Arlington Park celebrated the dubious anniversary of its last day of racing.
The course is being liquidated before the Chicago Bears continue their due diligence on a pending $197.2 million purchase of the track, according to the Daily Herald.
That leaves only Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero, which received its 2023 race dates. Thoroughbreds entered the starting gate for their 2022 fall meet at Hawthorne on September 23. It’s a study in contrasts between the racetracks in the Northwest and Southwest suburbs.
Churchill Downs Inc., Arlington’s owner, calls the real estate too valuable for horse races, while the fourth-generation family owners of Hawthorne await a casino license to convert into a racino.
“We can’t wait,” Tim Carey, Hawthorne’s president, told the racing board at the dates hearing. “We fought for 12 years down in Springfield to get this legislation. We’ve done everything possible. The minute it was signed, we ran hard.”
The gaming board must give final approval for the project. Hawthorne is gathering the financial disclosures to regulators.
Racing Board Chairman Dan Beiser asked Carey if he’s comfortable with the financing that would make the project a reality.
“Absolutely, yes,” Carey said.
The expansion and renovation call for slot machines and table games, dining areas, a multilevel parking garage and upgraded wagering facilities. A temporary sportsbook, operated in partnership with PointsBet, has already been installed.
The project would involve 1,200 construction jobs, Carey said.
Meantime, thoroughbred racing will run from March 4 through Labor Day.
“Right now, when you look over there every day, there’s not a lot of optimism,” said David McCaffrey, the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association executive director. “If that project is going and you see progress, I think that that’s going to mean a lot and it’s going to allow people to invest in their stables.”
Arlington’s closure meant that thoroughbreds shared time with harness owners and trainers.
Harness had the track in January, February and March; thoroughbreds started in April, May and June; trotters returned in July, August and early September; and thoroughbreds just resumed.
Next year harness racing will begin at the state fairgrounds in Springfield June 12 to August 31, then come to Hawthorne in September.
“We’re in difficult times. We all realize that and we’re trying to do the best we can,” said Chris Block, president of the thoroughbred horsemen’s group. “The schedule we came up with was what we thought was the best for our horsemen and for the industry.”
It should take 14 months to build the racino, with construction set to begin in December.
