Arlington Park

Amid uncertainty over whether or not the track will be dark in 2020 as negotiations with Churchill Downs continue, the Arlington Racing Department has released the track's 2020 Stakes Schedule. The August 15th $1-million dollar GI Arlington Million is the highlight of the 18-stakes schedule worth $3.65 million. Opening May 1, the highlight of the 68-day race meet is the International Festival of Racing where, in addition to the 1 1/4-mile Million, Arlington also hosts the 1 3/16-mile $600,000 GI Beverly D. Stakes for fillies and mares and the 1-mile $500,000 GI Secretariat Stakes for sophomores. Both the Million and the...

Taylor Made Farm will offer the largest consignment at next week's Keeneland January Sale and today, Mark Taylor is our Green Group Guest of the Week on the Writers Room horse racing podcast. The possible closing of Arlington Park, economic indicators for racing and Eclipse Award finalists are among the topics we discuss.

Despite receiving an email from Churchill Downs officials saying they were ready to resume talking, Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Mike Campbell said he thought the odds of the track holding a live meet in 2020 were "50-50." The horsemen and Churchill, which owns Arlington, have been at odds since August, when Churchill stunned the Illinois racing industry by not applying for a casino license at Arlington. Churchill also owns the nearby Rivers Casino Des Plaines in Des Plaines, Illinois. Without any promise of having gaming revenue available to supplement...

Barely 18 hours after a state-mandated Dec. 31 deadline elapsed for having a purse contract in place, the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (ITHA) lashed out at Arlington International Racecourse and its publicly traded ownership, Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), claiming that the gaming company "deceived Illinois" and is now "threatening the future of live racing at Arlington by refusing to commit" to funding adequate purses for the 2020 meet. The ITHA's allegations were listed in a point-by-point press release sent to news organizations late on New Year's Day, and the top...

Peter Brant's Eclipse Award winner Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) is one of eight pre-entries for and looks to become the first in the 30-year history to win the GI Beverly D. S. more than once when she lines up in the 9 1/2-furlong heat at Arlington Park Aug. 10. Trainer Chad Brown, who has sent out the winner of the Beverly D. for four consecutive years, is also set to be represented by GI American Oaks winner Competitionofideas (Speightstown) as well as Brant's Thais (Fr) (Rio de la Plata), a...

Goffs UK have unveiled the five initial entries for their Goodwood Sale, which takes place after racing during the Glorious Goodwood Festival July 31. The boutique sale is in its second year and features both racing and breeding prospects. Among the initial entries are the Archie Watson trained pair Nate The Great (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Hurcle (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). The former is a progressive staying 3-year-old who finished third last time out in the G3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket while 2-year-old colt Hurcle made a winning debut...

Juddmonte Farms homebred Riposte (GB) (Dansili {GB}) hopes to return to the sharp form she displayed last term and score her first win of the season in Saturday's GIII Modesty H. at Arlington Park. Finishing off 2014 with victories in Belmont's GII Sheepshead Bay S. May 2 and GII New York S. June 5, the Bill Mott pupil kicked off this season with a runner-up effort in Gulfstream's The Very One S. Feb. 21. Fifth in that venue's GIII Orchid S. Mar. 28, the bay was fourth in this year's...

Live Oak Stud homebred World Approval (Northern Afleet)--a half-brother to champion turf horse Miesque's Approval (Miesque's Son), MGSW & MGISP turfer Za Approval (Ghostzapper) and MGSW grass runner Revved Up (Sultry Song)--takes a second crack at graded company in Arlington's GIII American Derby Saturday. Transferred to Mark Casse after making his first two starts on the main track for trainer Christophe Clement, the gray earned his diploma at Gulfstream in his turf debut for the Casse barn Mar. 14. Winner of Tampa's state-bred Sophomore Turf S. Next out Apr. 4,...