Meetings greenlighted for 2020, 2021

Arlington International Racecourse and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association finally agreed to a contract for the 2020 and 2021 racing seasons on Monday morning, but the 2020 Arlington meet almost was derailed by a dispute between Arlington and Hawthorne that unfolded during an Illinois Racing Board meeting just after the contract was signed.

Arlington, pending final approval from government health officials and the local government in Arlington Heights, will run a 30-day race meeting starting July 24. Eight races per day will be conducted Thursday through Saturday with first post at either 2 p.m. or 2:30 Central. There will be no stakes races this season, but

Arlington president Tony Petrillo said last week that the Arlington Million would return in 2021.

How the Million and other open stakes next year get funded contributed to a prolonged stalemate in the negotiations over a contract that had to be signed before the meet could go forward. The ITHA’s focus is on maximizing overnight purses for its local membership and works against races like the Million, which mainly benefit the racetrack owner, Churchill Downs Inc., and out-of-state horsemen. Both parties announced a pending agreement June 18 that was expected to be reviewed and approved by the IRB during a June 19 meeting, but that deal never was consummated. The IRB recessed both Thursday and Friday awaiting a signed contract, and just before the 9 a.m. Monday meeting, thought to be a drop-dead deadline for any 2020 Arlington meet, the contract was signed.

No sooner had the IRB unanimously approved the meet than another agenda item involving the awarding of dark-host track status until Arlington’s meet begins spurred a standoff between Arlington and Hawthorne. The dark-host track under Illinois racing law receives the lion’s share of revenue from simulcast wagering when there’s no live racing in Chicago. Hawthorne representatives claimed they should receive at least a portion of the dark-host money between now and July 24 because they kept their stables open to Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and backstretch workers during the coronavirus shutdown while Arlington furloughed almost all its employees as its backstretch remained shuttered. Hawthorne’s position had some traction with the six-member board, but after yet another recess, they voted 5-1 to allow Arlington to retain dark-host status.

Arlington officials testified Hawthorne’s request breached a two-year deal the two tracks signed through 2020 as well as the IRB’s 2020 dates-awards order. Tony Petrillo, Arlington’s president, said an IRB decision to award Hawthorne dark-host dates could derail the deal just struck with the ITHA for a summer meeting.

Arlington still has no horses on track but is scheduled to open its stables during the first week in July.