The Illinois Racing Board on May 21 took the first, tentative step toward cutting back the state's racing schedule in light of a looming funding shortage and legislative inaction on corrective measures.
3 days agoIllinois racing dates may be vacated and laboratory operations curtailed if the state legislature does not quickly reauthorize advance deposit wagering, Illinois Racing Board officials said April 30.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association believes recent overtures by Arlington Park to the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Foundation may be an end-around on proposed Internet gaming legislation.
Friday, March 29, 2013At least two of the four companies conducting advance deposit wagering in Illinois are shutting down operations for Illinois residents because that form of wagering is now illegal in the Land of Lincoln.
Wednesday, January 09, 2013At least three of four major advance deposit wagering companies continue to take bets from Illinois residents even though the action is illegal as of the beginning of the year, the Illinois Racing Board said Jan. 3.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
In a lawsuit filed last month, Arlington Park contends the Illinois Racing Board acted improperly when it seized 18 simulcast host days and awarded them to rival Hawthorne Race Course.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
The Illinois Racing Board Nov. 27 approved Hawthorne Race Course's request to drop seven Wednesday cards because of the effects of an outbreak of neurological equine herpes on the backstretch.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012A below-strength Illinois Racing Board, after a grueling day of testimony and deliberation, required two voice votes Sept. 25 to approve a hotly contested schedule for 2013 live racing.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012The Illinois Racing Board agreed July 26 to require race tracks to include "field size bonus" money in the base purse amount used to calculate owners' and breeders' awards.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Due to the extreme heat, Arlington Park has moved its first race post time for its July 5 racing program to 5 p.m. CDT.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012The Jockeys' Guild has sent letters to Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly, asking that jockeys not be forgotten when the legislature considers any changes in the laws concerning the equine industry.
Tuesday, December 13, 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 Illinois Racing Board Aug. 30 referred to staff a request by a horsemen's group to require racetracks to hold newfound purse money in segregated, interest-bearing accounts.
Tuesday, August 30, 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, 2011Fairmount Park in southern Illinois received approval Sept. 28 for 75 racing dates in 2011, up from the 52 days of live racing this year.
Wednesday, September 29, 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, 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, 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, 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, 2010Governor Pat Quinn Nov. 9 announced the appointment of Allan Monat to serve as a commissioner of the Illinois Racing Board.
Monday, November 09, 2009
The Illinois Racing Board has approved 439 racing days in the state for 2010, it was announced Sept. 24. The total, which includes 91 live programs at Arlington Park and 109 at Hawthorne Race Course, is the least amount the board has ever issued.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Jamie Theriot has appealed the 30-day suspension levied on him by the Illinois Racing Board for his involvement in the May 23 racing accident that caused severe injury to Rene Douglas, Theriot's agent, Fred Aime, said May 27.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009After more than a dozen years of wrangling, Illinois race tracks and horse owners soon may see the influx of millions of dollars from riverboat casinos – and Hawthorne Race Course could add a casino to its racing operations, helping drive additional subsidies for all tracks.
Friday, October 17, 2008The IRB has released approved dates for '09 for Hawthorne, Arlington, and Fairmount Park.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Requests for 2009 racing dates in Illinois show a few overlaps, including a month between Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Course in late summer and early fall.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Handle rose by more than 7% during Hawthorne Park's new January racing schedule, and the Chicago-area racetrack is hoping that the upswing will continue when doors open March 7 for the start of its spring meet.
Friday, February 29, 2008An appeal filed by jockey Terry Houghton asking that the Illinois Racing Board lift Arlington Park's current ban against him was unanimously denied June 14 by a 9-0 vote of associates present from the 11-member organization.
Friday, June 15, 2007Arlington Park has agreed to a settlement in a federal lawsuit brought by the United States and HOPE Fair Housing Center regarding backstretch housing, the track announced March 1. The settlement still must be approved by the federal court.
