The IRB cited Suburban Downs’ “inability to provide documentation demonstrating its financial integrity.”
The board suspended operations at the suburban Chicago circuit early this year after failing to submit the required bonds. Harness riders had also complained about not having access to income from the track, which had been owned by the Carey family for generations.
Tim Carey, Hawthorne’s current president and general manager, was scheduled to address the Jan. 28 Racing Board meeting, but Chris Block, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said his organization was “extremely disappointed” to learn that Carey did not plan to attend.
Suburban Downs and Hawthorne are separately licensed, but the joint family ownership has had consequences for both organizations, including restrictions on incoming simulcast signals and widespread reports of financial difficulties.
“Today, the Illinois Racing Board made a very difficult decision to suspend Suburban Downs’ operating license,” said IRB Director Domenic DiCera. “On January 15, the IRB requested bank statements reflecting the operating fund and any funds related to racing activities at Suburban Downs.
“Unfortunately, their financial difficulties, including failure to provide financial documents demonstrating their ability to fulfill their allocated 2026 race dates, have led to us suspending their license.”
Hawthorne is the only remaining thoroughbred track in the Chicago area and one of only two in Illinois. The financial problems go back years and are intertwined with long-delayed plans to convert the old grandstand into a casino, as approved by the state of Illinois in 2019.
Hawthorne received a preliminary green light from the Illinois Gaming Board and demolished the grandstand, leaving only a metal skeleton, in preparation for construction, but was subsequently unable to obtain financing to proceed. Despite repeated assurances that a deal is close, none has yet materialized.
Carey recently told the board in September, before being awarded 34 race dates for 2026, that he would announce a deal in the fourth quarter of 2025 and begin construction in early 2026.
DiCera said the IRB will consider reinstating the license if Suburban Downs provides the required documentation.
Located in the southwestern suburb of Stickney, near Midway Airport, Hawthorne describes itself as the oldest continuously operated, family-owned race track in North America. Thomas Carey purchased the facility in 1909. The track features a 1-mile dirt oval and a highly regarded 7-furlong grass track.
The only other remaining track in Illinois is Fairmount Park in downtown Collinsville, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Fairmount, after a similarly long delay, opened a casino under new ownership in April 2025. It lacks an artificial grass court.
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