The Pizza Man's owner on Illinois horse racing industry: 'After he won, nothing really changed'
Illinois horse racing observers hoped The Pizza Man's historic victory in the 2015 Arlington Million could be the jolt the beleaguered local thoroughbred industry needed.
Running in ninth after a quarter mile, the 6-year-old gelding came back and crossed the finish line first, becoming the first and only Illinois-bred horse to claim victory in Arlington Park's marquee $1 million race, which has been held at the legacied oval since 1981.
The local racehorse, owned by Richard and Karen Papiese's Midwest Thoroughbreds, outraced a half-dozen international horses - three from Great Britain, and one apiece from Germany, France and Ireland - and a half-dozen others on that mid-August Saturday afternoon.
In the winner's circle, the South Side natives, joined by trainer Roger Brueggemann and jockey Florent Geroux, were handed the winning trophies by Mike Ditka, Denis Savard and Ozzie Guillen.
"The Million with The Pizza Man was by far superb. It was great," said Karen Papiese. "Especially in Chicago. Well, almost Chicago - Arlington Heights. It was definitely a big deal by far."
She and her husband will always have good memories of their day in the winner's circle, celebrating their horse's win in the premier Illinois race at the state's premier racetrack. They're also sad the place where they made those memories is closing in September, with the final Million Day being held this Saturday.
But they're also resigned to the fact that closure of Arlington Park was bound to happen because of a confluence of factors: declining purse structures that have led owners like the Papieses to take their racing operations elsewhere, and track owner Churchill Downs Inc.'s increasing interest in other forms of gambling besides traditional pari-mutuel horse race wagering.
"It's kind of sad," Richard said of Arlington's impending Sept. 25 closure. "I mean, it was coming though."
Despite the winning prize in 2015, the expenses associated with breeding and racing operations continued to add up. The Papieses have pared down since then, from 964 racing starts in 2015, to only 16 so far this year, and at tracks mainly on the East Coast. Outside the racing world, they're the owners of Midwest Store Fixtures in South suburban Monee.
"After he won, nothing really changed. I mean, when the money was gone for that next year, that was it," Richard said. "With the state of racing, it stopped us from breeding in Illinois at all. ... When there's no money, it's hard."
Besides the high-dollar graded stakes races like the Million, what makes it tough to compete in Illinois day-to-day are the smaller purse winnings, the Papieses said.
Horsemen like them long advocated for slots and table games at Illinois racetracks that could have helped boost the declining purses. After decades of lobbying and backroom deal making in Springfield, lawmakers finally approved the so-called racetrack racinos as part of a 2019 massive statewide gambling expansion package.
But it may have been too late to save Arlington. Churchill Downs declined to apply for the extra gambling, just months after taking control of a majority interest in Rivers Casino in nearby Des Plaines. Churchill put the 94-year-old track up for sale in February, with company officials saying the land is too valuable to remain for horse racing.
Richard said he doesn't have any ill will toward the Louisville, Kentucky-based corporation, which has controlled the 326-acre Arlington Heights property since 2000.
"They own the racetrack, and let's be honest, it's up to them to do what they want - what's best for them," he said.
As for The Pizza Man, after two more tries at the Million, he was retired from racing in 2017 after developing an ankle chip. The horse went to work in Brueggemann's barns on the Arlington backstretch as a stable pony, helping lead racehorses onto the track.
Brueggemann died last December at age 75 after being hospitalized with COVID-19.
"Roger handled a lot of our horses. He was our number-one trainer," Karen said, also noting their 2014 Breeders' Cup Sprint win with Work All Week at Santa Anita. "He always felt like he could do wonders with (both horses)."
Today, the pair of equines shares the same retirement paddock at Old Friends farm in Georgetown, Kentucky.
The Papieses won't be at the final Million Day on Saturday, wishing the best to other thoroughbred owners hoping to get to the winner's circle.
"It was a nice moment (in 2015) and hopefully they'll have a good moment coming up," Richard said. "All those people are good people."