Arlington Park hires general manager for track

After 17 years of working at Arlington Park, Tony Petrillo can now start living his dream.

Petrillo, who most recently was the vice president of facilities and operations at the Arlington Heights racecourse, has been promoted to general manager and will assume full operational control of the facility.

“This is my dream job and I'm very excited to get started, Petrillo said. “I've been a part of the Arlington Park team as well as a part of the racing and local community for many years, and that's given me an understanding of what makes Arlington Park so special. I believe we've got a great future.

It is not clear, however, if Petrillo's new role means Arlington will leave open the position of president that was vacated by Roy Arnold earlier this week.

With speculation that slots may eventually be approved for Arlington and other Illinois racetracks, it's possible track officials could hire a gaming-centric president to run that side of the business while Petrillo would handle the racing operations.

“Tony has earned this opportunity with the dedication and commitment he has shown to Arlington Park, said Bill Carstanjen, chief operating officer of Churchill Downs Inc., the parent company of Arlington Park. “Tony will bring a renewed focus to delivering the very best racing and customer service experience to Arlington Park's patrons and fans.