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* Daily Herald…
Amid the pageantry of the final Arlington Million Day — a day to honor Dick Duchossois and his family for their contributions to horse racing — Duchossois’ son blamed not Arlington Park owner Churchill Downs Inc. but Illinois politicians for the planned destruction of the grand racing palace his father built.
Craig Duchossois, his father’s longtime right-hand man in family business matters, called Saturday’s tributes at the racetrack bittersweet and emotional after what he said has been the family’s “enjoyable but challenging” journey in Illinois racing and politics. His father, Arlington Park’s 99-year-old chairman emeritus, was at his Barrington Hills home, where he’s spent most of his time since the onset of the pandemic.
“I have no faith in our government in Illinois at all, including Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker. Springfield is a bigger swamp than Washington, if that’s possible,” Craig Duchossois said during an exclusive interview with the Daily Herald from his family’s grandstand suite.
Duchossois said Pritzker’s 2019 massive gambling expansion that awarded long-sought slots and table games to racetracks like Arlington came “too late.” […]
“My father’s strategy to Springfield was just put our industry on a level playing field so that we can have the same level of purses to attract quality horses. And they absolutely refused to. Madigan was afraid because it would be perceived as helping out someone that had a strong balance sheet. Guess who creates the jobs? Someone that’s got a strong balance sheet.”
“They killed it.”
* Maybe he’s still upset about this 1985 spat…
The owners of Arlington Park Race Track Friday reiterated that they will not rebuild their fire-ravaged facility because the General Assembly Thursday did not approve favorable tax legislation for the track. […]
However, the prospects of reviving the package appear dim, especially in the House, where Speaker Michael Madigan (D., Chicago) has remained steadfastly opposed to tax breaks for the track owners, claiming the owners can easily afford to rebuild without the tax relief.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 10:59 am
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It’s tough to see longstanding institutions go away, but horse racing has greatly diminished in popularity over the past few decades. Times and people’s interests change. What was once a very popular pastime is now viewed as something of a novelty, and concerns for animal welfare have increased. Adapt or go out of business. No one is entitled to be in business or propped up forever.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:06 am
You know who doesn’t need special deals and tax breaks? Someone that’s got a strong balance sheet.
Comment by Shield Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:11 am
Seeing an animal euthanized on the track did it for me. Let’s breed animals with champagne glass ankles for amusement.
Comment by cermak_rd Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:11 am
That big government swamp refused to bail out a failing, outdated business model when things finally went south. The shame…
Comment by NIU Grad Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:14 am
Or maybe the Duchossois family is still mad about this:
“Illinois is the only state that requires racetracks to provide housing for the families of backstretch workers…”
And it took lots of pressure and lawsuits before the family bothered to improve living conditions for the hundreds of track workers who live on the backstretch. If you’ve never seen the backstretch, you’ve never really seen Arlington Park.
That’s also part of the Duchossois legacy. The view of the backstretch looks a lot better from Barrington Hills.
https://www.daily-journal.com/news/state/settlement-reached-in-arlington-park-housing-discrimination-case/article_af6b2fad-4d80-5888-9542-70fe9bc2d131.html
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:17 am
Craig’s comments are shameful. Just another dramatic and wildly irresponsible effort to deflect from the truth: that the only thing truly valued by the Duchossois family is money.
Oh, and good move, Craig, for slapping the incumbent governor. That ought to be helpful as you continue your pursuits at the Capitol.
All is not well at Arlington. Tony Petrillo, the track prez, lost his ever-lasting mind when racing ended over the weekend and decided to unceremoniously order reporters, busy trying to file their stories, to immediately evacuate.
See: https://twitter.com/raypaulick/status/1427067533031399427
Comment by Bud's Bar Stool Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:17 am
I’ll bet he complains about people on assistance too.
Comment by Cheryl44 Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:18 am
That’s the cry baby attitude I would expect from someone who gave $250,000 to the NRCC.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:20 am
I suspect they will do quite well in real estate transactions with the Bears, and perhaps keep some of the land for themselves and related entertainment-related development adjacent to a new stadium. They will do just fine.
Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:24 am
I grew up in the Northwest suburbs in the 60s. My dad never took me to a pro football game, basketball game, baseball game, or hockey game, because we would never make it past Arlington Park. If it was a good day, we would have prime rib sandwiches on rye. Not so good day, kosher hotdogs.
In the 80s, I worked on refinancing all outstanding Civic Center debt, which was funded in part by horseracing taxes.We joked that our major revenue producer was made of wood. Little did we know.
Comment by Langhorne Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:31 am
Ron B has it right: horse racing is the sport of the century: the 19th century.
