Illinois Racing Board extends deadline for 2012 racing dates requests

The Illinois Racing Board extended a deadline for the state’s racetracks to file their dates requests for 2012 until Monday, racing board officials said on Friday.

The requests were due on Friday, but the extension was granted after one of the state’s tracks declined to waive a hearing right guaranteed under state law, according to Marc Laino, the board’s executive director.

Under Illinois state law, dates requests have to be filed “prior to Aug. 1,” but because July 31 falls on a Sunday this year, the board was required to extend the deadline until the close of business on Monday after the track declined to waive the right, according to the board’s executive counsel, Shelley Kalita.

Illinois has two major Thoroughbred tracks, Arlington Park and Hawthorne Race Course. Arlington is currently in the midst of an 86-day meet, while Hawthorne was awarded 110 dates over two meets, one early in the year, and the other late in the year.