The work on the exterior portion of the track started after the Arlington Heights Building and Safety Department approved a request from the Chicago Bears for a building permit that allowed the demolition of the grandstand and other structures on the property. In February, the Bears completed its purchase of the 326-acre property from Churchill Downs, Inc. for $197.2 million. The Bears have yet to fully commit to building a new stadium on the property.

Churchill announced its plans to sell the track in February of 2021. Arlington last raced on Sept. 25, 2021.

According to the Daily Herald, the process began at 1 pm local time with a pair of excavators tearing into the southeast corner of the grandstand. About 25 minutes later, the first row of seats in that corner began to collapse. The plan, the Herald reported, is for the teardown to be done piecemeal, with crews beginning work at one end of track and finishing at the other.

It is expected that the grandstand will be fully demolished by the end of the summer and that the grandstand entrances will be gone by the end of June. At some point this fall, the offices, paddock and jockey's quarters will be demolished. The Herald reports that the Bears will pay $3.8 million to have the track demolished.

In a May 4 letter sent by Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren to the superintendents of three area school districts, the Bears official said that the demolition of the buildings would “reduce our operating cost and lower the assessed value of the land so that we can realize a realistic property tax during the predevelopment period.” The Bears are in the midst of negotiations with local schools over the amount of property taxes the football team should pay over the next two years. The Bears have said that high property taxes have put their plans to build a stadium on the Arlington site in jeopardy.

LIVE: Skycam 9 is overhead as the Bears start the next phase of the Arlington Park demolition https://t.co/SuGZtcDMjM pic.twitter.com/PbY1qFQTDR

— WGN Morning News (@WGNMorningNews) June 16, 2023

That Arlington is now in the process of being torn down is the latest chapter in a story that has been nothing but bad news for horse racing. The track opened in 1927 and was the jewel in what was then a robust Chicago racing circuit. Hawthorne is the only track left in the Chicago area.

On July 31, 1985 a fire completely destroyed the Arlington grandstand and clubhouse. Miraculously, under track owner Richard Duchossois, temporary bleachers were constructed and the GI Arlington Million was run that year on Aug. 25 in front of 35,000 fans. In need of a new grandstand, Duchossois spared no expense and built a new track from the ground up. The new Arlington opened on June 28, 1989 and was widely hailed as a marvel, one of the nicest tracks in the world. In 2002, Arlington hosted the Breeders' Cup.

Arlington appeared to have new life after casinos were legalized at Illinois racetracks. But, in a move that stunned many within the industry, Churchill Downs did not take steps to secure a casino license. It has been suggested that Churchill did not want to open a casino at Arlington because it would compete with a casino the company owns in nearby Des Plaines, Illinois.

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The Illinois Racing Board (IRB) granted the change with a unanimous vote at its Apr. 20 meeting.

Right now Hawthorne is racing on a Thursday-and-Sunday schedule. The changes will go into effect starting May 31, when the meet expands to three days: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Post times are 2:30 p.m. Central.

Jim Miller, Hawthorne's racing director, explained to IRB members the reasoning behind the request to move off of Saturdays.

“Fortunately, things have actually worked really well just in the first four or five weeks of the meet here, because originally we were going to race on Saturdays and Sundays in the spring,” Miller said. “And just finding the amount of competition on Saturdays usually had our handle somewhere around $900,00 per card on a Saturday. By shifting to Thursdays, there's been less competition, more exposure for us [via simulcasting], and actually on Thursdays we're averaging close to $2 million per card in handle.

“For comparison purposes, last year in the spring meet our average handle per card was about $1.2 million. Right now we're just over $1.6 million. So the belief is by kind of continuing this trend during the summer by racing Wednesday-Thursday-Sunday, you'll have a lot more exposure on Wednesday and Thursday compared to a Saturday card when you're starting to get to the bigger meets [and it's] so hard to compete.

Miller pointed out that the schedule change allows for the dovetailing of dates with FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing (formerly Fairmount Park), some 275 miles to the southwest, which races on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

“It works for everybody. It works for handle in the state,” Miller said. “It works for the riders who try to ride and make a living at both racetracks. The horsemen have the ability to go to both of these racetracks as well. Even though it is not a perfect world where you have five straight days of racing at one location, at least there's five days of racing within the state.”

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“How are we going to do? I can tell you more Wednesday when we draw the first card,” said Racing Secretary Al Plever. “But I think were going to be OK.”

