Horse Racing Capsules: Arlington Park in race for survival

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Arlington Park might look as healthy as ever on Saturday.

The Arlington Million is expected to draw around 30,000 spectators to the old track in suburban Chicago to take in its marquee event and maybe walk away with a few more dollars.

Yet behind the scenes, a different kind of race is unfolding. Actually, it's a fight — a fight for financial survival.

Officials for Arlington Park and its parent company, Louisville, Ky.-based Churchill Downs Inc. say the future of the track and the industry is grim unless alternate forms of gambling are approved.

"We have this world-class facility here," Arlington Park president Roy Arnold said. "It would be absolutely tragic if we weren't able to entertain the public and conduct racing here during the summer here in Chicago."

The problem is this world0class track is only "marginally profitable," Arnold says. And if the revenue drops, "it's just simply not realistic to believe that shareholders would continue to support expending resources in Illinois with no prospect of a return."

Shuttering the 83-year-old track is not a consideration at this point, nor is selling it, but officials say gambling is necessary for survival not only of the track but racing as a whole in Illinois.

Last spring, proposed legislation that would have legalized slot machines at Illinois racetracks stalled amid opposition from riverboat casinos and anti-gambling lobbyists along with some loose ends that needed to be tied up. Arnold thinks the industry has the votes in the state Assembly and can get enough in the state Senate to get approval this fall after lawmakers reconvene.

But if not, how long can Arlington last?

"I don't know," Churchill Downs corporate spokeswoman Liz Harris said. "I don't think anyone has that answer."

Is the track for sale?

"No," she said.

Has that been discussed? Again, she said no.

"It's one of our properties," Harris said. "It isn't even something that's in consideration. It would be like saying is Churchill Downs for sale? No."

Even so, their footing is shaky. In June, Churchill Downs CEO Bob Evans indicated Arlington Park's future was in doubt and that even the company's namesake track might have to cut race dates unless alternative forms of gambling such as slot machines are allowed.

"You can't run on hope," he told The Courier-Journal newspaper. "If we get to the point where you know 'not racing' is the best answer, well that's the best answer. But we're not starting there, and I hope we don't get there."

Two of the company's four tracks — Calder Casino & Race Course near Miami and Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans — offer other forms gambling. Churchill Downs and Arlington Park do not.

Evans told the newspaper at the time that the company was planning an internal review of all four tracks that would consider the potential for alternative gambling at Arlington and Churchill Downs. But Harris said that's "a process that we're always going through with all the properties that we have."

"That was nothing specific," she added. "It was a non-specific, non-event. It isn't something that's going to come to fruition with a specific answer."

The answer that Arnold is looking for would come from the state. That would be legalizing slots on site, which in turn would put Illinois tracks on more even footing with those in other states that feature alternative forms of gambling and help fund statewide construction and education.

"Who we're really in competition with are the other racetracks across the United States," Arnold said. "And we're competing for customers like any other business. And customers are going to choose our product based upon its quality and accessibility. Quality is directly related to the caliber of racing, and that's fueled by purses."

He pointed out that while Churchill Downs doesn't offer other forms of gambling, it happens to host the Kentucky Derby and that provides enough financial support to get that track through the year.

Arlington, however, has neither a Triple Crown race nor the slots.

What it has is a long history that dates back to when Joe Bollero rode Luxembourg to victory in the first race on Oct. 13, 1927. It survived the Depression and World War II, and began hosting the world's first million-dollar race — the Arlington Million — in 1981. Bill Shoemaker led John Henry to victory that year, but there have been difficulties along the way.

A fire in July 1985 destroyed the grandstand, putting the park's future in doubt. In the 1990s, Arnold said, the state delivered an inadvertent blow by allowing riverboat casinos, and Arlington wound up closing for two years following the 1997 season before merging with Churchill Downs.

It still is on shaky ground, just like other tracks around the state.

"We face a catastrophic possibility if we aren't enabled the same legislation that takes place in other states," said Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association president Mike Campbell, who's had horses racing at Arlington since the early 1980s.

Arnold said some tracks in Illinois will close if the bill doesn't pass, and although Arlington would probably be the last in the state, it's "not immune from that potential."

A more immediate result would likely be more reductions in purses and race dates.

The track recently cut nearly $800,000 in stakes purses, although the Million and two other Grade 1 stakes were untouched. And since he arrived in 2006 following a 30-year career in the Marines, Arnold has seen Arlington go from running five days to mostly four a week from May through September. It pays about $20 million in purses over 91 dates, which he said "is not a bad number relative to other tracks across the country."

