The Bitter End: Arrogance Of Arlington Park Management Washes Away Memories Of A Better Time

In 2000, Richard Duchossois merged his family-owned Arlington Park in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights into the portfolio of the publicly traded Churchill Downs Inc. The new millennium was not kind to horse racing in Chicagoland. Sportsman's Park was a dud and a financial disaster. Churchill Down's Inc is majority owner of Rivers Casino 10 miles away. It turned down the opportunity created in 2019 by gambling expansion legislation that would have permitted an on-site casino at Arlington. The current meet at the track ends next month. There is no future for Arlington as a racetrack.

Tony Petrillo, the track's president, had a meltdown at the Mr. D. Stakes this year. He banned photographers from taking pictures of the big turf races. Richard Duchossois relinquished control of Arlington Park in 2000. O'Donnell fell in love with racing at Arlington in the 1970s. He believes the final days of this track will be bittersweet. The owner-trainer relationship between Arlington and Duchssoi has been a problem. It's been long and painful for O’Donnell. His gut feeling is that this is the end of the road for Arlington.