FrankD. Wrote:
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> 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.

If you wrote a book with race track stories, or any story for that matter, I would buy it.

P-Dub