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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
On May 31, the Spring Legislative session is scheduled to end. Again, there is renewed hope of an industry-saving gaming bill being passed. Currently, SB 1849 is the bill being supported by the horse racing industry. Click here for a fact sheet on that bill and stay tuned as the next two weeks could be critical to our future. Click here
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Monday, May 14, 2012
The IHHA is proud to administer a $5,000 college scholarship this year sponsored by a donation from Tom Lewandowski, generously given at the IHHA Hall Of Fame banquet. In addition, John Leahy and Jolene Leahy, have donated a 2013 breeding to Jereme's Jet, to be auctioned off this August and every year thereafter. 100% of the proceeds from that sale will go toward the "Big Tom IHHA Scholarship Fund" to provide needed educational assistance, this year and in to the future. Click here for an application or call the IHHA office at 630-323-0808 to have one faxed or emailed to you.
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Friday, May 11, 2012
Here is a short video produced by the Associated Press showcasing Vega, who was donated to the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences by Denny Pietranduono. It is just the first of hopefully many scheduled video’s that will chronicle this one of a kind program and the progress of Vega and her new born foal. http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/little-filly-born-in-chicago-high-school-barn-29254476.html
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Friday, May 4, 2012
Harness Racing fans called to create new slogan >>Click Here.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
While the IHHA is very pleased that horseplayers across the country are tuning in and playing Illinois harness racing, we have to remind local horsemen that the direct benefit to the purse account simply doesn’t exist with today’s model.
The bottom line is this: At this point in time, the Illinois horsemen’s purse account has earned $55,432 LESS this year for the purse account than we did in 2011. How is that possible when we are reporting record handles? Primarily, it is happening because while betting on our live product is significantly up, betting on other racetracks (Meadowlands, Woodbine etc.) from here in Illinois is substantially down. While we have generated $217,728 more this year for our purse account from our live product, we have generated $272,160 less this year for our purse account from “full card simulcasting,” (Illinois bettors wagering on tracks outside of Illinois) a total decrease of $55,432. This is a very complex issue but the current Illinois Advanced Deposit Wagering or ADW law is the primary culprit in our opinion. It is the reason that we are fighting so hard in Springfield to rectify it.
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
As many of you know, the long awaited 3% impact fee money was released in August of last year. With the horsemen’s share of that money we have increased purses by 50% and have budgeted that money so that it would last approximately until the end of 2013. Also, with the release of that money, the racetracks received their fair share. Maywood/Balmoral was allotted $18.6 million. From that portion, the racetracks were legislated to spend the money in the following ways:
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Improve and maintain backstretch and racing facilities.
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Market the sport.
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Operate it's racing facilities to conduct live racing.
No percentages of spending were put on those guidelines. The IHHA worked very hard to ensure that some of the money that the racetracks received was to benefit the everyday life of the working class horsemen. We have an entire list of projects that have been agreed upon with timelines that can be viewed below. So now, with our 2012 contract in place, Maywood/Balmoral has begun many of the improvements that the IHHA has requested.
At Balmoral:
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Numerous televisions have been added to the paddock.
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New saddle pads have been purchased
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Roof repairs have begun.
At Maywood:
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The driver’s room has been completely remodeled.
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New thicker padding is currently being added to the light poles
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The backstretch kitchen has been remodeled.
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Sufficient lighting has been added between the paddocks and the parking lot.
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New saddle pads have been purchased.
Other projects have also begun with plans in place and material being ordered. So far, the IHHA has been pleased with the progress on these projects. We look forward to the completion of the rest of the upgrades and improvements.
>> Click here for the complete list.
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Friday, September 30, 2011
These video’s have been put together and organized by the IHHA for our own You Tube channel. We will be adding more and more as we get closer to the October 27th veto session. Check back frequently for updates. They are accessible on our Facebook page as well and are beginning to gather serious momentum. We plan on having the Governor and all legislators watching these videos as we move forward. Click here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHarnessIllinois#p/u
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