Arlington, Hawthorne request fewer 2016 racing dates

The two Chicago-area Thoroughbred tracks have asked the Illinois Racing Board to approve 2016 live racing schedules that would further reduce the number of live racing dates on the struggling circuit.

Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., requested approval for 74 live racing days that would run from early May until late September, with races held four days a week in July and August and three days a week in the other months. Last year, Arlington requested 79 dates.

Hawthorne Race Course requested 65 programs in March, April, and October through the end of the year, racing only on Fridays and Saturdays in March, but mostly running three days a week in the other months. That would be a sharp reduction from the 89 programs Hawthorne had requested in 2014, but the track has continued to struggle with field sizes and handle.

Under Hawthorne’s request, the track would not run in February, starting its meet March 7. This year, it held four dates in February, beginning Feb. 20.
The Illinois Racing Board has scheduled a dates hearing for Sept. 29 to consider the requests.

Fairmount Park in southern Illinois requested 150 live racing dates, but the track typically treats its dates request as a placeholder while it works with local horsemen on a schedule.