I’ve read this thread and would like to make some corrections.....

The loss of Arlington is supreme but in truth, who didn’t see this coming?
CD lost Bay Meadows, Calder and now Arlington. The world has changed and horse racing as an industry was asleep at the wheel. OTB’s, tracks closing, etc.... it’s a joke that goes back until the 70’s!

Whatever move the industry made was wrong. 100 %, I’ll not go through them all, not enough room! The bettors and tide was going right, the industry went left.
Some tried, but were overruled, out voted or told to shut up and hide in the corner.

Priest wants Dick Duchossois to explain what happened 20 years after he sold the joint. The man was born on October 7, 1921. He will be 100 years old this year.
He sold the place after it was closed for 2 years to CD for 4 million shares of their stock. Anyone care to guess at CD’s price in 2000? Per usual he made a fortune..... And then some! The man is NO DUMMY......

I lived there 83-89, through the fire, the 85 million, yes same year as the fire.
86 & 87 under the tents, Manila 14-10-4-0 in 87, closed in 88 for construction and the current or lack there of plant was established in 89.

Dicky D. Was an operator, a decorated WWII Veteran, an operator who zigged and zagged. He made trades in the pits on LaSalle St. that were let’s say questionable. Who cares. That place made millionaires out of high school drop outs and broke them again.

Once one of the guys from whatever network carried the Million in the early days asked him to hold post for the Beverly D.(named for his ex-wife) 3-4 minutes so they could show it on tv.....Guess what his answer was?

They had a bet before simulcasting called the super bet in Illinois only 85-88 only. The 3rd, 4th and 5th races of the day you had to pick exacta, exacta and trifecta on the cards 3 worst races. Now again remember the timing!!! Steve Crist had not written about the pick 6, there was not a pick 3,4, or 5 in thoroughbred land.......
NO ONE (self included) knew how to bet YET! Most guys boxed 3 horses in the exacta’s, 4 in the trifecta, $864 for a buck in 1985......

There was an “investment group from Philly” that showed up and hit several super bets. They would show after a few days of carryover. Remember the year 1985, no or very little simulcasting. Arlington would handle a million a bit over a day, 2 million plus on a really big day. These guys would show up after the pool got up to 1/2 a million bucks or so. They bet 20k, 40k, 60k keeping on getting bigger as the play went on.

They showed at Arlington on 2 days before July 31, 1985. I’m not sure of the days of the week. They played 20 & 40k into it, it carried over. Day 3 they showed up and were called into DD’s office. No play, there money was no longer any good, they were barred from the track. That night Arlington Park burnt to the ground. 🤫

DD was a super business man and of course had an insurance policy that actually paid him every day he could not operate. It gave him the money to build the new Arlington 89-97 before the industry could not once again figure out the future as stated by billk5300 and cjestice.

The rest is history, BAD like the rest of the industry screaming back to the 70’s.

Frank D.