Hawthorne Harness Racing Again Cancelled

The ITHA is sharing the below message to keep our members informed about events at Hawthorne Race Course that might affect the thoroughbred meet scheduled to begin on Sunday, March 29.

Hawthorne cancelled harness racing for the third weekend in a row, but this time with a small caveat. The Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association said in a statement: “[There] will be purse distribution this week: Hawthorne has committed to distributing the purse money equally among all horses entered in each race that was scheduled for this weekend. These funds will be reflected in horsemen’s accounts in the coming days and will be available once the banking issue is resolved.”

This credit is better than nothing, but not by much. Essentially, these are IOUs for owners.

The IHHA added: “Hawthorne has stated it is confident the situation will be resolved in the upcoming week and intends to resume racing next weekend.”

Nonetheless, the continued cancellations are deeply troubling and may cast doubt on our spring thoroughbred meet. We respectfully reiterate our request of the Illinois Racing Board and/or Hawthorne to illuminate the specifics of this circumstance that directly concerns all of our members — and numerous other individuals whose livelihood is tied to live racing in northern Illinois.

What is the exact nature of Hawthorne’s financial condition? Does Hawthorne have the financial ability to host live racing throughout this calendar year, in accordance with the schedule in the IRB’s dates order? What steps may be taken to ensure the continuation of live racing at Hawthorne, the only remaining track in northern Illinois, and resulting work opportunities for the individuals in our industry who depend on live racing?