COLLINSVILLE – Horse racing has a long history in the state of Illinois; it has meant much to the state’s economy and to the people who ply their trade in the horse racing business.
For many, many years, two horse-racing tracks, Fairmount Park in Collinsville and Cahokia Downs in Alorton, offered year-round activities for both thoroughbred and standardbred horses for both horse and harness racing. Cahokia Downs, however, folded in the spring of 1980 after the Illinois Racing Board declined to give dates to the track for that year after being open for 26 years.
Fairmount Park, however, has seen both good and not-so-good times since opening for operations in 1925 and despite the challenges, has remained open for live racing and still attracts good crowds for its live racing cards, which this year runs through Labor Day, with racing at 1 p.m. Tuesdays (the popular Tuesday afternoon “Horse Hookie” cards) and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays (Friday night racing cards were also held this year from June 10-July 15, the “Party at the Park” events that featured live bands) as well as interactive racing cards from all over the world throughout the year.
“We’ve survived world wars, depressions – you name it, we’re still here,” said Fairmount Park spokesman Jon Sloane. “I think we’ve had very steady business straight down the line, but with American Pharoah (who became the first horse to win the sport’s Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – in 37 years last year) boosting interest both nationally and internationally in thoroughbred racing with the Triple Crown win last year, we’re continuing to get a bounce and we’re having a very good season.”
The track still attracts a wide variety of people – from families, groups and even fans who still look over tip sheets and The Daily Racing Form newspaper to try to pick the day’s winners – to the track for live racing. “We get everybody,” Sloane said. “Tuesday has a great tradition that we call ‘horse hookie’ Tuesday afternoons during the summer,” Sloane said; “we get a tremendous crowd – families, we get the railbirds, we get the regulars, we get the kids home from school with their parents.
“Every day, we’re doing well attendance-wise, but Tuesday afternoons, we’re dong exceedingly well.”
Fairmount Park is one of five racetracks in the state of Illinois still operating and the only one outside the Chicago area; many factors have affected racing operations in the state, including the expansion of casino gambling (for many years, racetracks were the only places where one could place a legal bet) and the establishment of combined racetracks and casinos in several states (including Iowa and Indiana), often called “racinos”, have hurt the horse racing industry in Illinois.
Efforts in the Illinois General Assembly to allow racetracks to also offer slot machines have stalled several times; twice, a gambling expansion bill reached the desk of then-Gov. Pat Quinn, only to see Quinn veto it and the Assembly fail to override his veto. Money generated by the slot machines would go to help increase race purses and attract more horses and the people (owners, trainers, jockeys) to Illinois racetracks, including Fairmount.
“We’ve been trying for years, and we’ve come close a couple of times, to get slot machines at racetracks, including Fairmount Park,” Sloane said. “It’s been a huge success at many states all across the country and it’s turned racetracks around; it would be a tremendous boost for us because it would create more jobs, more revenue, more racing days – which would be a boost for us.
“We’re still working with the legislature and Gov. (Bruce) Rauner and hopefully, we can get such a bill to his desk before long and hopefully, he’ll sign it; we’re still working on it.”
Fairmount has had some difficulties in recent years; the number of live racing dates has declined in recent years. In 2015, the track only had 54 days of live racing, and this year, the track cut the number of live dates to 42, mostly on Tuesdays and Saturdays. “It has to do with the availability of purse money,” said Fairmount racing secretary Bobby Pace. “We’re at our lowest level that we can be; basically, we’re waiting for the legislators to save (the state’s horse-racing) industry. We need a gaming bill passed to save the industry.
“Several years ago, (a bill) was passed by the (state) House and Senate, but unfortunately, it was vetoed by (Gov.) Quinn twice; he said he didn’t want to turn this area into Las Vegas Midwest; four or five years later, he allowed every bar in Illinois that has a liquor license to have five video-poker machines. We couldn’t figure it out, but right now, we are the No. 1-debted state in the nation – we passed up California a few years ago – and a gaming bill would be very helpful for the state of Illinois and help save the industry.”
Not being able to have higher purses for the races has hurt the track in attracting better horses to their races, Pace believes. “With the purse structure that we have, we’re having a problem (attracting) higher-quality horses,” Pace said, “but we have so much loyal support from some of the trainers here that are just hanging in there. I hope something happens for their benefit; they’ve been hanging in there for so many years and they support the place, just like our crowds.
“Our crowds are bigger than in Chicago or in Indiana; Indiana has slot machines. You go to Indiana Downs (near Indianapolis), they have 300-400 in the grandstand, we have a couple of thousand. The area has always supported (Fairmount) and will continue to do so, but we have to get something going. My problem right now is trying to put together races; we’re offering very short fields because of the shortage of horses. The amount of foals is down significantly because people are bailing (out of the industry).
“It’s very important for their legislators to realize that this is an industry; we contribute more than tax money throughout the state via the people who grow the hay and the oats and the taxation that’s done here at the racetrack and employees. If the racing goes defunct, it’s going to put the state at a bigger loss than it already is.”
Still, fans flock to the track from all over the St. Louis metro area to see the horses run and try to pick the winners and the Daily Double (the winners of the first two races of the day) as they take part in the tradition surrounding horse racing. “I take a couple of hours off every Tuesday to come to the track,” said Tom Kolak of Fairview Heights. “I’ve been coming to the track for the last decade-plus, first for Party at the Park and for the last 2-3 years, for Horse Hookie. I’m with the friends I’m with (sitting at a table near the finish line); it’s pretty cool. A few dollars to bet, a few beers – it’s a good time.
“You always hear about the track going away, so hopefully, it won’t go away and we can keep it going.”
“I’m trying to make some money,” joked Joe Card of Fenton, Mo., during Tuesday’s card. “It’s a lot of fun. I hope the track will still be here; it’s a good time with friends.”
For more information on live racing at Fairmount and other activities, including interactive racing at the track, visit the track’s web site at www.fairmountpark.com.