The Hawthorne spring meet consists of 34 days and runs through June 25. When Arlington was running, racing would shift there in the summer before returning to Hawthorne in the fall. That gave horsemen a seven-month racing season that consisted of 118 days last year. But Hawthorne won't be running a summer meet because it must also host two harness racing meets each year. That means that there will be no Thoroughbred racing in the Chicago area for the bulk of the summer, from June 26 until a 30-day fall meet begins Sept. 23.

The fear was that the gap in the summer would lead to an exodus out of Illinois, with horsemen choosing a circuit where there were more racing opportunities and they wouldn't have to pack their bags in the summer.

“At the end of June, we're all going to have to leave,” said trainer Mike Campbell, the former president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. “The problem we are all facing having to leave our homes. I will not live in my home here for more than four months a year. That's a problem. Everybody is in same boat.”

But Plever said only a handful of Illinois regulars have left and that stalwarts like Larry Rivelli, who will have 80 horses at Hawthorne, have remained loyal. Most have found a place to call home during the summer. The best fit appears to be Canterbury Park. The Minnesota track will have 65 days of live  racing, beginning May 18 and ending Sept. 17. In an effort to attract Chicago horsemen, Canterbury has put together a bonus package for Illinois-based horses. A thoroughbred starter that raced in Illinois in 2021 or 2022 but has not previously started at Canterbury will be eligible for a $1,000 bonus in their first start of the 2022 season.

“It will be a little different this year because people used to be able to stay here pretty much all year and now we have a couple of months where they are in limbo,” said Hawthorne Assistant General Manager John Walsh. “They can go to Canterbury, which is a great track that has turf racing When they're done there they can come back in the fall and I think we will also have some sort of bonus program for horses coming in from Canterbury. I haven't heard of too many people who are staying away.”

Campbell said he will spend the summer at Colonial Downs and knows of other trainers who will be doing to Indiana Grand, Prairie Meadows and the Ohio racetracks.

One of the reasons horsemen are committing to Hawthorne is that a sizable purse increase will be ushered in this year. At about $120,000 a day in 2021, Hawthorne had among the smallest purses in the sport. This year, the simulcasting money bet off-season in Illinois does not have to shared with Arlington and the horsemen have also secured a one-year subsidy from the state. Plever said purses will average about $190,000 a day this year with purses for maiden special weight races increasing from $22,000 to $40,000.

Walsh also believes a later start–Hawthorne typically opened about a month earlier–will help.

“We might get off to a bit of a slow start but I think that by May we will be 40 to 50 percent better off than we have been at some of the past spring meets,” Walsh said. “We're going to have more turf racing. Weather-wise, we're sure to have some decent days in May and June. When you're running in March and April there can be rain or even snow and you're hard pressed to even get on the turf course. I think we will do much, much better and the signal will look better with some green grass instead of everything being just gray.”

But there will be challenges. Thoroughbreds used to be able to train at Hawthorne when it was shut down in the winter, but, because of the harness meet, which didn't end until March 20, that wasn't possible. With the track not opening for training until Monday, five days before opening day, there will be a number of horses who aren't yet ready to go. Plever said that of Monday there were 400 horses on the grounds and he expected another 200 to 300 would arrive by Saturday. That may not seem like a lot, but Hawthorne, throughout April, will race just two days a week, on Saturdays and Sundays.

In the longer term, Hawthorne should be just fine. A casino is in the works and the added money should yield a generous hike in purses. There is also the hope that a new harness track will be built somewhere in Illinois, which would mean that Hawthorne could go back to running Thoroughbreds only.

“This meet, it is the start of something,” Walsh said. “Once the casino opens up that will really energize things. We have a time line now. In time, these purses here are going to go through the roof.”

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Arnold should know. He was the track's president during better times, from 2006-2010, and is currently the president and CEO of Endeavor Hotel Group. Arnold was instrumental in bringing together a consortium interested in purchasing Arlington Park from Churchill Downs. Churchill announced in February that it was putting the track up for sale and set Tuesday as a deadline to receive bids. Other than Arnold's group, it is not known who made bids and for how much.

“We have this iconic jewel which is known throughout the world and people are accepting as inevitable the fact that it's going to be bulldozed,” he said. “For the industry to stand by while that happens would be tragic.”

