The United States Trustee Office has appointed a three-member Unsecured Creditors Committee to provide a voice for unsecured creditors in the Hawthorne Race Course bankruptcy proceedings.
Jack Jeziorski, representing the New York Racing Association, was named interim chairman. The other members are David McCaffrey, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and Greg Martin, for Woodbine Entertainment.
The March 11 notice said the three were selected from "unsecured creditors who are willing to serve."
Unsecured creditors rank at the bottom of the list of those who can recover money from a bankruptcy proceeding. The committee is empowered to investigate the debtor's—in this case, Hawthorne's—financial affairs, participate in negotiating a reorganization plan, consult on ongoing business operations, and maximize recovery for creditors.
Hawthorne, facing a mountain of debt and the prospect of not being able to conduct the 2026 Thoroughbred meeting, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 27.
The court, in early proceedings, granted Hawthorne emergency temporary authority to use money from a bankruptcy lender to clear the path to start racing April 19. Among other items, that enabled the track to clear up outstanding debt to horsemen.
Ongoing operations will be contingent on many factors, including the restoration of simulcast signals from providers who had not been paid during the financial debacle.
The next hearing is set for March 27.
