Illinois' Arlington Park Won't Commit To Racing Without Spectators

Arlington Park President Tony Petrillo did not make a commitment to “spectatorless” racing at his track during last Friday’s Illinois Racing Board meeting, adding another layer of intrigue to the 2020 horse racing season in the Land of Lincoln ahead of Friday’s potential Phase 3 re-opening of the state. Petrillo reiterated that he has not given up on live racing this summer in response to a question from Commissioner Benjamin Reyes in April’s meeting about “pulling the plug” on the schedule. But Petrillo also pointed out that without the “OTB (off-track betting) network up and fully operational, spectatorless racing at this juncture is not possible.”

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