Illinois Racing Board Grants Arlington 2020 Race Dates

The Illinois Racing Board has voted to grant Arlington International Racecourse its normal summertime racing dates for 2020 despite concerns about owner Churchill Downs Inc.'s decision not to pursue a casino license that would have generated millions of dollars for the purse account.

The vote, at a packed meeting Sept. 24 in the Chicago Loop, came after a week's delay during which an IRB committee sought potential changes in CDI's position. None was forthcoming, although CDI senior vice president and general counsel Brad Blackwell told the IRB the company is "still trying to figure this out," referring to new Illinois legislation authorizing racinos.

"We are committed to finding out all the answers," Blackwell said. "We have our concerns. We need time to figure this out and would appreciate your patience in giving us time to do so."

He did not address concerns that the decision was taken to protect Rivers Casino, located less than 15 miles from Arlington. CDI holds majority ownership in that casino, the state's largest, and is aggressively pursuing an ownership stake in a new casino in Waukegan, northeast of Arlington.

Blackwell also did not comment on suggestions Arlington could supplement the purse account by foregoing an estimated $4.2 million to $4.5 million in "recapture" funds it will be due in 2020 or by diverting the purses from the track's three grade 1 stakes to overnight purses.

With little further discussion, the board, citing an existing 2020 dates agreement between Arlington and Hawthorne Racecourse, plus the potential disruption likely if Arlington's dates request were denied, voted unanimously to approve the requested schedule.

"Am I happy we don't have a casino at Arlington? Of course not," said IRB chairman Jeffery Brincat. "But everyone has to walk the path that's best for them."

Commissioner Thomas McCauley, the moving force behind the delay, said he ultimately decided the dates agreement, in place for several years, should be "given a lot of weight, at least for 2020."

"I'm not going to stand in the way of an agreement," added commissioner Gregory Sronce of Springfield. Beyond that, he said, he will look for "things that continue to demonstrate your commitment to racing."

Thoroughbred horsemen, already facing four dark months in early 2020 while Hawthorne builds out its casino, expressed concern about purses at Arlington absent casino revenue.

"The 2020 meet is doomed without some sort of purse supplement," said Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association executive director David McCaffrey, suggesting daily overnight purses could sag to $125,000.

"I don't know where they're going to get the money," echoed ITHA board member Chris Block.

Mickey Goldfine, who with his father and later on his own has been training at Arlington for about 45 years, had a more philosophical approach.

"It's partly good because I think we need to run there," Goldfine said of the plush northwest suburban facility. "We'll see what happens."

Arlington president Tony Petrillo projected 2020 overnights could average in the range of $140,000 or slightly higher.

With no Thoroughbred racing in the spring, the Chicago-area season will start April 27 at Arlington, running through Sept. 30. Hawthorne will take the reins Oct. 2 and run until late December.

Fairmount Park president Brian Zander said the downstate track plans to run 60 live racing programs in 2020, up from 40 this year, and looks forward to expanding both dates and purses when casino revenue flows in 2021.

"We're not counting on any additional (casino) revenue for 2020," Zander told the board before the week-long adjournment. "What we want to do is pay it forward and give the horsemen an incentive to expand their stock."

"More horses, more racing, more jobs," said Zander, who has worked closely with horsemen through some lean years to keep Fairmount operating while waiting for the legislature to approve a gaming bill.

Zander also said Fairmount, located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, is repairing barns in hopes of attracting horsemen looking for stabling after the end of the 2019 live meeting.