Chicago racetrack in regulator crosshairs
The future of racing at Hawthorne Race Course, which stages both thoroughbred and standardbred meetings, has been thrown into doubt after the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) suspended the suburban Chicago track’s harness racing licence.
The IRB said in a letter to Hawthorne president and general manager Tom Carey that the track failed to provide the required financial documents demonstrating its ability to fund a planned 34-day harness racing meet.
The board also cited Hawthorne’s failure to post a surety bond ahead of the scheduled opening weekend, prompting the cancellation of that meeting and the subsequent cancellation of racing over the following three weekends.
In the lead-up to the abandoned opening weekend, several horsemen reported that purse cheques totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars had been returned unpaid.
The suspension represents the latest setback for the Cicero-based track, located about 11km of the Chicago CBD, which has faced prolonged legal and financial challenges linked to plans to establish an on-site casino.
Last year, Churchill Downs Inc filed a lawsuit against Hawthorne alleging unpaid simulcast signal fees, a dispute that resulted in Hawthorne being blocked from taking bets on the Kentucky Derby at the venue.
More recently, Monarch Content Management, a division of 1ST Racing, filed a lawsuit against Hawthorne over simulcasting arrangements.
Hawthorne remains the only operating racetrack in the Chicago area following the closure of Arlington International Racecourse and also holds a partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook tied to online and retail sports betting licences.
