Hawthorne opens Thursday under a 'giant cloud'
Hawthorne's 2025 meet opens Thursday amid an air of uncertainty.
“At the beginning of all meets, and it's springtime in Chicago, so there comes a natural, hopeful, attitude with that time,” David McCaffrey, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, told Horse Racing Nation on Wednesday. “But make no mistake, there is a giant cloud hanging over Hawthorne and this meet.”
The cloud concerns whether a casino will be built on the track’s grounds, a question that has been pending since legislation was passed in 2019 to allow it. Much of the grandstand has been demolished, and rumors have come and gone about a casino operator for the track, which is owned by the Carey family.
Horse racing is “a very uncertain game in general,” McCaffrey said, “but you like to have some sort of certainty. And we have anything but that here in Chicago.”
Still, as with any new meet, there is optimism.
“The horse population is growing daily, and Fair Grounds just ended their meet and we are aware of all sorts of trainers coming up here from there,” McCaffrey said.
Another influx is expected after Oaklawn and Tampa Bay Downs wrap up.
“But again, it's just hard to commit if you're a horse person, whether you're a trainer or an owner,” McCaffrey said. “It's just hard to commit to Chicago racing because of the unknown. But you know, it's a sad reality in racing all over the place today in America. Who would have thought that Gulfstream would be in the position they're in?”
The difference with Hawthorne, he said, is that “it's either going to be feast or famine here. And if it's famine, I don't know if we race another year after this one. If it's feast and a racino gets built, this will become the mecca of Midwest racing. There's no question in my mind about that.”
What’s frustrating about Hawthorne’s situation is that casino-driven revenue has proven to be successful for racing in Kentucky and Oaklawn, he said.
“This isn't a test. This isn't a (situation where) the drug might work. The drug works. And if we can get it put into our system, we will be cured and Chicago racing will have a very, very bright future. Without it, unquestionably, we are dead.”
One positive for Chicago-area horsemen this year is that the meet was extended until Nov. 3, well past the end of meets in Minnesota and Iowa. Last year, the meet ended Oct. 13, and two years ago, closing day was Sept. 4.
“People were stranded because they wanted to get to the Fair Grounds eventually or Tampa,” McCaffrey said. “But there was nothing, there was nowhere to park themselves and their horses, and it was a big mess. So the Nov. 3 ending date is different, and it's much more horseman-friendly.”
Also this year, racing will not be held on the days of the Triple Crown races, with Hawthorne sticking to its regular schedule of Thursdays and Sundays.
Chris Block, president of the ITHA and Hawthorne’s top-earning trainer last year, said horsemen are “very guarded” as the meet begins.
“I sometimes have a tendency to maybe sugarcoat things, but I'm past that,” he said. “I'm looking forward to the start of the meet to get the season started, but I have concerns for our immediate future in the respect that we're holding on here, and we're hopeful that there's something positive that will take place at some point in this season that will give us all confidence that the future of horse racing in Illinois has a future. That is a big concern for myself and a lot of people in the industry.”
One thing that won’t be a concern, he said, is the condition of Hawthorne’s track itself.
“The surface is one of the best in the country to train on and race on,” Block said.
“We have a very good track man. We have horsemen who give good feedback to him. And the composition of the surface is kind to horses. And I think the statistics from last year's racing show that. And they just do a good job of maintaining the racetrack and keeping it consistent no matter what the weather conditions are.”