The July 20 hearing for a federal bankruptcy judge to approve the $90-million sale of Hawthorne Race Course to a non-racing entity stretched into a sometimes-contentious, day-long affair that will be continued on Wednesday, July 22, according to the court's docket.
Significant issues that were discussed but still need to be resolved include how long the humans and horses that live on Hawthorne's backstretch will be allowed to remain on the property, whether purses will be paid for recent races that occurred at Hawthorne, and whether Hawthorne can keep its license despite selling off the property.
“There's more than just economic harm that is at risk here,” the judge handling the case said, according to a report in Horse Racing Nation.
Hawthorne, controlled by the Chicago-area Carey family for decades, has been seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since Feb. 27 in an attempt to restructure between $100 and $500 million in debt.
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