Everyone will still get some benefit, but not nearly what was hoped for when the bill passed.<\/p>\n
In a way, the last two or three months have sort of been a microcosm of horse racing in general,\u201d he said. \u201cIn that, it\u2019s such a game of ups and downs. Your horse is in a good spot and he gets sick, or your jockey, who is the leading jockey at the track, is sick today and you have to put up a rookie and he gives the horse a bad ride. Or, you win the race and then there\u2019s an inquiry.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He said that some younger horsemen have decided to move on to other states. But for some, they\u2019re already committed. Take, for example, breeders who have stayed in Illinois to have their mares produce foals strictly to take advantage of races and bonuses for Illinois-bred horses at in-state tracks.<\/p>\n
Some of those decisions took place years ago in hopes casino gaming would come to fruition and boost purses. Others became committed once Pritzker signed the bill into law.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople made plans,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople committed to Illinois in certain ways. So those people really have felt that the rug was pulled out from under them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Horsemen in Illinois say they are still reeling from the decision by Churchill Downs Inc. not to pursue a casino license for Arlington International Racecourse, and they want the state to take action. Earlier this month, Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen\u2019s Association (ITHA), wrote an op-ed piece saying state gaming officials should […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":118068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,14577],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Illinois Horsemen 'Blindsided' by Churchill Downs Want State to Act<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n