Fairmount Park and the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association have agreed upon an increased purse structure for 2012 thanks to the racetrack's share of casino impact funding it received last year.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Boosted by money from the Horse Racing Equity Trust Fund, Arlington Park has proposed a 2012 stakes schedule of 26 stakes races worth $5.8 million during the 90-day meet at the Chicago, Ill.-area track.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Hawthorne Race Course will offer bonus money for larger fields during its spring meet, track officials announced Dec. 26.
Monday, December 26, 2011Fort Prado, whose first foals are weanlings of 2011, will be relocated to Buck Pond Farm in Versailles, Ky., for the 2012 season. His fee will be $5,000.
Friday, December 02, 2011Legislation authorizing slot machines at racetracks has stalled again as the Illinois General Assembly extended its fall session until after Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 11, 2011Three Hour Nap, a multiple graded stakes winner, sired his first winner when his daughter Family Icon won a maiden special weight race at Hawthorne Oct. 29 at first asking.
Sunday, October 30, 2011Churchill Downs Inc. reported net earnings from continuing operations of $19.7 million for the third quarter of 2011, up significantly from $3.7 million for the third quarter of 2010.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
IIlinois Gov. Pat Quinn has turned thumbs down on slots at the state's race tracks, saying that would be too much expansion of gaming in the Land of Lincoln.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Average daily all-sources handle on Arlington Park's 2011 live racing was up 3% over 2010, but still remained significantly lower than 2009 figures.
Friday, October 14, 2011Odds seem to be improving that Illinois race tracks will get the slot machines they say are needed for their very survival.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Grade I winner Giant Oak faces stiff competition from nine challengers in Hawthorne Racecourse's marquee fall event.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
The Illinois Racing Board Sept. 27 rejected a 2011 racing dates proposal that would have eliminated the spring meet at Hawthorne Race Course, including the grade III Illinois Derby.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The fate of Illinois racing increasingly seems to be held hostage in a tug-of-war between Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel--a showdown that involves both substance and a test of wills.
Thursday, August 25, 2011Roughly $141 million in an escrow account has been freed up for use by the Illinois horse racing industry, according to published reports.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011Penn National Gaming Inc. reported solid numbers for the second quarter of 2011 and said it expects good things from existing and potential properties despite increased competition.
Thursday, July 21, 2011In theory, Illinois horse racing should be on the verge of receiving tens of millions of dollars in revenue enhancements after a recent flurry of action by state and federal courts, the state legislature and Gov. Pat Quinn.
Monday, July 11, 2011Alternative gaming in Illinois would be good for Arlington Park but could potentially have a negative impact on Kentucky, according to the chairman of Churchill Downs Inc.
Thursday, June 16, 2011Galloping Out Thoroughbred Rescue Fund will hold its annual fund-rasier in the paddock area at Arlington Park following the last race on Saturday, June 25.
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Illinois Senate May 31 gave final legislative approval to a sweeping expansion of gaming in Illinois, including authorization for slot machines at racetracks.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Legislation calling for a huge expansion of legalized gambling in Illinois is headed to the House floor after a similar bill failed earlier in the week of May 22.
Saturday, May 28, 2011An Illinois House of Representatives committee May 25 failed to approve legislation that would have expanded casino gambling and awarded slot machines to racetracks in the state.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Arlington Park chairman Richard L. Duchossois said he doesn't know if the racetrack can survive unless the Illinois legislature finally allows Arlington to add slot machines.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Arlington Park plans to lower the minimum wager on the Pick 4 and Pick 5 to 50 cents and lower the takeout rate on the Pick 5 and High 5 to 15%.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Rudy and Virginia Tarra hit the heights with Giant Oak
Arlington Park and Illinois horsemen have agreed to tie individual race purses to field size this year in an effort to ensure more bettable races.
Monday, February 21, 2011Democratic Illinois Rep. Lou Lang reiterated Jan. 15 he intends to push legislation authorizing racetrack slot machines and will begin drafting a bill the week of Jan. 17.
Saturday, January 15, 2011Illinois racing interests say they had enough votes to pass a slots-at-tracks bill this week and some say they were sold out by measure's sponsor in the waning hours of the legislative session.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Illinois General Assembly adjourned early the morning of Jan. 12 without voting on a massive expansion of gaming that would have permitted the state's racetracks to install a limited number of slot machines.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The site of old Sportsman's Park in Illinois will complete a kind of weird full circle with plans to build a new headquarters for Wirtz Beverage Illinois on the suburban Chicago acreage.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011A bill that would dramatically expand Illinois gaming, including permitting slot machines at the state's racetracks, has advanced to the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives with bipartisan support.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Veteran television sportscaster Howard Sudberry has been named senior director of marketing and communications at Arlington Park.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Management at Hawthorne Race Course attributed improved weather, a schedule change, and larger fields for increased average daily wagering during the fall 2010 meet at the Chicago-area track.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Illinois senators approved a major expansion of casino gambling, including racetrack slot machines, Dec. 1, but the measure must now pass the House of Representatives and be signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
The favorite, he holds off Giant Oak by three-quarters of a length.
Saturday, October 02, 2010Royal Alluvial became the first winner by Alluvial when she won by four lengths Sept. 19 at Arlington Park in her initial start.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Illinois Racing Board approved a request from Hawthorne Race Course to make substantial cuts to its stakes schedule at a meeting Aug. 31.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
More than a half-dozen horses, including the winner of the Arlington Oaks (gr. III), have tested positive for the anti-inflammatory drug Etodolac in tests following races at Arlington Park.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuscan Evening's sad demise earlier this month has left the $750,000 Beverly D. devoid of any obvious favorite on Arlington Million day Aug. 21 at Arlington Park.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Gio Ponti, who captured last summer's Arlington Million (gr. IT) as the favorite, looms as an even stronger 7-5 choice on the morning line when facing nine rivals in the 28th running of the Aug. 21 race.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010A 5% cap imposed by the Illinois Racing Board on account wagering fees charged by out-of-state racetracks to send their signals to customers in Illinois has led to a significant downturn in wagering from those sources.
Thursday, August 05, 2010The Illinois Thoroughbred Horseman's Association, Arlington Park, and Hawthorne Race Course have agreed to cooperate in a program to provide for the care of retired Thoroughbred racehorses.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010Scooter Roach, one of Illinois' most successful state-breds, was retired from racing and sent to the Illinois Equine Humane Center (ILEHC) near Elgin, Ill.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010Arlington Park president says the track will go out of business without slots.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Hawthorne Race Course is touting legislation that would authorize slot machines at Illinois racetracks.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Arlington Park is offering a free pass to its biggest races for the winners of key European events - the latest in a long series of efforts to bolster the "international" part of the "International Festival of Racing."
Monday, March 08, 2010Following a deal that ended a labor dispute between the Illinois Racing Board and state employees and restored Fairmount Park's 52 race dates for 2010, two horse racing officials reflected on the aftermath of the situation.
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Arlington Million (gr. IT) will be run two weeks later than it has been in recent years. Held in early August since 2004, the Million is scheduled for Aug. 21 this year.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010The Illinois Racing Board decided late Jan. 5 that Fairmount Park will race only three days in 2010 because of a dispute with union employees.
Thursday, January 07, 2010Graded stakes winner Cashel Castle has been relocated to Richard Duchossois' Hill 'N Dale Farm near Barrington, Ill.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009With snow and high winds in the forecast, Hawthorne Race Course will shut down for two days.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009