Last Three Horses Leave Hawthorne, Bringing End to Era

The last three horses were vanned off the Hawthorne Race Course backstretch on the rainy Aug. 31 morning, closing the book on Thoroughbred activity in the Chicago area and paving the way for the finalization of the sale of the property for redevelopment. The van was delayed by the weather, but attorneys for the purchaser reported to United States Bankruptcy Judge Timothy Barnes that the exodus was completed as they were making a final walkthrough before closing Sept. 1. Clearing the backstretch by 9 a.m. Monday was a condition of the sale. The last week on the backstretch saw the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association industriously working with local charities and other organizations to relocate the last of more than 500 workers and families who inhabited the backstretch in late July, when Hawthorne ran out of bankruptcy funding and ceased racing. Three days before the Monday deadline, Hawthorne attorneys told the court 82 adults, 28 children and 41 horses remained on site, almost all with confirmed moving schedules. The track was permanently closed after training hours Aug. 28. "The track is clear," Hawthorne attorney Barry Chatz said after the departure of the final van. "Everyone kept their promises," said ITHA attorney Kevin Morse. "It's a sad day. But on to the next chapter." Following the walkthrough, the buyer's attorney said teams were "finalizing the documents and preparing for closing tomorrow." Hawthorne, facing massive debt and unable to secure financing to build out an on-site casino, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Feb. 27. Operating with bankruptcy financing and a minimal budget, the track scrambled together its summer Thoroughbred meeting three weeks behind schedule and with a short horse population. Hawthorne officials and creditors then intensified a search for a buyer, hoping to find one willing to move forward with racing and casino construction. The only bid, however, was $90 million by a Delaware-registered limited liability company whose identity has not been made public. Attorneys confirmed the plan is demolition and development of the site, located close to Midway Airport and a key interstate highway in Chicago's southwest suburbs. As it became clear racing was doomed, the focus became relocating the human and horse population under a deadline set by the purchaser. Judge Barnes made it clear his priority was the treatment of the backstretch workers and the horses. The outcome, he said after the deadline was met, "made things a little less horrible than it could have been. What had to happen, did." Throughout the final weeks, Barnes praised the efforts of the ITHA to ease the relocation woes of the backstretch residents, many lacking the experience, ready cash or credit history to find housing on their own. If the ITHA had not voluntarily taken on responsibility, Barnes said midway through the moveout, "this whole process would be in a world of hurt. Not that it's not. But it would have been worse." Sportsman's Park, located immediately adjacent to Hawthorne, closed in 2002 and a massive beverage warehouse now occupies the site. Arlington International Racecourse closed in 2021 and was sold to the Chicago Bears, whose plans to build a new stadium on the site have progressed no farther than those for the Hawthorne casino. With Hawthorne's demise, the only remaining Illinois track is Fairmount Park in Collinsville, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. The racing establishment has not yet heard its last from Hawthorne, however. The track has applied for 2027 racing dates even though it does not currently have control of a racing venue. The Illinois Racing Board is set to award dates at its Sept. 16 hearing. Hawthorne also has veto power over construction of a new harness racino in the south Chicago suburbs and has blocked that development since 2019. Racing Board General Counsel Lindsay Evans said at the August IRB meeting that veto power "would no longer exist" if Hawthorne does not have a racing license. Hawthorne also has continued to operate its string of off-track betting locations, even after racing ended. The future of those facilities now is uncertain, although potential applicants for the harness racino license have expressed interest in some or all of the parlors.