But if they had to trim $5 million or $10 million?

There would be more cuts in the schedule, and year-round racing in the Chicago area could become a thing of the past.

"That means that if you're a racing official, if you're an outrider, if you're a gate crew person, if you're a food and beverage person, if you're a mutual clerk and you work at racetracks, there's no longer year-round employment," Arnold said. "So now you're looking at 30 days here or 30 days there or 60 days, maybe, and you get into this issue where can you continue to attract and retain talent? I think the answer is no."

Gio Ponti the early favorite for Arlington Million

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Gio Ponti has drawn the No. 6 post position for Saturday's 28th running of the Arlington Million on the turf at Arlington Park.

The draw was announced Tuesday for the 1¼-mile race for 3-year-olds and upward.

Gio Ponti, last year's winner, will attempt to match John Henry's feat as the only two-time winner of the Grade I race. Gio Ponti, at odds of 7-5, is the prohibitive morning line favorite. In four races this year, the 5-year-old has won once and finished second twice.

Just As Well, in the No. 4 post position, is the second choice with early odds of 5-1, while Tazeez is 6-1 from the No. 9 post. Quite A Handful is the longshot at 30-1.

Preceding the Million are two other Grade I turf races: the $750,000 Beverly D. and the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes.

Tribe sinks $7M into refurbishing Okla. racetrack

Even as horses went through morning workouts on the racetrack, construction workers continued buzzing around the 22-year-old facility to complete the initial stage of renovations before the opening of the track's annual thoroughbred meet Thursday.

Remington Park once was considered one of the nation's finest racing facilities, and "it's so gratifying to be able to have the money to restore this place to its former glory," said Scott Wells, the track's president and general manager.

Global Gaming Solutions, a subsidiary of the Ada-based American Indian tribe, bought the track and its on-site casino on Dec. 31 for $80.25 million from bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp.

Although they'd checked out the track before making the purchase, Global Gaming officials were amazed "how much deferred maintenance there was and how much capital was not invested back into the property," said Greg Pittman, the company's vice president of development projects.

Even with the well-documented struggles of the horse racing industry nationally, Global Gaming saw an opportunity in Remington Park, Pittman said, especially considering the Chickasaws' success in operating two of the state's largest casinos, the Riverwind in Goldsby and the WinStar in Thackerville.

"This was a diamond in the rough," Pittman said. "It just needed some (tender loving care) to bring it back to the glory days of before. ... We look at it as an entertainment venue and we're very good at entertainment venues. When there are areas we don't know about, we bring in smart people to run the operations for us."

Changes are obvious all around the facility. There's new roofing on the paddock and main building, new paint in the paddock, the main building and on balconies and new exterior lighting. The suites have been reworked, with new lighting, flooring, paint and furniture.

On the main level, the public areas were widened and half of the betting-window structure was removed. A new locally based restaurant, Henry Hudson's, is being built. Flat-screen televisions have been installed throughout the facility, with more to come.

Outside, the track's asphalt apron has been redone with pavers, new furniture, two fountains and two planters. A 9-foot waterfall is under construction next to an outdoor patio area. The goal, Pittman said, was "to create a park-like setting" for fans to watch races.

The jockey's quarters received a complete facelift, and in the casino, about 300 of the 750 games have been upgraded or changed out. Even the track's rarely used infield has seen some renovation work and should be accessible to fans more often as a result, Wells said.

"We talked to the customers and figured out the areas where we could have the biggest bang for our buck immediately," Pittman said. "The track level on both sides, we had a lot of customers coming and trying to enjoy the racing under a very bland environment, with outdoor furniture inside. If they were willing to attend under that scenario, it's easy for us to say, if we refurbish the place, put color on the wall, clean it up, put furniture in there, more people would come."

Trainer Donnie Von Hemel, who has run horses at Remington Park since it opened in 1988, said having an Oklahoma-based group own the track is a positive.

"We've always had an absentee landlord here," Von Hemel said. "When the owner has to see his patrons on a regular basis ... I think there's a better chance they are going to be proud of what they're putting out there for the fans. They have shown they are going to step up to the plate and do a top-notch job."

All the work is about making the entertainment experience better, Pittman said.

More renovations are planned during the coming months, Global Gaming CEO John Elliott said, and during the next three to five years, company officials hope to build a hotel on the grounds. Pittman said he foresees the track and hotel hosting conventions, concerts and other sport-themed events.

-- Murray Evans