Arlington
Park To Host
2002 Breeders' Cup
CHICAGO, IL
- /AP/ - Arlington
Park will host the "Super Bowl'' of thoroughbred horse racing
next October when the Breeders' Cup comes to the Midwest for the
first time.
The 19th Breeders'
Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on October 26, 2002 will feature
eight races with total purses of $13 million, highlighted by the
$4 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
"It brings our
culminating championship event to the third largest market in the
United States,'' said Tim Smith, commissioner of the National Thoroughbred
Racing Association.
Arlington closed
for two seasons in 1998 and 1999 before owner Richard L. Duchossois
worked out a deal with other racing interests, lawmakers and casino
operators to make his track more financially competitive with the
riverboats.
And last year
as it reopened, Arlington merged with Churchill Downs, Inc., which
has hosted five Breeders' Cups at Churchill Downs at Louisville,
KY.
Arlington executive
vice president Steve Sexton said the new seating would be phased
in during next year's racing season. He said it had not yet been
determined how many seats to the Breeders' Cup races would be available
to the public or how much those seats would cost.
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Arlington
Park will host the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships
for the first time in its history.
Jockey Pat Day,
a four-time Arlington riding champion and a four-time winner of
the Breeders' Cup Classic, said he's been presented with the perfect
combination.
"With the great
success I've had at the Breeders' Cup and at Arlington
Park, I'm looking forward to it. I think I'm speaking on behalf
of all the riders,'' said Day, who has career Breeders' Cup earnings
of $21.7 million.
This year's
Breeders Cup championships were held at Belmont Park.
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Aurora
Casino Expands Parking Facility
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 DALLAS,
TX - Hollywood Casino Corporation announced on December 4
that it wil lease approximately 4 acres from the Aurora, Illinois,
YWCA for the development of a new parking facility. The parking
expansion will include a new parking lot, porte cochere entrance
and a climate controlled walkway that will directly connect
the new parking facility with Aurora's new dockside casino
which is currently under construction. The new parking facility
will increase the Aurora
Casino's parking capacity by at least 30% and will significantly
improve customer access to the property. The new parking lot
will be the closest and most convenient parking facility for
customers visiting the new dockside casino. The company anticipates
commencing construction of the new parking facility in March
of 2002 with the parking expansion, scheduled to be complete
by the end of the second quarter of 2002.
Management
believes that the new parking facility will enable the Aurora
Casino to more fully utilize the spectacular new dockside
casino that it is currently constructing. The new dockside
casino will be connected to the property's existing pavilion
in a seamless manner, providing a land-based feel for the
property. The new dockside casino will have 53,000 square
feet of gaming space on a single level, replacing the property's
existing riverboats which offer 29,500 square feet of gaming
space spread out on eight floors of the two boats. The superior
quality and significant additional passenger capacity of the
new dockside casino will position the Aurora
Casino to dramatically increase its penetration of the
largely untapped Chicago gaming market. The passenger capacity
for the new dockside casino will increase by 70% to 3,200,
from the 1,875 total passengers that can currently be served
by Aurora's two existing riverboats. The new dockside casino
will have a luxurious and richly appointed interior, and will
feature high ceilings and wide aisles that will greatly enhance
the comfort and feel of Aurora's gaming product. With the
addition of the new parking facility, the total cost of the
Aurora expansion is approximately $75 million. The Aurora
expansion is proceeding on its construction schedule, which
calls for the first half of the dockside casino to open by
the end of the first quarter of 2002 with the full dockside
casino operational by the end of the second quarter of 2002.
Hollywood
Casino Corporation owns and operates distinctive Hollywood-
themed casino entertainment facilities under the service mark
Hollywood Casino in Aurora, Illinois, Tunica, Mississippi
and Shreveport, Louisiana.
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