Endeavor sent out a press release Tuesday in which it said that it had joined forces with three other companies as well as “high net worth individuals.” The plan is to create a whole new Arlington, just one facet of what Arnold called a “diversified, four-seasons sports and entertainment district.” The foot print of the racetrack itself will be reduced and the land that is left over will be used to build an arena suitable for a minor league hockey team, a low-density housing development and a 60-acre industrial space. The ancillary businesses will create a revenue stream that will make it easier to justify keeping racing on the site. He also said that if the group takes over Arlington it will be able to offer sports wagering.

Arnold would not disclose how much his group bid, but was confident that it will be enough to secure a deal.

“We have the passion, we have the capital, we have the vision,” he said. “Now all we need is the opportunity. That started with our putting the bid in. Now we have to let the process unfold. We believe we will have one of the highest, if not the highest, bid.”

Arnold's group has the backing of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which has worked behind the scenes to find a potential buyer interested in maintaining racing. While Arnold realizes there are plenty of challenges operating a racetrack, especially one that does not receive revenue from a casino, in the modern era, but he said there's no reason why racing in Chicago can't succeed.

“People have concluded that absent subsidies this is a dead sport, that if you take away the supplements that go toward the major racing states that still have good programs that it would be difficult to see them continuing,” he said. “We can create a different model that will work. The fact is the track is profitable and can be profitable as a racetrack.”

Arnold foresees operating a “boutique” style meet that would be shorter than Arlington's current season. That will help with the purse level, currently a problem with Arlington offering some of the smallest purses in the sport. The plan also calls for lowering the takeout to make the product more attractive to bettors.

While Arnold and his partners believe an on-going racing operation at Arlington will work, it's clear that the bid also involves a desire to keep racing going at a track that has been around since 1927.

“There is for some reason an inability of some in the industry to understand that the demise of Arlington in America's third largest media market would be a catastrophe for the sport,” he said. “We are doing this because we have a passion for thoroughbred racing.”

But there's only so much that Arnold can do. Churchill Downs is under no obligation to accept their offer, even if it is the largest one submitted. WGN Television reported that there are fewer than 10 prospective buyers and that “a couple” of the bids came from groups interested in maintaining Arlington as a racetrack. WGN speculated that the Chicago Bears may be involved and may be interested in building a new stadium on the racetrack property.

In May, the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association urged the Illinois Attorney General to launch an antitrust probe of Churchill Downs, alleging it had taken steps to preclude casino gaming and diminish pari-mutuel wagering at Arlington. While Churchill never applied for a casino license for Arlington, it is heavily involved in gaming in the state and is said to be interested in opening new casinos.

Additionally, the Village of Arlington Heights approved an ordinance to prevent racetrack owner Churchill Downs from prohibiting any future buyer from continuing to operate the facility as a racetrack.

Is it in Churchill's best interests, politically, to sell the property to a group interested in keeping racing alive?

“Churchill has two ways of going,” said Mike Campbell, the president of the horsemen's group. “They can reject this offer, but if they do it brings up all sorts of issues about anti-trust allegations that are currently floating around that the Attorney General may be looking at. I know there is an effort among legislators to make that happen. Many legislators are very concerned about how this all came down. If I were Churchill, I would take a look at all that. They have other interests and bigger fish to fry in Illinois than eliminating horse racing at Arlington Park. I believe they might finally capitulate and allow this to happen for the single reason that have their eye on a casino in Waukegan and in the city of Chicago. It's up to them. The hard way or the easy way. It's their choice.”

The 2021 meet is set to conclude Sept. 25. Churchill has already said this will be the last ever meet at Arlington under their ownership. There's nothing to do between now and then but wait, and hope that Arlington is sold to a group that believes in the future of racing in Chicago.

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“Under that thinly disguised veil of happiness for this opening day will be the understanding that a great, historic and iconic landmark is about to be removed from the face of the earth,” said trainer Mike Campbell, who is the president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

In February, Arlington's owner, Churchill Downs Inc., announced that the 326-acre property was being put up for sale. The news had been expected ever since August 2019 when Churchill Downs passed on an opportunity to build a casino at Arlington and announced that it was committing to racing only through the 2021 meet. Unless there is an 11th-hour reprieve, Arlington will race for the last time on Sept. 25.

Churchill has announced that bids on the track must be received by June 15, at which point the track's future will become more clear. Churchill has hired the commercial real estate firm CBRE Group (CBRE) to conduct the sale.

