Chicago’s Arlington Park was once described “as the most beautiful horse racing track in America.” As many in horse handicapping know, the track has endured many struggles since its opening day in October 1927, when the Great Depression started. It went on to survive the Great Depression and World War II.
The first million-dollar race, The Arlington Million, was held at Arlington Park in 1981. The famous statue, “Against All Odds,” is a depiction of Hall of Fame rider, Bill Shoemaker. A board of John Henry (Hall of Fame horse), winning that inaugural Million, can be seen in the paddock.
However, the success of The Arlington Million was short-lived. Just four years later on July 31, 1985, a fire completely destroyed the grandstand. Fortunately, the fire did not reach the backside and no horses were lost. The remainder of the 1985 meeting was shifted to Hawthorne except for The Million, which was run at Arlington Park using tents and temporary bleachers. It took an extraordinary effort to pull off The Million that year, and Arlington was awarded an Eclipse Award, the first ever awarded to a racetrack.
Richard Duchossois, owner of Arlington Park, continued with innovative ideas. In 1986, Arlington held the 13-day International Festival of Racing. More than $5 million in purses were awarded during the meet, a massive amount of money for that era of horse racing handicapping.
Arlington’s grandstand was rebuilt in 1989, and the track came to be known as Arlington International Racecourse. The innovation continued in 2007, when they installed one of the first artificial dirt surfaces, commonly known as “Polytrack.”
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