Thursday, March 01, 2007The International Festival of Racing, featuring the 25th running of the Arlington Million (gr. IT), tops a 2007 schedule that includes 27 stakes races worth $5,525,000 during 94 days of racing at Arlington Park May 4-Sept. 16.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007Hawthorne will forgo live racing on Sunday, Dec. 24, and will instead run a full card on Tuesday, Dec. 26, the track announced.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006Tests performed Aug. 8-9 on the main track at Arlington Park have determined the Illinois track is consistent and safe for racing.
Thursday, August 10, 2006Arlington Park has requested its customary racing dates for 2007, but would like to run only four days a week for almost three months.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006A two-day examination of the dirt surface at Arlington Park revealed nothing that would lead officials to believe the track is unsafe.
Monday, July 17, 2006Add the Illinois Racing Board to the list of those who have no idea what caused the recent spate of fatal breakdowns at Arlington Park Racecourse.
Thursday, July 13, 2006Add the Illinois Racing Board to the list of those who have little idea what has caused the recent spate of fatal breakdowns of horses at Arlington Park Racecourse.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006The Illinois Racing Board disqualified Indy Groove from her victory in the Sept. 3 Arlington Matron (gr. III) because the mare tested positive for naproxen, an anti-inflammatory (Class IV) that is prohibited on race day in the state. Tom Proctor, who trains the mare for Glen Hill Farm, was fined $1,000.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005The Jockeys' Guild got a lot of sympathy but no immediate action from the Illinois Racing Board Tuesday on the issues of medical insurance and the scale of weights.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005The International Festival of Racing, featuring the 23rd running of the Arlington Million (gr. I), tops a 2005 schedule that includes 25 stakes races worth $5,325,000 during 94 days of racing at Arlington Park from May 13 through Sept. 18.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005The Illinois Racing Board has approved a 2005 Chicagoland Thoroughbred racing schedule that resembles this year's slate.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004The Illinois legislature adjourned its "overtime" spring session without acting on a package of gaming reforms that could have brought slot machines to racetracks.
Thursday, August 05, 2004Arlington Park plans to build two new dormitories for backstretch workers at the track, president Cliff Goodrich announced Friday.
Friday, June 18, 2004Plagued by bad weather and short fields during the first month of its season, Arlington Park lost ground to racetracks in other states where purses are sweetened by slot machine revenue, Arlington president Cliff Goodrich told the Illinois Racing Board June 10.
Friday, June 11, 2004The Illinois Racing Board has amended its medication rules to drastically increase the penalties for a positive "milkshake" test and also bans any type of hypodermic injection of a horse 24 hours before a scheduled start.
Friday, February 27, 2004The Illinois Horse Racing Board Monday authorized a "recapture" payment of $13.7 million from the horsemen's purse fund to the state's racetracks.
Monday, February 02, 2004The Illinois Horse Racing Board is scheduled to meet Jan. 29 to decide on a $13-million "recapture" payment to the state's racetracks that would come from the horsemen's purse account.
Friday, January 23, 2004The Illinois Racing Board has approved a compromise 2004 Chicago-area Thoroughbred season that has Arlington Park giving up a week of live racing in return for "host track" revenue from early-season simulcasting. But serious questions remain about purse levels for 2004 because the state legislature during its spring session backed away from approving slot machines at racetracks.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003Arlington Park has asked the Illinois Racing Board for approval to open its 2004 season April 28, two weeks ahead of the track's traditional Mother's Day opener. If granted, the request would take the Kentucky Derby simulcast rights away from National Jockey Club, which hosted Derby Day this year during its spring meet at Hawthorne Race Course.
Friday, August 01, 2003Arlington Park completed its investigation of a suspicious odds drop on the winner of the second race June 28, Rainy Day Rules, announcing Friday there was no proof of any past-post wagering.
Friday, July 04, 2003The Illinois Racing Board Tuesday approved two new off-track betting parlors, bringing to 25 the number of off-track wagering sites in the state.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003