Over what may possibly be the final Arlington Million weekend ever, those who have spent many a day at the storied racetrack in Arlington Heights, Ill., have reflected upon the people and the memories that have sustained Arlington Race Course through its most dire of moments, including the 1985 fire that consumed the grandstand, only to see it face an uncertain future at the hands of a corporate entity that seems divorced from its origins. Columnist Chris McGrath reflected on the impending loss this week in the Thoroughbred Daily News.
“'Quit? Hell, no!' Anyone who has seen the framed photograph in the grandstand concourse will always remember the caption; nor, in continuing through one of the most sumptuous public facilities in all sport, will they forget the bricks-and-mortar incarnation of that invincible spirit,” wrote McGrath.
Yet here the track stands, on the precipice of destruction once again, this time from the flames of capitalism, according to McGrath. McGrath looks back on the story of former owner Richard L. Duchossois' grit in the face of adversity during his service in World War II, and Duchossois' long-held belief that placing the customer first was the best strategy in business.
“Must we quit, really? Can we really let a wrecking ball pulverize the phoenix that rose from the flames?” McGrath concludes. “One thing is for sure. If we do, then the pain must animate and invigorate the defense of our heritage against further corrosion.”
Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.
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