Earlier this month, I relayed that bankrupt Hawthorne was given a deadline by the judge to find a “going concern” bid – one that would keep racing – to exceed one that had come in from a non-racing entity. That deadline has come and gone. The upshot: Unless something dramatic happens, Hawthorne will close at the end of this year’s meet (Nov, though lasting that long is very much an open question). How big is this? From the DRF:
“The sale of Hawthorne to a developer who does not intend to seek a casino license for the track would mean the end of live racing in the Chicago area, once one of the most prominent circuits in the U.S. In 2023, Churchill Downs Inc. sold Arlington Park…to the NFL’s Chicago Bears, leaving Hawthorne as the lone Chicago track.”
Hawthorne is in debt to the tune of $100-500 million.
As a postscript, a comment on the TDN’s coverage says, “The good people soon out of jobs…is the biggest tragedy of ’em all.” Nope, sorry, “the biggest tragedy of all” is the thousands of horses who were abused and killed for lousy $2 bets at Hawthorne over the past 135 years (Hawthorne ranks as one of the oldest tracks in the country).
Just so that you all know the state of Kansas is enabling a presently shut down track, Eureka Downs to begin operating again this fall. Of course the track will have Historical Racing Machines to supplement purses & pay for improvements to the grandstand & backside. The state of Kansas gave the track a 2 million grant to have the 15 year mothballed track made operational again. Of course they claim each horse provides 3 jobs & is a boost to local tourism & will bring in outside $$. We read & see lots of info on the racing business. U-tube has the video KSN promoting the tracks re-opening. Such a shame people are so easily deceived as we once were.
It’s highly logical and probable that the owners and trainers will relocate their horses to different racetracks, especially the racino racetracks, in Southern Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. I don’t think there will be as many unemployed “good people” from Hawthorne as the racing industry press would like everyone to think.
I don’t have sympathy for adults who know that what they do to the horses is abusive and brutal but don’t care and continue to do the same thing, different day, and harden their hearts to the suffering of the horses. No “boo hoos” for the horse abusers from me.
Steve, we did the same with Portland Meadows for years. Free admission, sometimes even free programs.All you stated for Hawthorne was true for PM. Miserable gamblers & horse people with equally sad tongue tied horses usually running in miserable conditions of Oregon`s winters. So glad we see that both are going to be gone. Here in the NW there`s only 1 to go Emerald Downs! We have ridden for some of the present trainers / owners at Emerald. Many are nasty, obnoxious people who treat their horses terribly.Later we rode horses at PM 15 years before it ultimately closed due to economic forces & not having any casino supporting $$ which were opposed strongly by the Native American tribes.
I’ve been going to Hawthorne off and on for a few years now. Free admission. Never betting or spending a cent. I just go to take in the unvarnished reality of it. It has been a lot of food for thought and fuel for my opinions on horse racing. I’ve seen the beautiful horses, tongues tied, chained and whipped, hemorrhaging and breaking legs. Miserable patrons trying to escape the reality of their true lives, yelling at the race monitors, hoping for the high of victory, only to find themselves spiraling further into misery. Hawthorne is in its final death throes. When it takes its last gasp the owners and employees will find other ways to survive. Current horses there may not have that option, but at least future horses will not have to experience that place. Race horses are gladiators, risking death, paraded onto the track unwillingly by their captors against fellow “foes” for profit and “entertainment” of spectators. Racetracks are concentration camps, where hundreds of the enslaved are housed in barracks, labor to the point of unprofitability and then “disappear” by the thousands. All that is missing is a crematorium. But now it is time for Hawthorne to disappear. Nothing lasts forever, so why try to make it? Maybe, just maybe, the ownership and employees of Hawthorne will be forced into a future that redeems them. Anything is better than abusing the innocent.
Jdoe …I like how you put that 👍
One thing about this location is that it is far enough north of Texas that anyone shipping their “unwanted” horses from Hawthorne will most likely be able to get them into Canada, I am speculating. Nobody wants the New World screwworm infestation but it is too late for some states.
At this point the horse racing industry is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Another one bites the dust! Woohooooo!!
For 135 years, Hawthorne’s history has included not only races and wagers but also the suffering and deaths of countless horses whose names most people will never know. While the loss of jobs is a real hardship for employees and their families, it should not erase the welfare and deaths of the horses whose lives made the industry possible.
Who knows how many dead horses buried on the racetrack grounds they would find if they did an archeological type of dig?
Do any racing fans care about any of the horses who weren’t famous like Ruffian? There would be a lot of horses that were not famous buried in the infield or wherever they could dig a big enough hole.
The non racing entity is being highlighted with this sale. I wish the new owners luck and hope this graveyard becomes something worth its weight in gold. Hear Hear!!!