McCauley Resigns From Illinois Racing Board

Thomas McCauley, chief architect of the agreement that got racing at Arlington International Racecourse on track this summer, has resigned from the Illinois Racing Board, leaving that body temporarily without sufficient members to conduct business.

The timing is problematic because the board is required to grant 2021 racing dates by the end of September.

"Our current position, which has been reviewed legally, is that we should have six for a quorum," IRB executive director Domenic DiCera said Sept. 8.

The Illinois Racing Act established an 11-member board, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Illinois Senate. After a flurry of departures earlier in the year, McCauley's resignation leaves just five members, including Daniel Beiser, who joined the board in August 2019 and was named chairman April 23, and Commissioner Leslie Breuer, who was added July 1.

"The administration is working to appoint replacement members," DiCera said, and the board expects to have sufficient members in time to approve the 2021 racing schedule.

DiCera said McCauley, who cited "personal reasons" for his resignation, will be missed "tremendously."

"Tom has been a huge support mechanism for the management team, both because of his depth of knowledge and history but because of the person he is," DiCera said. "His racing knowledge and his character is off the charts.

"He was a source to go to when we needed any type of interpretation or background."

McCauley, with DiCera's and IRB staff's assistance, this summer organized and led weeks of discussions between Arlington and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association that cleared the way for an abbreviated race meeting at the suburban Chicago track.

Arlington initially said it could not, for economic reasons, conduct racing without fans in line with the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The track later reversed that position, only to find negotiations for a contract with horsemen grind to a halt.

Before McCauley's intervention, it seemed unlikely Arlington would conduct racing in 2020. Once the deal finally was struck, all parties were complimentary of McCauley's persistence and skill in getting it to the finish line.

"Commissioner McCauley did a terrific job, unparalleled in my recent memory," said David McCaffrey, executive director of the ITHA.

Ironically, McCauley also was a key player in August of 2019 in the racing board's threat to deny Arlington 2020 dates in the first place. He and other commissioners were upset with the decision by Arlington's corporate parent, Churchill Downs Inc., not to apply for a license to run casino gaming at the track, wiping out the potential for millions of dollars of additional funding for purse accounts.

The board delayed approving the 2020 schedule for a week and granted dates only after CDI officials attended a follow-up meeting.