Live racing at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Il. will begin on July 23, as approved by the Illinois Racing Board during a special teleconference meeting on Monday.
That approval was held up by contract negotiations between Arlington representatives and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, with the two sides close to an agreement several times over the past two weeks. The main sticking point had been the length of the contract; Arlington wanted a two-year deal, while the ITHA wanted to keep it to a single year.
After multiple rescheduled meetings of the IRB, the parties finally came to an agreement and signed a contract shortly before Monday's teleconference call. Live racing will begin at Arlington on July 23 without spectators, and racing a total of 30 race days on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with daily post times of 2 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.
The Arlington Million will not be held in 2020.
“Dark host days” award an increased portion of revenues collected from off-track betting on days without live racing. Walsh made the argument that Hawthorne had incurred costs of approximately $239,000 per month for the three months its backside was open while Arlington Park's remained closed, allowing horsemen to have a place to stable their horses during the pandemic.
Arlington representatives balked at the idea, arguing that reassigning dark host days would put the Arlington meet in jeopardy due to having to reassess purse money.
Following the 30-minute recess, a motion for Hawthorne to receive some of Arlington's dark host days was defeated 5-1. The motion to approve the existing Arlington Park/ITHA agreement then passed unanimously.
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