Campbell and other horsemen have been working behind the scenes to come up with a group positioned to buy the track and keep it open for racing beyond this year. The problem, Campbell says, is that there are no assurances Churchill will sell the track to the highest bidder if that bidder intends to keep racing at Arlington.

“We will be part of the bidding process, without a doubt, and we will make a meaningful bid,” Campbell said. “But the question remains, will Churchill allow for there to be live racing beyond this year? I'm not confident at all. I think with the highest bid we still lose.”

It's obvious that Churchill wouldn't sell to anyone looking to build a casino on the property, but it's unclear whether or not they would accept a bid from someone want to keep racing alive at Arlington. Churchill Downs Inc. has had little to say about Arlington's future, other than the track is for sale. On a recent quarterly earnings call with investors, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen would not predict what was to become of the property.

“I think the ultimate conclusion of that process is something I can't responsibly predict for you because we'll have to see the nature of the bids, and if the property gets bidded, split up between multiple bidders, or if it's a single bidder, et cetera,” Carstanjen said.

Campbell said he has a group that will bid on the track, with a plan to develop part of the property while saving enough land to continue to with racing.

“I am working with a development group that has a very high profile,” he said. “They want to use the land at Arlington, half for industrial and residential use. That would be about 120 acres. And the rest of it, over 170 acres, would be maintained for live racing use.”

Larry Rivelli, the perennial leading trainer at Arlington, is among those trying to find an owner who will keep it as a racetrack. He pegged the odds that the track will make it beyond this year at 50-50.

“They are calling it a last hurrah, but people really don't know what's going on so far as selling the place and whether or not it can be preserved as a racetrack,” Rivelli said. “We've been trying to get groups together. There are just a lot of moving parts. It's not whether someone can afford it. There are people who can. It's just a matter of who they want to sell it to.”

The city of Arlington Heights is also involved in the process. In a story that appeared in the Daily Herald, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said there are many possibilities, including a sale to a group looking to build a new stadium for the Chicago Bears.

“From what I'm hearing, there is a great deal of interest in this property from a lot of different individuals and groups being put together for some very exciting possibilities,” Hayes told the publication. “I do expect information will come out sometime — perhaps this summer–about some possibilities that are at least conceptual plans that CBRE, Churchill and the village might be very interested in.”

One thing is certain. Anyone who wants to see live racing this year at Arlington or to attend the final day of racing will have to dig deep into their pockets. There will be no general admission sales for this year's meet, with only reserved seats being put up for sale. They cost anywhere from $15 to $40.

“To charge that much money for people to come to the racetrack is unrealistic,” said veteran trainer Anthony Granitz. “You're going to ask someone to pay $40 to come see a horse race when the casinos let them in for free.  They're not doing the fans any favors.”

As a sign of the times, there will be only eight races on the card. The opener is a $4,000 claimer with a purse of just $10,000 and the total purse distribution for the day is just $133,500. The signature race of the meet, the Arlington Million has seen its purse cut from $1 million to $600,000 and the race has been renamed the GI Mister D. S.

“It's one of the most beautiful tracks in the world, so it's really sad that it has come to this,” said trainer Michael Ann Ewing. “It's a sad comment on racing today. It really is constricting. It's really disappointing. What are the horsemen in Illinois going to do?”

Granitz made his first ever start at Arlington in 1985 and said he got his first job in racing working on the Arlington backstretch at age 13. He's better positioned to handle the closure than most because he has a string at Indiana Downs, but Arlington will always be a special place to him.

“We need a miracle,” he said. “I'm not hopeful.”

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CDI is committed to running Arlington's 2021 race dates from April 30 – Sept. 25, and does not expect any sale of the Arlington site to close prior to the conclusion of Arlington's 2021 race meet or that the conduct of the sale process will impact Arlington's racing operations this year.

“Arlington's ideal location in Chicago's northwest suburbs, together with direct access to downtown Chicago via an on-site Metra rail station, presents a unique redevelopment opportunity. We expect to see robust interest in the site and look forward to working with potential buyers, in collaboration with the Village of Arlington Heights, to transition this storied location to its next phase,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI.

“In the meantime, we are very committed to pursuing the relocation of Arlington's racing license to another community in the Chicagoland area or elsewhere in the state. We are exploring potential options with the State and other constituents and remain optimistic that we can find solutions that work for the State, local communities and the thousands of Illinoisans who make their living directly or indirectly from thoroughbred horse racing. We are committed to the Illinois thoroughbred racing industry and will consider all options in working toward opportunities for it to continue into the future.”

