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Horses pass the Arlington Grandstand on August 14, 2004 – Arlington Million.
Posted by Kevin Bessler | Center Square 09/30/2021
(The Center Square) – The Illinois horse racing industry suffered another blow when Arlington International Racecourse closed after nearly 100 years of operation.
That leaves only two horse racing facilities in the state, the Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and the Fairmount Park Race Track (FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing) in Collinsville.
A Senate gaming committee met on Thursday, September 30, 2021 to discuss plans for the further development of the industry.
The grandstand at the Arlington Million on August 14, 2004.
Horse racing in Illinois
Illinois has only two horse racing tracks left: Hawthorne Racecourse in Stickney and FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing, formerly Fairmount Park, in Collinsville.
Arlington closed in 2021.
Balmoral Park, south of Crete, Illinois, closed in 2015.
Maywood Park in Maywood closed in 2015.
Sportsman’s Park around 1999 (before some fiasco attempts to combine horse racing with car racing at Chicago Motor Speedway in Sportsman’s Park).
Washington Park in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood closed in 1977.
The Hawthorne Race Course has been recognized for all racing dates in Chicago, so it will host both thoroughbred and harness racing, which is less than ideal according to Senator Bill Cunningham.
“That makes it very difficult for both races because of the limited number of race dates and questions how long it is sustainable for racing in the Chicago area to work with just one track,” said Cunningham.
Tim Carey, president of the Hawthorne Race Course, told the committee that the track needs to be swapped between seasons to accommodate different racing styles.
“It’s going to be far from ideal, but we’re doing it in agreement with and in collaboration with the riders because we believe the future of both thoroughbred and harness racing is important to Illinois,” said Carey.
FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing in Collinsville, formerly Fairmount Park, will also take on additional racing dates. The facility will host 61 whole blood dates in 2022, an increase from 53 this year.
A horse racing group, along with other bidders and the Chicago Bears, showed interest in the Arlington Heights facility, but it shouldn’t be. When the Chicago Bears a purchase agreement for 197 million inevitable.
In February 2021, Churchill Downs (CDI) announced plans to sell the entire Arlington Park property for redevelopment. The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (ITHA, which represented thoroughbred owners and trainers in both Arlington and Hawthorne) condemned CDI’s decision, claiming that after the majority takeover of Rivers Casino, CDI “all but given up any significant commitment to racing in Illinois have”.
Excerpts from the ITHA statement following the CDI’s announcement to sell the Arlington, published in BLOODHORSE …
“Illinois Thoroughbred owners and coaches appreciate the opportunity to race at Arlington Park, a world-class circuit, this year, but are disappointed that Churchill Downs will break its long-standing promise to keep and expand racing jobs in Illinois at the same time the best interests of Illinois taxpayers … The Illinois Gambling Expansion Act was designed to boost wallets overnight and otherwise enliven the state’s thoroughbred horse races to create jobs, economic opportunity, and the tax base for the state and local communities to diversify.
“Illinois owners and coaches are appalled at Churchill’s disdain for live racing and the working men and women, from blue-collar workers to breeders, who are passionate about racing in Illinois and relying on racing facilities and room bids to care for themselves and their families to nourish.
“Churchill spent two decades lobbying the Illinois legislature for authority to develop a casino in Arlington. But since buying a controlling stake in nearby Rivers Casino, Churchill has all but given up any significant involvement in racing in Illinois. Churchill abruptly reversed course, sank the Arlington Development Plan and instead devoted himself to ensuring that Arlington did not become a competitor to Rivers.
“Churchill’s anti-competitive behavior was so brazen, in fact, that its CEO publicly denied the prospect that Arlington racing could continue under a different owner, insisting that the property has a ‘higher and better purpose for something else.’ would. Even in his statement (Tuesday), Churchill is clearly disingenuous in claiming to move the racing license from Arlington to another location in Illinois. “
While bidder review for the Arlington Park property is ongoing, the Chicago Bears, Rush Street Interactive, Inc., a Chicago-based gaming company that operates BetRivers.com, and Rivers Casino, Chicago’s premier casino, announced Tuesday, May 22nd. June 2021, announced that the companies have entered into an exclusive multi-year partnership. The agreement is Bears’ first multi-year exclusive contract in the sports betting and casino categories and makes BetRivers the official sports betting partner of the Bears and Rivers Casino the official casino partner of the Bears.
And they are free on August 14, 2004.
Arlington Park timeline
The inaugural Arlington race took place on October 13, 1927.
In 1981, the First Arlington Million became the world’s first million dollar thoroughbred race.
Richard L. Duchossois and the investment group Arlington Park are buying from Gulf and Western Industries for a price between 19 million and 21 million US dollars (New York Times). 1983.
Fire destroyed grandstand on July 31, 1985.
The Arlington Million took place in temporary bleachers on August 25, 1985.
In 1989 a beautiful new grandstand known as the Arlington International Racecourse opens.
No races in 1998 and 1998.
Churchill Downs completes the purchase of Arlington International Racecourse but reopens as Arlington Park in 2000.
Arlington Park was renamed Arlington International Racecourse in 2013.
Churchill Downs announces plans to sell the Arlington International Racecourse property in February 2021.
The closing date for prospective developers and investors to submit bids for the Arlington International Racecourse property at Churchill Downs is June 15, 2021.
The Chicago Bears announce that they recently made an offer for the Arlington International Racecourse property on June 17, 2021.
The racetrack will finally close on the last day of racing on September 26, 2021.
Chicago Bears announced the purchase agreement with Churchill Downs in a statement released on September 29, 2021 disclosing their plans to “plan a path forward that will enable our team to thrive in the field, Chicagoland, to from this endeavor to thrive, and the Bears organization must be ensured ”. a strong future. “
Other Illinois horse racing tracks have also seen their demise. Balmoral Park in Crete held its last trotting race in 2015 before the property went bankrupt. The area was converted into a jumping facility.
Maywood Park was located in Melrose Park, about 12 miles from downtown Chicago. The trotting track was built in 1946 but closed in 2015. The property now houses an Amazon distribution center.
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Horse racing August 14, 2004 at the Arlington Million.
Arlington Million Crew August 14, 2004 at Arlington Million.
Permanently closed on that day – Arlington Park Grandstand on Saturday evening, September 26th, 2021.
Arlington International Racecourse, 2200 West Euclid Avenue Arlington Heights (SOURCE: Images © 2021 Google, Images © 2021 Maxar Technologies, US Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency, map data © 2021).
Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois (images © 2021 Google, images © 2021, Maxar Technologies, Sanborn, US Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency, map data © 2021).
FanDuel Sports Betting and Horse Racing in Collinsville, Illinois (Images © 2021 Google, Images © 2021 Maxar Technologies, US Geological Survey, USDA Farm Service Agency, map data © 2021).
CARDINAL NEWS also provided information on this article. For the original Kevin Bessler article, The Center Square, see …
The central square | Officials say the future of horse racing in Illinois is uncertain