Management at Arlington International and Illinois rac-ing had nothing on Indiana Jones – until last week.
In a finish-line flurry that flipped temples of gloom into regenerated arcs rife with possibilities, the Illinois Gen-eral Assembly, Gov. Pat Quinn and the state’s Racing Board saved the 2014 live season.
An extraordinary Wednesday in Springfield was capped when the Illinois House reconvened after Gov. Quinn’s “State of the State” address to pass legislation enabling Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) through Jan. 2017.
The callback by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) - an unusual parliamentary move in Illinois – came hours after the State Senate had OKed the bill be-fore Quinn’s speech. The Governor signed the measure shortly after.
Without the extension, the Illinois Racing Board would have lacked sufficient funding to oversee a full schedule of live racing in 2014. Two days after the Springfield he-roics, IRB chairman Bill Berry and executive director
Marc Laino were at the fore as the Board gladly adopted the complete slate of dates in the state. Arlington Interna-tional will now race to a full 89-program season begin-ning on Friday, May 2.
“To not have the bill would have been devastating to the industry,” Rep. Bob Rita (D.-Blue Island), a co-sponsor of the legislation, told media. “It would have had a ripple effect all the way down from the backstretch hands to the breeders to the farmers who raise grain in Illinois to feed the horses.”
A shining star in achieving industry consensus among track management, the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Foundation and the Illinois harness horsemen on a new ADW bill was Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago). He also scheduled the eleventh-hour floor action in Springfield that triggered the successful closing rush.
Speaker Madigan’s agreement to call the bill that day underscored the urgency of the situation. Berry and Laino never ceased in their optimism and vigor. Rita, in tandem with Senate sponsor Terry Link (D-Waukegan), helped marshall forces within the State Capitol. And Re-publican leaders Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and Rep. Jim Durkin (R- Western Springs) were of keen foresighted assistance in supporting the measure in their Caucuses.
Tucked within the drama was an extremely hopeful fu-ture texturizer for all of racing in Illinois, according to Jim Stumpf, Arlington’s vice president/ legislative affairs.
“The agreement of the industry to support the ADW ex-tension is important to show solidarity in supporting an expanded gaming bill,” Stumpf said. “The tracks and the horsemen will work with the Alliance for Revenue and Jobs to continue to promote the creation of new jobs that will result from the expansion of gaming.”
Added A-I’s Howard Sudberry: “The future of racing in Illinois and at Arlington is dependent upon new gaming legislation that allows for slots at race tracks. Once our purses get that boost, states around us who have gaming now will have to worry about Illinois rather than the oth-er way around. It will be exciting when the time comes that Illinois racing will once again be able to be among the very best anywhere on a daily basis.” In the interim, Indiana Jones, chill.
NO GLOOM AT ARLINGTON INTERNATIONAL IN 2014;
THE FULL LIVE SCHEDULE IS ON!
Vol. 4 | Issue 2 | February 7, 2014
Mayor Hayes hopeful for Arlington’s future (p4)
Chicago-connected 3yo Chelios will try to live up to name (p2)
INSIDE
THEY MAY NEED A PENALTY BOX, “Chelsea Dagger,” and as much red, white and black as possible when the $1 million Santa Anita Derby – a major prep for the 140th Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands – goes postward on April 5. That’s because the possibility exists that Midnight Hawk, the un-
beaten Bob Baffert trainee owned in part by Blackhawks coach Joel Quenne-
ville, could wind up facing Chelios, a Glen Hill Farm homebred trained by
Tom Proctor and named for all-time Hawks great Chris Chelios (right).
Chelios, a son of Distorted Humor, is one of the latest sophomore terrors on the West Coast off a maiden win at SA two weeks ago. But his connections are as “Chicago” as the United Center – Glen Hill master emeritus Leonard Lavin is the founder of Alberto-Culver and long a patron of Arlington International. Farm chief Craig Bernick is Lavin’s grandson who freely admits, “The first Su-per Bowl I ever watched was the day the Bears beat the Patriots. I haven’t stopped cheering since.”