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FanDuel Group will work with William Stiritz and Associates to revitalize the 95-year-old track including significant upgrades to the facility and the establishment of a FanDuel Sportsbook retail location pending continued licensing and regulatory approvals from the Illinois Gaming Board. FanDuel Group and TVG have also announced that the company will fund the renewal and running of the $250,000 St. Louis Derby, the track’s signature event, which has not been conducted since 2006 due to financial constraints.

“We are delighted to partner with Fairmount Park to continue bringing high quality horse racing and soon additional entertainment experiences via our sportsbook to the region,” said Matt King, Chief Executive Officer of FanDuel Group. “Fairmount is an iconic state landmark which we plan to modernize bringing innovative technology and entertainment offerings only FanDuel can deliver.”

“Fairmount Park is excited to extend our partnership with FanDuel Group to now include their sports gaming platform,” said Melissa Helton, General Manager of Fairmount Park. “This partnership will allow the park to remain an important economic driver for the surrounding communities.”

Fairmount Park Racetrack is one of three horse racing venues currently active in Illinois and the only one outside of the Chicago metro area. The track opened in 1925 and offers thoroughbred flat racing on a one-mile dirt oval. Fairmount Park has been approved to host 53 live racing days in 2021 along with daily simulcast wagering on tracks throughout the country.

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According to abc7chicago.com, Hollingsworth is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges. Nunu was taken in by Chicago's Animal Care and Control after Monday's ride, and has since been transferred to the care of an affiliate rescue center. She is receiving care, but is only able to stand for five or ten minutes at a time and may have to be euthanized as a result of her condition.

“I love Nunu… She is one of my newer horses. I've had her about three months and we've grown a bond,” Hollingsworth said during a press conference Thursday. “It was very upsetting knowing that I love my horse. When I was hearing everything and I couldn't say nothing, and I had to stand there and just listen to all the lies that have been told on me.”

Chicago's Dreadhead Cowboy slowed traffic and dropped jaws by riding his horse down the Dan Ryan Expressway amid rush hour traffic Monday. https://t.co/uwjchBhcog pic.twitter.com/191MpFPW3s

— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) September 22, 2020

Read more at abc7chicago.com.

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Up to 300 patrons will be permitted to watch races on track from a variety of outdoor seating areas with strict safety protocols in place. All racegoers will be required to wear masks at all times, unless consuming food or beverages. No gatherings will be permitted indoors. The only interior areas with public access will be located on the first floor for restrooms and self-wagering terminals. Live mutuel clerks will be limited and restricted to cashing tickets only. No wagers will be accepted. No patrons under the age of 18 will be allowed admission.

The racing season at Arlington was scheduled to begin May 1, but for many weeks, there remained lingering doubt as to whether any sort of race meet would be staged in 2020. For a time, there was resistance to running a meet in the absence of spectators, but it was announced June 22 that the track would in fact open for 30 days of live racing beginning July 23.

The stakes program for 2020 was canceled in its entirety, with Chicago’s only three Grade I races–the Arlington Million, the Beverly D. S. and Secretariat S.–each put on hold for at least this year.

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Founded in 1891, Hawthorne is the longest running legal gambling business in the State and is Illinois' oldest sporting venue. In becoming a fully operational casino featuring slot machines, table games and sports betting, Hawthorne will transform Illinois horseracing and create the most dynamic entertainment experience for casino customers in the Chicagoland area.

In addition to slot machines and table games, Hawthorne's casino plans include a state-of-the-art sportsbook to be developed in partnership with PointsBet; dining amenities showcasing well-known Chicago culinary experiences; a multi-level parking garage; and a new racing operation with upgraded wagering facilities. Major construction and renovation is expected to begin in September with plans for the casino to open in late 2021.

“I think a lot of people may have expected us to simply put some slot machines and tables into our existing facility, but we're going to substantially raise the bar on the Chicagoland casino experience,” said Kevin Kline, Hawthorne's CEO of Gaming. “As an independent operator, Hawthorne is like a 130 year old start-up business, and we are going to lead with innovation, excitement and a culture that celebrates our customers and empowers our team members every day. We're going to break the mold on what a regional integrated casino, racing, and entertainment destination can be.”

Kline, a 25-year veteran of the gaming industry has significant experience in the development and management of ground-up, multi-faceted casino projects and operations across several markets including Chicagoland. He has been leading Hawthorne's development since September 2019.

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