The Hawthorne Gold Cup was not run in 1934 and 1936 as a result of the Great Depression, not during World War II from 1940 through 1945, and not in 1978 when the grandstand was destroyed by fire.
While the facilities were being rebuilt, the 1979 race was held at nearby Sportsman's Park.
The race was also not run in 2016, due to purse money hardships in Illinois.
Other Hall of Fame inductees have their name on the Gold Cup, including Equipoise (1933), Discovery (1935), Challedon (1936), Round Table, who won it back-to-back in 1957 and 1958, Kelso (1960) and Dr. Fager in 1967.
In 1959, Day Court, ridden by Henry Moreno, set a new track record in winning the race, a record that stood until Ron Turcotte broke it again in 1970 aboard Gladwin.