ITHA Urges Members to Consider Arlington Alternatives

The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association is urging its members to consider out-of-state alternatives to Arlington International Racecourse for racing this year.

The organization said in a website posting Feb. 19 it "encourages horsemen to submit applications for 2020 stall space at Arlington Park. But Illinois owners and trainers also are urged to consider an alternative plan for racing this summer."

The suggestion stems from a dispute about purse levels and, ultimately, from the decision by Arlington's owner, Churchill Downs Inc., not to apply for a casino license for the track—an action that would have generated millions of dollars in purse money but also would have put it in competition with a CDI majority-owned casino less than 15 miles away.

The current casino landscape in Illinois, including tax rates and the percentage of casino money that track operators would have to commit to horsemen's purses, were other factors CDI cited in not applying for a casino license.

The other major Chicago-area racetrack, Hawthorne Race Course, which conducts Thoroughbred racing and Standardbred harness racing, is building a casino this year. It has planned a $450 million redevelopment of its property to include a hotel, food hall, sports book, and entertainment theater.

Hawthorne will not conduct Thoroughbred racing this winter and into the spring, as it typically does. Thoroughbred racing resumes there in the fall.

Absent funding from casino revenue and related adjustments, the ITHA said it estimates average daily overnight purses this summer at Arlington will be about $133,000. Arlington said the figure could be closer to $150,000.

"For Arlington to be competitive and ensure the continuation of live racing here, overnight purses this year should be funded at a minimum of $200,000 on average each day," the ITHA said.

Arlington president Tony Petrillo said the track, as of Feb. 20, had "15 or 16 applications on hand, and we've heard from another 26 trainers expressing interest." He said Arlington plans to open the backstretch the second week of April in preparation for a May 1 opener.

Arlington has produced a contract with the same provisions as those in effect for recent years, Petrillo said, and sent it to the ITHA and the Illinois Racing Board. The ITHA has not signed.

"We have told the ITHA leadership, 'If you guys choose not to race, it's you shutting down the industry, not us,'" Petrillo said.

ITHA executive director David McCaffrey, however, said the organization's insistence on sustainable purses is a fight for survival.

"The working men and women of Illinois Thoroughbred racing are fighting to save our very livelihood," he said. "If Arlington has its way, nearly half the money earned for the purse account will leave Illinois—to subsidize its corporate owner in Kentucky via recapture and to fund open stakes. We can't allow that, especially after Churchill (Downs Inc.) shunned Illinois racing by going all-in on its casino down the road while abandoning plans for Arlington's future. Purse account dollars at Arlington should support Illinois jobs and local economic opportunity."