Illinois Race Dates Set for Hawthorne Casino Plan

The Illinois Racing Board has approved a 2024 schedule based on expectations that construction of a casino at Hawthorne Race Course finally will be underway during the racing season. Hawthorne asked, and was granted at the Sept. 21 IRB meeting, racing dates on Thursday evenings, Saturdays, and Sundays to prevent disruptions of racing by planned construction activities. The Saturday dates, however, put Hawthorne in direct competition with downstate FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing, the former Fairmount Park, throughout the season. Hawthorne President Tim Carey told the IRB the Thursday-Sunday schedule was critical to development plans and Chris Block, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said it "is going to be a necessity" to smooth operation. Carey said the long-planned and long-delayed casino will breathe new life into Chicago-area racing. "I truly believe that Illinois horse racing is on the precipice of an incredible renaissance that will not only uplift our local participants but will re-establish Chicago racing to national prominence," Carey said. "Why do I believe this? Because the inevitability of our casino development has created unprecedented cooperation among the remaining stakeholders of Illinois racing. We are all working toward the same goals with a shared understanding of our immediate needs and long-term vision for creating one of the most exciting and prosperous markets for horse racing in North America." While Carey described construction of the Hawthorne casino as inevitable, it still requires completion of financing and multiple rounds of approval from the Illinois Gaming Board before any work can be done—hurdles that have stymied progress and frustrated horsemen for years. Casino development at both Hawthorne and the downstate track has been in limbo since the Illinois legislature gave the go-ahead in 2019. In the interim, Churchill Downs Inc. rocked Illinois horsemen with its decision not to pursue a casino license at its Arlington International Racecourse, then closed and sold that facility. And the city of Chicago has opened its own, albeit temporary, casino. "We recognize the importance of it and we're going to have this thing up and running by the end of 2024, pending Gaming Board approval," Carey said. He also said Hawthorne is moving forward on "due diligence" relative to development of a stand-alone racino in the south Chicago suburbs that would be dedicated solely to harness racing. Hawthorne currently splits the year between breeds. "We have to close on the financing for Hawthorne first," Carey said, implying more work will be needed before the Gaming Board application is complete. But he said the track is "fully committed" to harness racing and pointed out the decision to split the season saved that branch of the sport when it seemed on the verge of vanishing from Illinois. Both the ITHA and the Illinois Harness Horsemen's Association expressed support for the 2024 schedule although Fanduel Sportsbook and Racing General Manager Melissa Helton said the Saturday competition likely would affect operations there. "I'm damn proud that we're still standing here today," ITHA's Block said, referencing the travails of the state's industry. The former Fairmount Park also has been struggling to get a casino application to the IGB. Helton said paperwork is being completed and should be submitted in time for consideration before the end of the year. The Hawthorne Thoroughbred season is set to open April 6 and run through Oct. 13 with 78 live racing dates. The track will host harness racing from Jan. 1 through Jan. 29 and again from Oct. 19 through the end of the year, switching racing surfaces between the meetings. Fairmount's live meet starts April 16 and runs through Nov. 12 with 62 dates.