As Expected, No 2022 Dates Application for Arlington  

The Illinois Racing Board received no applications for 2022 racing dates at Arlington International Racecourse by the July 30 deadline, leaving Hawthorne Race Course the only track set to run races in the Chicago area. Hawthorne filed a blanket application for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing throughout the year and a spokesman said actual proposed dates will be worked out with horsemen from both breeds. The lack of application from Arlington was expected. Churchill Downs Inc. owns the northwest suburban Chicago track and is entertaining bids from developers for the land. Arlington president Tony Petrillo said earlier this week that no dates application was being prepared. A group of would-be purchasers headed by former Arlington president Roy Arnold and supported by the Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association is one of the bidders for the land and hoped to continue racing at Arlington. But, with no application on file by the deadline, the group would appear to be without recourse to rescue racing even should it be the winning bidder. "Churchill Downs is writing the book on bad faith," ITHA president Mike Campbell said when it became clear no dates application would be forthcoming, "so this latest move is disappointing but not surprising." Hawthorne's application was for 365 Thoroughbred programs and 365 Standardbred programs between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. "We'll be having discussions with the horsemen and work out a schedule that's best for both breeds," said Hawthorne director of publicity Jim Miller. "We expect to have a plan in place by the September dates hearing." The Illinois Racing Board is set to award 2022 dates at that Sept. 23 meeting. Fairmount Park in downstate Collinsville, Ill., filed for 150 Thoroughbred programs from March 12-Nov. 20. Acknowledging that many in the industry will mourn the loss of Arlington, Miller said Hawthorne is ready to accept the challenge of restoring Illinois racing from its decades-long slide. "Hawthorne has shown through the $400 million investment we're making (in rebuilding and adding casino facilities) that we're dedicated to racing in the state of Illinois," Miller said. "We're looking forward to what's coming, not only at our facility but for racing throughout the state of Illinois." Hawthorne will benefit substantially as the only operating track as the sole recipient of "dark days" host simulcast revenue from racing by both breeds. The track also could pick up revenue from off-track-betting operations as Arlington shuts down its facilities. Those financial benefits could add several million dollars to 2022 purse accounts—depending on how arrangements shake out. Hawthorne's casino also is expected to open during the second half of 2022, generating substantially more revenue for purse accounts. Arlington ran its first races in 1927 and played host to most of the great racing names of the 20th Century. The track hosted the first $1 million Thoroughbred race—the Arlington Million (G1T), in 1981 with the inaugural running ending in a photo finish with John Henry a nose in front of The Bart. The grandstand was destroyed by a raging fire July 31, 1985. The massive effort that cleared the rubble and staged the "Miracle Million" in a country fair setting just weeks later earned the track a special Eclipse Award. Under the leadership of Richard L. Duchossois, the old grandstand was replaced with a new structure, boasting an iconic cantilevered roof and state-of-the-art amenities, that opened in 1989. CDI acquired Arlington in 2000.