With live racing right around the corner, please take a look at the new safety rules that will be enforced and that we will follow at Hawthorne.

COVID19 Horse Racing Guidelines 5.28.20

Preview Article 2020

County Fair Supplement letter 5-28-20

Hawthorne qualifiers are scheduled for Monday, June 1^st at 2 p.m. and Wednesday, June 3^rd at 11:00a.m. If your horse raced after Friday, March 6 you will not need to qualify. You can if you’d like but it’s not mandatory. Effective June 10, qualifying standards will then go back to the traditional 45 days. We will resume live racing on Saturday, June 6^th and Sunday, June 7^th. We will then return to our normal three night a week schedule after that. There may be an adjustment on starting post time to maximize our opportunity for handle. The revised stake schedule and Summer Series can be found by clicking the links below. Because of the obvious lack of simulcasting wagering the past three months, we will start back with a 15% reduction in purses. We are hopeful that it will be the only purse cut of the year. The Illinois Racing Board will be open for licensing at the racetrack, days and hours to be announced soon. Strict safety protocols will be in place. Everyone must follow new rules. When entering the backstretch, you will have your temperature taken, masks will be worn at all times. Social distancing will be enforced. New paddock and ship in areas will be designed to conform to the rules. We will follow these rules religiously. No one person is more important than the whole of the industry. Do not show up without a mask and don’t take these warnings lightly. We have sacrificed too much lost time already to risk a setback.

2020 NOC and CV race dates REVISED 5.26.20

2020 Summer Series Revised dates

Also this just added…

Qualifiers on Friday and Saturday at the Springfield State Fairgrounds. Weather permitting qualifiers will be held Friday and Saturday at 11:00a.m.

We’ve just learned today that we have been cleared to begin live racing beginning Monday, June 1st. The specific details are still being ironed out but we hope to have qualifiers early part of next week and then go live the weekend of June 5th. An adjusted stake schedule will be announced as soon as possible and more exact details will be made as well. Check back here throughout the day.

During the Governor’s daily 2:30 press conference today he mentioned that within the next few days his staff will release safety precautions for a few open aired industries that will be able to open on Friday, May 29. Hopefully, as we have said many times, horse racing is one of those industries. Wish we could be more conclusive, but we simply cannot. As soon as any news comes our way, we’ll let everyone know immediately. We will also let you know the plan for qualifiers and an adjusted stakes schedule if necessary.

Our legislative team, along with the ITHA and the ILHBPA, have been active in Springfield the past three days. The session hasn’t concluded yet, but we are still working on a few things for the betterment of our industry.

We will update again as soon as we hear anything meaningful. Stay tuned. Thanks.