As for Quenneville, he and Hawks assistant Mike Kitchen – another partner in the Mike Pegram-bred – may final-ly get a chance to see their rising star race in person Saturday at Santa Anita. Midnight Hawk is a likely choice in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes. The Blackhawks conclude their skate-up to the 20-day Sochi Olympics break in Phoenix Friday night.
ARLINGTON INTERNATIONAL DISPATCHED A TRIO of determined players to the 2014 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Cham-pionship (NHC) at Treasure Island Las Vegas and while none could stay with wire-to-wire winner Jose Arias (left), all acquitted themselves well. Paul Hoff-
man went from a championship at Trackside Villa Park into a 48th-place finish
– and $4,200. George Henning, a master guitar maker from Palatine, tied for
109th while Dan Walters deadlocked at 122nd.
“One of the greatest weekends of my life,” said Hoffman, 58, a retail manager and Elgin High alum. “Obviously, my goal was to win the thing. Short of that, I wanted to make Day Three, which matched the top fifty players, and I did. My big score on Day One was the same one as the champ. We both had a $47 winner at Santa Anita [Legacy, capped at $42 for the NHC].”
RICK EVANS, LONG ONE OF THE MOST AFFABLE MEMBERS of the Chicago racing community, is pulling a complete disconnect after 35 years in and around the local game. “I’ll still work as a steward at Prairie Meadows but beyond that, I’ll spend most of my time back in little Glendive, Montana,” said Evans (right), whose great career score came aboard All Fired Up for Tim
Muckler in the $577,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity in 1983. “Fewer peo-ple and a whole lot less complaining.” OVALTINE: Taylor Rice – niece of the eminently telegenic Linda Rice – is getting more press but fellow apprentice Manny Esquivel, A-I’s 2013 riding ti-tlist, is ahead of her in the Aqueduct winter jockey standings…Quincy Hamil-
ton, fresh off a nice payday aboard Nicklaus Way in the $150,000 Lambholm at Tampa, is dropping hints he may tack down for the full Arlington meet this season.
While much of America was Super-Boring from New Jersey last weekend, Chinese-Americans were welcoming in “The Year of the Horse,” “a year of action,” according to Anita Luk, executive director of the Chinese-American
Museum of Chicago. Arlington’s mutuels counters will settle for that…And Joe Kelly – the top-hat cat who bugled tens of thousands to the post during a remarkable run at A-I (1981-2002) – reports that his track tooting is a thing of the past: “The best chops I got left are on the golf course and even they ain’t all that good.”
THINK GREEN: ARLINGTON, TRACKSIDE OTBS SKIPPING NEW OPTIONAL SURCHARGE
When it comes to the new surcharges funding the Illinois Racing Board that went into effect this week – mandato-ry and optional - here’s a simple memory trick for sharp-er speculators:
Arlington and its Trackside OTB out-lets, green. Others, red.
Say it loud and it’s all about smart playing.
Say it soft and you might avoid self-induced flailing.
OK, thank you lyricist Stephen Sondheim, “Maria” and “West Side Story.” But the truth of the matter is that, as of this writing, under the new takeouts in the Illi-nois game, betting through the up-state Arlington network offers more bang for a player’s buck. The 0.2% surcharge on all winning wagers, including online, is mandatory. But an optional additional 0.5% nip isn’t. And Arlington isn’t taking it at this time – not at its flagship in Arlington Heights nor at any of its Trackside OTBs.
Others – including Club Hawthorne OTBs, Maywood Park, Balmoral Park, OTBs operated by Maywood/Balmoral and Hawthorne Race Course (in the evening) –
are. They are taking an additional 0.5% surcharge out of your winning wagers.
Munch, munch, munch - do bettors need a new Miranda Warning to get smart?
“Players can be foolish because they care more about their own feelings than they do about winning,” the
ul t ra -br ight probabi l i t i es psychologist Dr. Alan N. Shoonmaker once suggested.
Feelings, nothing more than feelings, can chew through a bankroll quicker than Seattle
quarterback Russell Wilson slip-sliding his way through the
Denver Broncos defense – espe-cially when it comes to basic favora-
ble/less-favorable point-of-entry decision-making like this.