Comment by DuPage Dave Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:33 am
`Seeing an animal euthanized on the track did it for me. Let’s breed animals with champagne glass ankles for amusement.-
No, let’s raise humans for beatings in the UFC, pro-boxing and football for our amusement. Believe me the horse people take care of their animals better than most people.
I was at AP Saturday and they had a great crowd and handle for the inconvenience (only one entrance gate open, no general admission, extra high prices and lines)they put people through. If you look at Gulfstream, Saratoga, Santa Anita and Del Mar I would dispute horse racing is in decline. Chicago is still the 3d largest US market and now will have one questionable thoroughbred racetrack. I blame this loss on Churchill protecting its Des Plaines casino interest, and moving away from an industry with much greater overhead Not Madigan. Many jobs in agriculture along with the horse racing industry will be gone to nearby states. Hopefully State Licensing and Gaming agree and act.
Comment by DEE Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:42 am
I blame Madigan for Arlington closing…Lisa Madigan.
She’s the one who steered a casino license Neil Bluhm. And he’s the one who didn’t want Arlington to have casino gaming.
Comment by well... Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:51 am
“”I blame this loss on Churchill protecting its Des Plaines casino interest, and moving away from an industry with much greater overhead.”"
This
Comment by walker Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:53 am
One thing rarely mentioned, concerning the demise of horse racing in Illinois, is all the state-bred racing. It was well intentioned to support Illinois horsemen, but resulted in an overwhelming amount of sub-par contests. The overall quality of racing was greatly diminished, and the results were entirely predictable.
Comment by Bluegrass Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 11:57 am
“I have no faith in our government in Illinois at all, including Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker. Springfield is a bigger swamp than Washington, if that’s possible,” Craig Duchossois said during an exclusive interview with the Daily Herald from his family’s grandstand suite.
Duchossois said Pritzker’s 2019 massive gambling expansion that awarded long-sought slots and table games to racetracks like Arlington came “too late.” […]
So what would’ve been the prefect time in Mr. Duchossois mind for JB to pass gambling expansion?
Comment by Soo.... Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:00 pm
what exactly does the family business manufacture in the defense industry?
Comment by Amalia Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:03 pm
Should we blame the matches?
Should we blame the fire?
Or the executives who allowed it to expire?
Heck no!
Blame Madigan
Blame Madigan
Comment by Buford Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:08 pm
==I have no faith in our government in Illinois at all, including Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker. Springfield is a bigger swamp than Washington, if that’s possible==
More vapid vapors of victimhood. Good grief…
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:29 pm
-If you look at Gulfstream, Saratoga, Santa Anita and Del Mar I would dispute horse racing is in decline.-
If you look other than at some of the remaining big tracks and national event races, it is. From a recent New Yorker article: “In the past two decades, the over-all national betting handle at racetracks has fallen by nearly fifty per cent. Dozens of tracks have closed. Racing is still a fifteen-billion-dollar industry, but the number of races and the size of the thoroughbred-foal crop are less than half what they were in 1990.” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/24/can-horse-racing-survive
Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:33 pm
Does anyone have an update on what is going on with the new harness track in the south suburbs?
Comment by Can Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:41 pm
It’ll be a great place for the new Bear’s stadium.
Comment by Swimdad13 Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 12:50 pm
Craig needs a little rest on his MyPillow.
Comment by PublicServant Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 2:28 pm
If anyone had outsize, selfish and bad-for-everyone-but-Arlington clout in Springfield it was Arlington.
Craig has no one to blame but himself & family.
Comment by northsider (the original) Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 4:12 pm
They ain’t making any new land, so I’m guessing the D family will do just fine when that place redevelops.
Comment by NorthsideNoMore Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 4:16 pm
Arlington always had both hands out.
Out of the Horse Racing Fund — into which receipts from the state pari-mutual wagering tax go — Arlington has taken well over $100 million in property tax credit payments (money that would otherwise stay with the state).
Out of the horsemen purse accounts — which fund prize money to the first four finishing horses and they jockeys in each race — Arlington has through “recapture” taken over $200 million (resulting in lower purses, and the relocation out of Illinois of many horses).
In 2020, the total purse account at Arlington was $10 million, of which Arlington took $4.5 million in recapture. No other state has recapture.
Comment by One Opinion Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 4:58 pm
Who even watches horse racing anymore?
Comment by Seriously? Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 5:05 pm
Horses being replaced with Bears.
Comment by Medvale School for the Gifted. Monday, Aug 16, 21 @ 7:52 pm
I have no personal interest in the horse racing industry at all, but it seems like they only ever make the news when someone in the industry (track owners, breeders, and horsemen alike) want a handout or other special dispensation.
Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Aug 17, 21 @ 12:20 am
Boo F’ing Hoo What an entitled Baby
Comment by Siriously Tuesday, Aug 17, 21 @ 9:58 am