Illinois racing shutdown

The Illinois Racing Board suspended on Monday the license of Suburban Downs, Inc, which manages Hawthorne Race Course's Harness meet, for "failure to provide documentation demonstrating its financial integrity, and proof that they can meet the minimum standards" as outlined in certain state laws, according to a press release by the board. Monday's action to suspend Suburban Downs's authorization to operate in Illinois follows Board action to cancel January 3-4 races for failure to submit required surety bonds, the press release states. Suburban Downs had been awarded 34 Harness race...

Arlington Park and the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) remain bitterly deadlocked over months-long contract negotiations for the now-delayed 2020 meet. Both sides understand that the scheduled May 1 start of racing isn't going to happen because of COVID-19 restrictions, which tightened further Thursday when Illinois extended a statewide stay-at-home order through May. But the new sticking point, which emerged during testimony at Friday's Illinois Racing Board (IRB) tele-meeting, centers on the horsemen wanting to ink a only a one-year deal because of uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, while track management's...