That’s why the right choice in the reawakening new world of Illinois racing is an easy one. Just remember:
Arlington and its Trackside OTB outlets, green. Others, red.
Say it loud – you’re smart and you’re proud. Bet Arlington. Grow your own green.
After all, isn’t horse racing all about winning?
Great tours, Volume MMXIV: Lindbergh to Paris (1927); Beatles U.S & Canada (1964); U2 360 (2009-11).
Trackside Road to Arlington (2014)?
Maybe. But this much is certain: Fun, engaging infotain-ment and the spirit of endless summer will reign when a robust vanguard from the management wing of Arling-ton International takes to the thawing – hah! - highways to advance the 2014 racing season.
The 10-stop tour will begin Friday, February 7, at Track-side Villa Park, located inside the Crazy Pour Bar at 105 West North Ave. Headlining the traveling party will be A-I TV personalities Howard Sudberry and Alyssa Ali plus general manager Tony Petrillo, VIP player develop-ment specialist Steve Tortorella and OTB marketing ace Brittany Habbick.
All who register at any of the “Road to Arlington” events will receive a complimentary Arlington International coffee mug, two general admission passes for any non-premium day during the 2014 live meet, a drink ticket for beer, soda or coffee and access to a comped buffet. As-sorted raffles will also take place and up-to-the-nano in-formation about FastBet Mobile accounts will be available.
Theatrical piece de resistance of each visit will be the
chance for one lucky selector to try and “Bet Against Howard” (a.k.a “Beat ‘The Suds’” during rehearsals). If the chosen one bests the shrewd Sudberry, he or she will win a prize and if the contestant’s pick runs first, second or third, the magnanimous crew will double the winning wager (based on a $2 across-the-board bet).
Maybe it’s not Lennon-McCartney or Bono and The Edge or Lucky Lindy at Le Bourget. But coming soon to a Trackside OTB near you --- “The Road to Arling-ton” (2014). Don’t miss it.
HERE COMES THE SUN: “TRACKSIDE ROAD TO ARLINGTON” SET TO RIVAL OTHER GREAT “TOURS”
“MARATHON” MAYOR TOM HAYES HOPING TO HELP ASSURE A GREAT FUTURE FOR ARLINGTON INTERNATIONAL
When it comes to racing and breathing a sigh of relief, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes is all too familiar. He finished the Boston Marathon last April less than 30 minutes before a bombing near the finish line sent America into yet another swirl of diabolically spawned angst and disruption.
Last week, the sigh of the first-term mayor was over a matter important but far less tragic or cruel-spirited in scope. It was a moment to exhale over the news that a new bill ena-bling Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) into 2017 meant that Ar-lington International will conduct a full 89-card season beginning Fri-day, May 2.
“I was very, very happy to hear that the state legislature had assured a full summer of racing at Arlington,” Mayor Hayes said. “I was happy not only for the management and workers at the track but also for its many fans and especially for the village. So many of us in Arlington Heights take tremen-dous pride in the fact that we have a world-class race track right on our doorstep.”
Although the West Point alumnus will grudgingly admit he attended kindergarten in Mount Prospect, Mayor
Hayes and wife Susan began raising their family in Arling-ton Heights in 1983. After 22 years on the Village Board, Hayes breezed to victory in a three-way race last spring to
succeed the esteemed five-term Mayor Arlene Mulder.
“I was actually rushing to catch a plane out of Logan [Airport] be-cause that evening was Arlene’s last Village Board meeting when I got word of the bombing,” Mayor Hayes said. “My biggest delay in getting to Village Hall on time – and I had no time to spare – was getting through the horde of media that was waiting for returning Mar-athon runners at O’Hare.”
Hayes plans to run his fifteenth Boston Marathon in ten weeks.
After that, he will be on hand at A-I whenever the calls of community, celebration and Thor-oughbred racing intersect.
“The presence of Arlington International generates so much goodwill for all of us,” Mayor Hayes said. “My goodness, I think that’s reflected in the fact that the offi-cial village logo includes a horse’s head. It is our signature business. We greatly value Arlington and want to do any-thing we can to assure its future.”
