Arlington Park

The grandstand at Arlington International Racecourse, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Arlington International Racecourse was founded as Arlington Park by California businessman Harry D. "Curly" Brown who would later serve as president of Oriental Park Racetrack in Havana, Cuba.[1] The track officially opened in 1927 to 20,000 spectators. Jockey Joe Bollero, who later became a successful trainer, rode Luxembourg to victory in the first race ever run at Arlington.

Benjamin F. Lindheimer acquired control of Arlington Park in 1940 and owned it until his death in 1960.[2] Long involved with the business, adopted daughter Marje Lindheimer Everett then took over management of the racetrack.[3][4] Widely respected Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Jones of Calumet Farms was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying that Lindheimer "was the savior of Chicago racing" and that "Arlington Park became the finest track in the world—certainly the finest I've ever been on." [3]

On July 5, 1948, Citation won the Stars and Stripes Stakes in his first appearance since winning the Triple Crown. He equalled the track record at the time by winning in 1:49 1/5.

On June 24, 1952, jockey Eddie Arcaro becomes the first American jockey to win 3,000 races.

After 1955, seating capacity was increased to 30,000 and parking facilities expanded to accommodate 15,000.

In 1960 a new paddock was unveiled.

In 1964, Arlington Park inherits the thoroughbred race dates of Washington Park, who is now exclusively running harness races.

In 1966, future Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. gets his first American victory.

In 1968, the future Hall of Famer Dr. Fager wins the one-mile Washington Park Handicap in world record time of 1:32 1/5. He carried 143 pounds and held that record until 1998.

In 1968, Marje Everett sold the racetrack to Gulf & Western, remaining as director. In 1969, she was accused of bribing Illinois Governor Otto Kerner Jr.. The alleged bribes were in the form of stock options in 1961 that Kerner bought at a reduced price and then sold in 1968 at a profit. Kerner was eventually convicted of mail fraud, but Everett denied at trial that she intended to bribe him, and the government never identified her as a briber.[5]

In June 1973, Arlington organized a race for 3-year-olds, the Arlington Invitational, to lure Secretariat to the mid-west. Secretariat won easily and Arlington created the Secretariat Stakes, also for 3-year-olds but on the turf, in his honor.[6]

In 1981 under the direction of track president Joseph Joyce Jr., Arlington was the home of the world's first million dollar thoroughbred race: The Arlington Million. The result of that race is immortalized in bronze at the top of the paddock at Arlington, where a statue of jockey Bill Shoemaker riding John Henry to a thrilling come-from-behind victory over 40-1 long shot The Bart celebrates Thoroughbred racing's inaugural million dollar race.

Arlington entered a new era in 1983 when Richard L. Duchossois led an Illinois investment group to purchase the track from its former owners and made a pledge to continue presenting championship racing. That was tested on July 31, 1985, when a small fire spread quickly out of control and completely destroyed the grandstand and clubhouse. Unsure of the future of Arlington, the meet was moved to Hawthorne Race Course. Yet it was announced that the Arlington Million would still be held at Arlington International. On August 25, 1985, they did just that by using temporary bleachers. Joyce resigned in 1986 after disagreements with Duchossois.[7] The track fully reopened in 1989 under a new name, Arlington International Racecourse.

In 1996, 34,000 fans jammed into Arlington to see the two-time Horse of the Year and future Hall of Famer Cigar tie the modern day record of 16 consecutive wins in the Arlington Citation Challenge.

Due to contract disputes, Arlington went dark and had no racing in 1998 and 1999.

In 2000, Arlington reopened after a two-year shutdown. In September of that year, Churchill Downs Incorporated completed its purchase of the track. In 2001, Arlington reopened as Arlington Park but returned to Arlington International Racecourse in 2013.[8]

Racing on the polytrack at Arlington International Racecourse, on Memorial Day Weekend of year 2007

Arlington hosted the 2002 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at their track.

In 2007 to promote safer racing, Arlington International Racecourse invested $11 million to install a synthetic racing surface called Polytrack which is still used today.[9] Do the Wave won the first race on the Polytrack on May 4. On May 11, Arlington debuts an alternate finish line at the 1/16 pole.

In 2016, Arlington debuted the Arlington Racing Club, an ownership group with the goal to garner interest in thoroughbred ownership.

The Arlington grandstands

The track has a one-mile and one-eighth dirt oval and a one-mile turf oval. There is stabling on the backstretch for over 2,000 horses.

Arlington replaced its dirt course with a synthetic track prior to the opening of the 2007 season.

• Tony Cobitz (1990–91)
• Caton Bredar (1988–1991)[10]
• Lynne Snierson (1992–1994)
• Christine Gabriel (1995–1997, 2000–2005)
• John G. Dooley (2000–present)
• Molly Ryan (2006)
• Liane Davis (2006–2007)
• Zoe Cadman (2006–2007)
• Lauren Massarella (2006–2008)
• Joe Kristufek (2006–2018)
• Jessica Pacheco (2008–2013)
• Alyssa Ali (2007–present)
• Gabby Gaudet (2014–2015)
• Brian Spencer (2015–2017)
• Noel Michaels (2018–2019)

Arlington's live racing season currently runs from the first Friday in May to the second to last Saturday in September. Since 2001, races at Arlington have been announced by John G. Dooley.

The following stakes were held at Arlington in 2019.

Grade I

• Arlington Million
• Beverly D. Stakes
• Secretariat Stakes

Grade III

• American Derby
• Arlington Handicap
• Arlington Classic Stakes
• Arlington Matron Stakes
• Chicago Handicap
• Hanshin Cup Stakes
• Modesty Handicap
• Pucker Up Stakes

Listed

• Addison Cammack Memorial
• Arlington-Washington Futurity Stakes
• Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes
• Hatoof Stakes
• Isaac Murphy Handicap

Former Races

• American 1000 Guineas Stakes
• Arlington Oaks
• Arlington Sprint Handicap
• Lincoln Heritage Handicap
• Round Table Stakes
• Sea o'Erin Stakes
• Stars and Stripes Turf Handicap
• Washington Park Handicap

• The Encyclopedia of Chicago (online version)
• Arlington Park: History
• Equibase: North American Thoroughbred Racing Starters: Jockeys

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arlington International Racecourse.

• Arlington International website
• Arlington International entertainment
• Google+