Bankrupt: Chicagoland Horse Racing Track To Close After 135 Years

When this place opened its gates for the very first time, Benjamin Harrison was the President of the United States, and there were only 44 states. Today, Benjamin Harrison is long gone, we have 50 states, and Chicagoland's last and oldest horse race track is closed.

For 135 years, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney wasn't just a place to bet on horses. It was a living piece of Illinois history that survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, changing gambling laws, devastating fires, and the rise and fall of horse racing's popularity.

Opened in 1891, Hawthorne became one of the oldest continuously operating racetracks in America and remained in the hands of the Carey family for more than a century. Along the way, it hosted some of the sport's biggest events, including the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Illinois Derby, while welcoming generations of fans who made a day at the races a family tradition. The track also became unique in American racing by hosting both thoroughbred and standardbred (harness) racing.

a group of people riding on the backs of horses

The End For Hawthorne Race Course Comes After Months Of Financial Turmoil

Hawthorne filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year with debts exceeding $100 million. A bankruptcy court approved the sale of the property to a developer for approximately $90 million, which pretty much ended hopes that the long-discussed casino project would give owners the financial lifeline they needed to keep racing alive at the historic site.

Hawthorne's closure leaves Illinois with just one active horse racing venue, Fairmount Park Racetrack, near St. Louis. For a state that once boasted several major tracks, including Arlington Park, Sportsman's Park, Washington Park, and Balmoral Park, that's a pretty remarkable change.

For longtime racing fans, Hawthorne's closing represents much more than the loss of another entertainment venue. It's the end of an era that stretched back to the horse-and-buggy days, when electric lights were still a novelty and Chicago was emerging as one of America's great cities.