One Moron Ruined The Illinois Racing Industry

[Hedevar]

All AP employees have received layoff notices. Thanks to the duke Illinois racing has been dead for many years. Now we are commencing the burial.

[Parkview_Pirate]

I disagree. As a long time Illinois resident and race fan, the problem with racing in the state goes back a long ways, and involves a lot of people. I'd point one finger at the greedy politicians, and another at the greedy horseman's association.

Arlington is a bright, shiny star going dim now in a sea of corruption.

[Hedevar]

Originally Posted by Parkview_Pirate

I disagree. As a long time Illinois resident and race fan, the problem with racing in the state goes back a long ways, and involves a lot of people. I'd point one finger at the greedy politicians, and another at the greedy horseman's association.

Arlington is a bright, shiny star going dim now in a sea of corruption.

Where once we watched Shoemaker, Hartack and Day we now watch Loveberry, Roman and Bowen. Where once Dr. Fager, Buckpasser and Secretariat ran we now watch low level claiming horses. Where once general admission was a couple of bucks, there is no general admission. AP was a great track in the sixties, seventies and early eighties. Then Dick bought it. It now has some of the worst racing in the country and the worst ownership. How can you absolve Dick?

[Zman179]

Originally Posted by Hedevar

Where once we watched Shoemaker, Hartack and Day we now watch Loveberry, Roman and Bowen. Where once Dr. Fager, Buckpasser and Secretariat ran we now watch low level claiming horses. Where once general admission was a couple of bucks, there is no general admission. AP was a great track in the sixties, seventies and early eighties. Then Dick bought it. It now has some of the worst racing in the country and the worst ownership. How can you absolve Dick?

Without Duchossois there would be no Arlington at all. Any other owner after the fire would have taken the insurance money and redeveloped the land à la Washington Park.

[Hedevar]

What is going on now?

[illinoisbred]

I think Arlington's decline more or less started with the installation of the polytrack in 2007. Gone were all the good graded stakes on the dirt and the better stables/horses shunned the sham poly replacements. When a horse like El Gran Estreno wins the premiere former dirt stake-the Washington Park Handicap two years in a row, you kind of know things ain't what they used to be.

[thaskalos]

Good riddance!

[JustRalph]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Good riddance!

I thought they were dominated by harness races until War Emblem came along

[Hedevar]

Chad Brown will miss the easy money.

[Parkview_Pirate]

Originally Posted by Hedevar

Where once we watched Shoemaker, Hartack and Day we now watch Loveberry, Roman and Bowen. Where once Dr. Fager, Buckpasser and Secretariat ran we now watch low level claiming horses. Where once general admission was a couple of bucks, there is no general admission. AP was a great track in the sixties, seventies and early eighties. Then Dick bought it. It now has some of the worst racing in the country and the worst ownership. How can you absolve Dick?

I don't completely absolve him, but he was a minor cause to the decline of Illinois racing. Even as late as the mid 1980s, Fairmount Park and Quad City Downs had decent racing, and the fair circuit was alive and well for the farmers and small owners. You're absolutely correct that earlier times had AP near the top echelon of racing across the country. But the sport has been declining all over the country.

Then in the 1980s the Fed changed the tax rules, and made ownership much more expensive by limiting deductions. But it was the horseman's association and their insane surcharges on ADWS and the politicians on their casino (and now sportsbetting licenses) that had the biggest impact on driving a stake through the heart of racing.

Duchossois was no saint, but he was essentially trying to fight fire with fire, and of course the other elites in the state who had the media on their side painted a less than rosy picture of him. When Arlington was rebuilt, it became a stunning facility, but...for a sport that it had trouble making money on.

If you want to single someone out, look at Mike Madigan.

[The_Turf_Monster]

There are way too many fingers to point than my hands have on them. It wasn’t caused by one person, one group, one track, the ITHA, the IRB, the legislature, various governors, etc. This was a group effort.

All that said, there is still hope if Hawthorne can get its act together and build its casino and convention complex that was planned. Even with short fields and bad weather due to running in the late fall and spring, Hawthorne still has a brand that people bet - I would argue that they handle about 500% of what they should for the product they’ve put out for the last 10 years. Get the casino built and run the summer meet there and illinois racing may have a chance.

[Hedevar]

Approximately 20 years ago Arlington Park merged with Churchill Downs and Dick Duchossios ( hereafter Dick D.) became a major stockholder in Churchill Downs. !0 years ago Rivers Casino opened in Des Plaines, Illinois. Churchill Downs owns Rivers Casino. The facts are that it was always the intention Of Churchill Downs to close AP because they owned Rivers Casino 15 to 20 minutes away from AP. By putting on such lousy racing and charging outrageous prices Dick D. got coverage to close AP and sell the valuable land while maintaining a casino close to Rosemont, IL., O'Hare Airport and the Chicago transportation system. Please don't be naive about Dick D.s motivation.
This year Churchill paid Dick D. about $200 million dollars for his stock ownership. This was the plan going back to when Dick D. closed AP to racing because he did not get everything he wanted. Forget the poly turf this is about money. Other racetracks such as Prairie Meadows, Canterbury and Indiana Grand present racing that is far superior to AP. Along with ADW, Dick D. can get his cake and eat it too.

[Inner Dirt]

Originally Posted by illinoisbred

I think Arlington's decline more or less started with the installation of the polytrack in 2007. Gone were all the good graded stakes on the dirt and the better stables/horses shunned the sham poly replacements. When a horse like El Gran Estreno wins the premiere former dirt stake-the Washington Park Handicap two years in a row, you kind of know things ain't what they used to be.

I avoid betting on polytrack races, so I won't miss Arlington Park at all.

[Suff]

Tracks rarely ever close pretty. Give it a good send off and keep the History. It's not pleasant to the eyes to see them wither.

[Hedevar]

Originally Posted by Suff

Tracks rarely ever close pretty. Give it a good send off and keep the History. It's not pleasant to the eyes to see them wither.

Thanks.