Lake County Gazette

Sen. Dan McConchie met with members of Citizens for Conservation to discuss the group’s plans to restore Hill’n’Dale Farms, a massive horse farm once owned by Dick Duchossois, he announced in a Sept. 22 Facebook post. The group purchased the property in 2022.

"Earlier this week I met with Citizens for Conservation to learn about their plans to restore Hill'n'Dale Farms, a 246-acre horse farm in Barrington Hills that belonged to the late Dick Duchossois, the former owner of Arlington Racetrack, back to its native habitat of prairie, wetlands, and savanna," McConchie said. "This will be a huge asset for the region to have this property contributing to the natural environment and preserved for future generations!"

According to an August 2022 Chicago Sun-Times article, the planned restoration of the site is expected to protect open space and “provide a critical wildlife corridor within the 4,000 acre Spring Creek Forest Preserve. The sale was announced on Aug. 16, according to the paper. It quoted Kim Duchossois, who is the daughter of the late Richard Duchossois. She said: “We know how important this land is to the community, and it was absolutely critical for our entire family to make certain that the property would be protected and maintained as open space.”

Sen. Dan McConchie | SenMconchie.com

WTTW reported in August 2022 that the purchase was funded with a 44.9 million grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and that Citizens for Conservation was aiming to raise another $5 million for ecological restoration and an endowment for the upkeep of the property. "A concept map of the site shows plans for a mix of prairie, savanna and marsh habitat, which will support native plant and aquatic communities, grassland birds (such as Bobolink, Bittern, and Henslow’s sparrows), and wildlife that originally occupied the land, including endangered species such as the rusty patched bumble bee."

Richard Duchossois died in January 2022, at the age of 100. He owned Arlington Park, and according to Blood Horse, Duchossois “brought the 2002 Breeder’s Cup to Arlington, owned one of the leading breeding farms in Illinois, and actively worked to influence and shape the racing industry.” It also notes that he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2019, in addition to other awards. He sold Arlington to Churchill Downs, Inc., in 2000.

Senator Dan McConchie has represented the people of the 26th District since 2016. He is a veteran of the Army national Guard, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Central Bible College, and a Master of Arts in Christian Thought with an emphasis in Bioethics, from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife live in Hawthorn Woods, according to his legislative biography.