Management Team

Richard L. Duchossois
Chairman

Richard L. Duchossois has been the guiding force for Arlington Park since 1983, when he headed a group that purchased the track from Madison Square Garden Corporation.

In addition, he is the founder and owner, with his four children, of the Elmhurst, Ill., -based Duchossois Industries, Inc., which operates or owns major stakes in a diversified group of businesses involving consumer products, entertainment and venture capital.

A Chicago-area native, Duchossois graduated from Morgan Park Military Academy and was attending Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, when he was called to active military service in 1942. He served in five European campaigns and was awarded various citations before being released from active service as a major in 1946. In 1991, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by Washington and Lee.

Since becoming involved with Thoroughbred racing, Duchossois has been an industry leader and has had a major impact on the sport both nationally and internationally.

Under Duchossois' leadership, Arlington has received three coveted Eclipse Awards. Arlington became the first racetrack ever to receive an Eclipse Award in 1985 for staging the "Miracle Million," which was run in front of more than 35,000 fans in temporary bleachers and tents 25 days after the entire grandstand was completely destroyed by a fire.

The track’s second Eclipse Award was earned in 1987 for the production of 10 television shows featuring Arlington's major thoroughbred stakes races. In 1989, two years after legislation was passed allowing Arlington to rebuild, Duchossois oversaw the complete reconstruction of the current Arlington Park, which earned the track a third special Eclipse Award for its extraordinary investment into the future of racing.

In addition, Duchossois personally received the 2004 Eclipse Award of Merit in recognition of his lifetime achievements in Thoroughbred racing.

In a year that witnessed the first visit ever visit by the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships to Arlington Park and the Midwest, Duchossois was named a co-winner of the 2002 National Thoroughbred Writer's Association Joe Palmer Award for "meritorious service to racing."

Duchossois has been honored many times for his contributions to international racing as well. He was the third recipient of the American Jockey Club's Gold Medal in 1986, and in 1988 he received the Special Sovereign Award by the Jockey Club of Canada for unique achievements in the racing industry. He also was the fifth recipient of the prestigious Lord Derby Award in London from the Horserace Writers and Reporters Association of Great Britain.

Among his other honors, Duchossois was inducted into the HBPA Hall of Fame and the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. He also was selected as Man of the Year by the Jockey's Guild.

He is currently a member of The Jockey Club.

Duchossois and his wife, Judi, live in Barrington Hills. His two daughters and one son, along with their families, live in the Chicago area while his other son resides in South Carolina.

William A. Thayer
Sr. Vice President of Racing

William Thayer has been with Arlington since 1972, when he left his position as vice president and general manager of the Finger Lakes Racing Association in Canandaigua, New York.

Thayer began a four-year association with Arlington in 1964, serving as racing secretary and steward before taking over as assistant executive director for the Balmoral Jockey Club. He later became director of racing and administrative assistant to the Balmoral president, a position he held before again serving as steward for the combined Arlington-Washington and Chicago Tribune Charities meetings.

After the 1970 season, Thayer joined the Illinois Racing Board as an administrative assistant. He worked there until he took over the management of Finger Lakes in 1971.

Thayer, known for his strong relationships with horsemen, has been responsible for bringing Secretariat, Foolish Pleasure, Spectacular Bid and John Henry to race at Arlington over the years. The respect he also holds with European horsemen is evidenced by the fact that the 1992 International Festival of Racing attracted the largest contingent of European horses to contest an event other than the Breeders' Cup.

Thayer and his wife, Connie, reside in Rolling Meadows. He has one daughter and three grandchildren.