The final Arlington Million Day recently took place at Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
The special day honors Arlington Park founder Dick Duchossois and his family for their contributions to horseracing. This year’s occasion was bittersweet for the family and race fans. In February, track owner Churchill Downs put the 326-acre property up for sale and is currently reviewing bids. Duchossois, 99, was not present due to Covid-19 cautions.
Churchill Downs, based in Louisville, Kentucky, merged with Arlington in 2000. The Duchossois family became Churchill’s largest shareholders. The elder Duchossois retired from the Churchill board of directors in April 2019, and his son Craig stepped down in 2018. Both are still considered emeritus directors by the Corp. and continue to vehemently defend their leadership and business decisions.
With the historic racetrack closing on September 25—it ultimately could be torn down—Craig Duchossois blamed Illinois politicians for the outcome.
“I have no faith in our government in Illinois at all, including Governor J.B. Pritzker,” he said. “Springfield is a bigger swamp than Washington, if that’s possible.”
Duchossois said Pritzker’s far-reaching gaming expansion bill of 2019, approving long-sought-after slots and table games at racetracks like Arlington, came “too late.” By then, Churchill Downs had acquired a majority interest in nearby Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and opted to not apply for gaming positions at Arlington, which could have helped boost purses.
Duchossois said, “If they would’ve gotten their head out of the sand and done it five or 10 years earlier—whole different ballgame. Who
knows what would have happened then? But at least we would’ve been given the chance to compete fairly, and they didn’t allow that. And now they’re saying Churchill is at fault? That just doesn’t make any sense.”
Duchossois noted internal talks about an eventual sale and redevelopment of the Arlington Park land occurred at a board meeting a few years ago.
“They said, ‘Guys, Arlington is an underutilized asset, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to deal with that. And Dad knew that. So it wasn’t a surprise. They tried to be very respectful and empathetic. And he appreciated it, and I really respected the way they treated the family in a difficult situation.”
Duchossois added, “To end up having the horsemen say you owe it to us to sell it to someone that’ll keep it alive, that’s where Churchill’s fiduciary responsibility comes into play. They don’t owe anything to anyone other than to do the right thing, which I am fairly confident they want to do what’s right for Arlington, the shareholders and whoever the buyer may be. That’s the juggling act that I think they’ll probably do very nicely.”
He pointed out his father lobbied Illinois lawmakers in the 1990s for legislation to help racetracks better able to complete with other forms of gambling, from the lottery to riverboats. In a dramatic move, he shut down the track in 1998 and 1999, prior to the Churchill merger.
Duchossois primarily blames former Governor Jim Edgar and House Speaker Mike Madigan for today’s situation. He said they ruined racing in Illinois.
“Not just our track. Look at the tracks that are still alive and look at their ability to attract horses. We went from one of the top-quality facilities in terms of horses to not even being on the map anymore. Why couldn’t they see what was happening around Illinois and adapt?”
Duchossois added, “My father’s strategy to Springfield was just put our industry on a level playing field so that we can have the same level of purses to attract quality horses. And they absolutely refused to. Madigan was afraid because it would be perceived as helping out someone that had a strong balance sheet. Guess who creates the jobs? Someone that’s got a strong balance sheet.”
In summary, he said, “They killed it.”
Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President Mike Campbell has a different view. At the recent Illinois Racing Board meeting, he put the blame for Arlington’s demise directly on Churchill.
“The worst kept secret in Illinois and we all know it is Churchill Downs and Rivers Casino are attempting to eliminate horseracing at Arlington Park because they’re afraid it’ll turn into a gaming location,” he charged. “Now let’s face it, Rush Street Gaming owner Neil Bluhm and company and Churchill Downs and their 50 lobbyists will always be obstructionists to gaming at Arlington Park, because they can.”
Campbell said Churchill “misled an entire legislative body and at least five governors.” Campbell said he even lobbied on Arlington’s behalf when Churchill wanted to turn it into a racino, before changing its tune in August 2019, shortly after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a gaming expansion bill that also legalized sports wagering in the state. At the time, Churchill CEO Bill Carstanjen cited high tax rates as the main reason not to pursue the racino license for the track.
Campbell stated Pritzker’s gaming bill was meant “to provide gaming at the racetracks so we could stimulate purses and maintain these jobs. And now we find ourselves minus one racetrack without the ability to fit all these dates and provide for two breeds at one track without a two-track solution.”
