History
Arlington Park opened in October 1927 in the northwest Chicago suburbs and grew into one of the Midwest's leading Thoroughbred tracks. It introduced early innovations such as a public-address system and an electric totalizator, and Citation and Cigar were among the champions who raced there.
In 1981 the track launched the Arlington Million, the first million-dollar Thoroughbred race. A fire in July 1985 destroyed the grandstand, and the track returned in 1989 as Arlington International Racecourse with a new six-story grandstand; it hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2002.
Churchill Downs, owner since 2000, ended racing on September 25, 2021, and sold the 326-acre property to the Chicago Bears, who closed the purchase in February 2023. Demolition began that spring and the grandstand was gone by late September 2023.
The Bears announced Arlington Heights as their stadium site in 2025 but reopened their search that December, and in June 2026 the team's board voted to pursue a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, without formally ruling out Arlington Heights. The future use of the cleared site is undecided.
Why it matters: Home of the Arlington Million and one of the most important Midwestern racetracks, now central to the Chicago Bears' stadium saga.
Timeline
- October 13, 1927
The track opened to about 20,000 spectators.
- 1981First Arlington Million[1]
The Arlington Million was the first Thoroughbred race with a $1 million purse.
- July 31, 1985Grandstand fire[1]
Fire destroyed the grandstand and clubhouse.
- 1989
The track reopened as Arlington International Racecourse with a new six-story grandstand.
- 2002Breeders' Cup[1]
Arlington hosted the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.
- September 25, 2021
Churchill Downs ended racing; four days later it announced a sale agreement with the Chicago Bears.
- February 15, 2023
The Chicago Bears closed on the property for $197.2 million.
- September 26, 2023
The last grandstand supports came down two years and a day after the final race.
The site today
| Physical status | Demolished[1,2,3] |
|---|---|
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
We have not verified what occupies the site today. Know? Tell us, with a source.
Venue facts
| Official name | Arlington International Racecourse |
|---|---|
| Other names | Arlington International Racecourse (1989–2021) |
| Location | Arlington Heights, Illinois, adjacent to the Illinois Route 53 expressway (about 326 acres), Arlington Heights, Illinois[1] |
| Venue type | Racetrack |
| Sports | Horse racing |
| Level | Thoroughbred |
| Opened | October 13, 1927[1,2] |
| Last used for sports | September 25, 2021[1,2] |
| Demolished | 2023–2025[1,2,3] |
| Physical status | Demolished |
| Final capacity | 35,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | 35,000 including 12,000 clubhouse seats per Wikipedia; 20,000 attended the 1927 opening. |
| Surface | Dirt, replaced by synthetic Polytrack in 2007; turf course |
| Owner / operator | Independent ownership; Gulf & Western (1968-1983); Churchill Downs Inc. (2000-2023); Chicago Bears (since February 2023)[1,3,4] |
| Closure | Owner Churchill Downs closed the track and sold the land for redevelopment. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Arlington Park, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, capacity, closed, demolished, events, opened, owner operator
- Luckily we have the memories: Arlington Park grandstand no more as Bears' future there remains uncertain, Daily Herald. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, demolished, events, opened
- Here's a timeline of the Chicago Bears' search for a new stadium, Shaw Local. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: demolished, events, owner operator
- Chicago Bears board of directors votes to push stadium to Hammond, Indiana, NPR Illinois. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: current land use, owner operator
- Latitude and longitude of Arlington Park, latitude.to. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: coordinates
Research confidence
Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Full demolition: Wikipedia's lead says the racetrack was fully demolished in August 2025; no independent source fetched confirms completion of all demolition (grandstand completion on September 26, 2023 is corroborated by the Daily Herald).
- Wikipedia's history section and lead disagree on the stadium plan (September 2025 Arlington Heights announcement vs. June 2026 Hammond vote); NPR Illinois (June 5, 2026) confirms the Hammond vote and says Arlington Heights was not formally eliminated.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.