Hawthorne’s Racing Stoppage Continues for Third Weekend

Harness racing at Hawthorne Race Course has stopped for a third straight weekend, extending a disruption that has Illinois horsemen waiting to get over a million dollars in owed prize money and creating new doubts about what is next for the track.

Over $1M in Purses Frozen After Hawthorne Bank Account Locked

The shutdown comes from what state officials call a banking issue with Hawthorne’s main account. Illinois Racing Board executive director Domenic DiCera says the track told regulators its bank froze the account in late 2022, causing checks given to participants to bounce. He said Hawthorne representatives promised him the money still exists but cannot be released until the freeze ends, reported Paulick Report. One of the bounced checks was for the state itself, and DiCera pointed out the track paid that debt, though horsemen still have not gotten their money.

Tony Somone, who heads the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, said his members have gotten about half a million dollars in checks that bounced. He also said trainers and owners have not even tried to cash another $300,000 to $400,000 in payments because they knew they could not access the account. A big chunk of this money comes from prizes won at the November “Night of Champions,” one of the biggest events in Illinois harness racing.

Illinois Racing in Limbo Amid Hawthorne’s Ongoing Banking Issues

They called off racing at the start of January because Hawthorne did not have a valid license for 2026. They got the needed surety bond, but financial problems stopped racing again on January 10–11, and now for a third weekend. The track and association decided together to cancel the latest races after Hawthorne said it could not go ahead. The track said it would split up the weekend’s planned purse money among entered horses, but the money cannot reach horse owners until the bank hold ends.

Worries go beyond harness racing. The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association sent a warning to its members that the ongoing stoppages might threaten the spring flat-racing season set to start March 29. The group pressed Hawthorne and officials to explain the extent of the financial troubles and the actions required to protect the only working race track in northern Illinois.

Hawthorne has faced challenges in recent years as plans to rebuild failed and relationships with simulcast partners soured. The track now stands as the last remaining racing site in the area, a situation that increases the industry’s worry as the closure drags on.The Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association stated they will continue accepting entries for the January 24-25 weekend, hoping to resolve the account problem.