The Carey family has been involved in management of Hawthorne since 1909, when Thomas Carey bought the facility from its founder, Edward Corrigan.
Hawthorne Race Course Tuesday announced a shakeup in management, with one member of the Carey family replacing another at the helm. Tim Carey, son of the late Robert Carey, replaces Thomas Carey III as president of Hawthorne National, which oversees all racing at the Cicero, Ill., oval, including the National Jockey Club meeting formerly conducted at Sportsman's Park. Sportsman's Park was shuttered after a failed attempt to blend horse racing and auto racing at the same facility. When the track closed, National Jockey Club shifted its horse racing activity to Hawthorne. The two tracks were next-door neighbors.Ironically, friction resulting from the combination of management is a major part of the reason for the management change. "Tom did a great job for us for the past three years (since the merger)," said Ed Duffy, Vice President of Hawthorne. "Sometimes people who build the company don't get to run it. The industry in this state is in a heap of trouble. No one is making any money and we are looking for ways to run things more efficiently." Tim Carey, a graduate of the University of Arizona's Race Track Management Program, "is probably the best-qualified person I've been associated with in my years here," said Duffy, who has worked at both NJC and Hawthorne, as well as other Chicago-area tracks. The change is effective immediately.