Chicago's Horse Racing Venues (Images of America Series) »

Kimberly A. Rinker, a 1983 graduate of the Ohio State University, has been involved with Chicago horse racing since 1984--both as a writer and as a participant. A licensed trainer-driver of Standardbreds, Rinker represented the United States in the International Drivers Championship in Moscow, Russia, in 1995. Rinker is also an award-winning journalist whose features have appeared in the Horseman and Fair World, the Harness Edge, Sports Eye, the Chicago Tribune, Illinois Racing News, and Hoof Beats.

The popularity of horse racing in Chicago has yet to be rivaled in any other metropolitan area. Since the 1800s, the Windy City's enthusiasm for both harness and Thoroughbred racing led to 10 major racetracks being built in the Chicago area. Four of those raceways--Balmoral, Maywood, Hawthorne, and Arlington--are still racing and thriving today. From Washington Park, Lincoln Fields, and Worth Raceway on the city's South Side, to the Near West Side venues of Hawthorne Race Course and Sportsman's Park, to Arlington Park's northwest locale and Aurora Downs to the west, Chicago's racing community has enjoyed a long and sometimes scandalous history. Chicago's Horse Racing Venues provides insight into Chicago's rich racing history and a behind-the-scenes look at the people and horses involved.

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 The Early Years: Before the 1920s 9

2 Glory Days: The 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s 19

3 Swing Time: The 1950s, and 1960s 45

4 Night Fever: The 1970s 75

5 Million-Dollar Babies: The 1980s 99

6 Turbulent Transitions: The 1990s 111

7 The New Century: 2000 and Beyond 119

Afterword 127