Hawthorne Race Course, bankrupt and one deadline away from being sold for demolition and redevelopment, has applied for 2027 live racing dates.
The suburban Chicago track requested a Thoroughbred meeting similar to the one originally granted for 2026, starting March 27 and extending through Halloween, the Illinois Racing Board announced Aug 4.
That season started three weeks late after Hawthorne, awash in debt, filed for bankruptcy protection Feb. 27. It ended after races July 19, when horsemen were told there was no money to pay purses earned for three July dates.
Hawthorne has ordered horsemen off the backstretch by Aug. 31. A "free and clear" backstretch by then is a condition of closing on that date on the $90 million sale of the property. That closing would be the final step in the bankruptcy sale. The buyer, a limited liability company whose identity is shielded by Delaware laws, has said the sale will be voided unless all conditions are met.
Hawthorne officials did not outline plans for conducting a live 2027 race meeting although president and general manager Tim Carey has continued to issue optimistic, albeit vague, statements about a potential future.
"To the horsemen, bettors and our employees, please know that we never gave up, and in fact continue to seek a path forward for Illinois racing," Carey said after Bankruptcy Court Judge Timothy Barnes approved the sale.
"As we do so, in the coming days and weeks, we will also work with the Court, and the Illinois Racing Board to fulfill all of our obligations and honor the legacy of integrity which Hawthorne rightly earned over 117 years of family ownership."
In a later statement, Carey added, "We will continue to host intertrack wagering at our network of betting bars and we will absolutely explore every available option to once again host racing."
While the Illinois Racing Board announcement did not directly reference the pending sale of Hawthorne, it said staff "will review the applications for any deficiencies. Applicants will be able to amend their application to address any deficiencies and provide clarification on requested live race dates, if needed ..."
Section 20 of the Illinois Horse Racing Act provides, "Any person desiring to conduct a horse race meeting may apply to the Board for an organization license."
The application is required to specify "the location where it proposes to conduct the meeting" and "any other information the board may reasonably require."
The law prohibits issuance of a license to "any person who does not at the time of application for the organization license own or have a contract or lease for the possession of a finished race track ..."
Another major wrinkle in the web of Illinois racing legislation and regulation is development of a long-stalled harness track in the south Chicago suburbs. In approving that venue as part of overall gaming expansion in 2019, the legislature granted veto power to Hawthorne through some convoluted language now likely to play out in extended court proceedings:
"This additional organization license shall not be issued within a 35-mile radius of another organization license issued by the Board on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, unless the person having operating control of such racetrack has given written consent to the organization licensee applicant, which consent must be filed with the Board at or prior to the time application is made."
The only other application for 2027 dates came from Fairmount Park in downstate Collinsville, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Fairmount requested dates from April 6 through Nov. 24.
