Harness and thoroughbred interests facing another unconventional Illinois race schedule in 2023

by Neil Milbert

For the second time in two years, Illinois could have a racing schedule in 2023 that’s each unprecedented and unconventional.

The choice by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) to completely shut down the attractive world-renowned thoroughbred observe, Arlington Worldwide Racecourse, after its 2021 assembly and promote the property to the Chicago Bears to construct a NFL stadium has left dual-purpose Hawthorne Race Course as the one observe within the Chicago metropolitan space.

Working collectively, Hawthorne’s administration, the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Affiliation (IHHA) and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen Affiliation (ITHA) agreed to desert this yr’s schedule that cut up the dates into 4 segments and as a substitute stay darkish throughout January and February after which maintain six straight months of thoroughbred racing adopted by 4 consecutive months of standardbred racing.

By a 6-0 vote the Illinois Racing Board on Thursday (Sept. 22) permitted the harm management plan that requires the thoroughbreds to race 68 packages from March 4 by means of Sept. 4 and the harness horses to race 49 nights on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 9 by means of Dec. 31.

“The schedules we see usually are not good,” Racing Board chairman Daniel Beiser stated. “They’re the perfect we will do within the close to time period.”

Dave McCaffrey, government director of the ITHA and former president of the IHHA, sees the scenario the identical approach.

“There’s just one racetrack in Chicago and there are two breeds. Every has its personal points. Making an attempt to squeeze that in a good field is tough,” he stated.

An integral part to the schedule is prefacing the harness assembly with two days of non-betting racing per week from June 12 by means of Aug. 31 on the Springfield State Fairgrounds, 175 miles south of Hawthorne.

Hawthorne is footing the invoice.

“The associated fee to Hawthorne to function these races shall be roughly $100,000 and we additionally will use about $780,000 from the horsemen’s purse account,” stated Hawthorne President Tim Carey. “These races will present important growth alternatives for 2-year-olds who then shall be able to race at Hawthorne from September by means of December.”

This yr’s time-share schedule referred to as for Hawthorne to conduct a Jan. 7 – March 20 harness assembly adopted by an April 2 – June 25 thoroughbred assembly, a July 2 – Sept. 11 harness assembly and a Sept. 23 – Dec. 31 thoroughbred assembly.

To supply further harness racing alternatives the IHHA, Hawthorne and the Illinois Division of Agriculture this spring agreed to bookend the 2 pari-mutuel harness conferences with non-betting racing funded by the Hawthorne purse account at Springfield on June 17, 18, 24 and 25 after which return to the State Fairgrounds for racing on Sept. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30.

The success of this enterprise prompted the IHHA and Hawthorne to increase the non-wagering dates to almost three straight months subsequent yr.

In response to Hawthorne’s assistant normal supervisor John Walsh, “the Division of Agriculture would like that there be racing on Friday and Saturday nevertheless it’s not set in stone.”

IHHA president Marty Engel and government director Tony Somone informed the board that the dates at Springfield are of paramount significance.

“With out racing at Springfield the yearling gross sales would have been horrendous this yr,” Engel stated. “The breeders are dangling by a thread. They might both shut up or race in one other state.”

“We’re in dire straits — we’re buying and selling water,” Somone stated. “The complete schedule for harness horsemen falls aside with out these races at Springfield. It really works due to the added races at Springfield.

“We respect all the effort that’s being made by Hawthorne. We’ve obtained to carry on till a on line casino will get up and working at Hawthorne and the second racetrack will get up and working.”

Illinois playing laws in 2019 permits the state’s tracks to conduct on line casino playing and sports activities betting underneath the supervision of the Illinois Gaming Board and permits a observe restricted to standardbred racing with a on line casino element to be constructed and licensed in one among six Cook dinner County suburbs, all of that are positioned in Chicago’s suburbs.

Hawthorne started sports activities betting in 2020 and began tearing down giant parts of the racetrack constructing to accommodate the on line casino however the undertaking has been in a holding sample for greater than two years.

Talking to the Racing Board members Carey addressed “the standing of our on line casino growth.”

“I attempt to do not forget that this hasn’t been carried out earlier than in Illinois,” he stated. “We’re restructuring a fourth era (family-owned) enterprise to satisfy the calls for of a brand new market that can actually rework the complete Illinois horse racing business. We’re basically a 130-year-old start-up enterprise.

“Nearly each facet of a on line casino growth requires regulatory approval. We’re within the course of of creating the mandatory disclosures to the Illinois Gaming Board almost about the financing for the undertaking. Upon approval, we count on to be able to start building later this yr. And all of this growth will occur whereas we’re racing.

“We have now a 14-month schedule to completion, relying on once we begin. A Hawthorne on line casino is coming and it’s going to rework Illinois horse racing for many years.”

The observe will share the on line casino income with the harness and thoroughbred horsemen. In response to Somone’s projections, that may imply an infusion of as a lot as $12 million within the harness purse account that presently is within the neighborhood of $7 million.

In stark distinction to Hawthorne’s administration crew, Churchill Downs, Inc. declined to pursue a on line casino at palatial Arlington (after lobbying for it for years). The apparent motive is as a result of in 2018 CDI acquired a majority curiosity in Rivers On line casino, which is by far the most important money-maker of the ten Illinois casinos and is positioned solely about 5 miles from the observe.

By promoting the property to the Bears (the deal is predicted to be finalized early in 2023) with the stipulation that the observe be torn down, CDI not solely is eliminating the potential of a company member of the family changing into a on line casino playing competitor for Rivers it additionally has destroyed close by thoroughbred racing competitors and put each Illinois thoroughbred and harness racing in a life-threatening scenario.

Whereas the Hawthorne on line casino undertaking seems to be continuing — albeit slowly due to Gaming Board laws and building business and manufacturing points which can be an offshoot of the COVID-19 pandemic — the development of a brand new harness observe/on line casino in Chicago’s south suburbs stays in limbo.

In 2019, with the staunch help of Carey and the horsemen, online game operator Rick Heidner introduced plans to construct the racino in Tinley Park and he was awarded 2020 dates by the Racing Board.

However then the Chicago Tribune reported that Heidner had longstanding enterprise ties with a banking household that allegedly was concerned with organized crime figures and Gov. J.B. Pritzger squelched the undertaking that was contingent on the sale of property owned by the state.

In 2021, Heidner was cleared of wrong-doing by the Gaming Board and restored to good standing. Nonetheless, he apparently has determined to not make one other try to accumulate property and assemble a racino.

“It’s of utmost concern to us,” Engel informed the Racing Board. “We’re afraid nothing will occur concerning a second observe till the Hawthorne on line casino opens.

“Our two largest issues are: No. 1, completion of the on line casino at Hawthorne; No. 2 building of the second observe.

“As soon as that occurs our breeding program will skyrocket. There shall be stallions coming from different states and stables coming from different states.”