Polzin named Arlington racing secretary, director of racing

Polzin is Arlington’s new director of racing (Four Footed Fotos)

Christian A. Polzin, a longtime racing official on the Chicago circuit, has
been named director of racing and racing secretary at Arlington Park, it was
announced Friday by track president Roy Arnold.

“After conducting a nationwide search and interviewing a number of
high-quality candidates from all over the country, I am proud to announce that
the right person for the job was already here in Chicago and that we were able
to promote Chris as our new director of racing and racing secretary,” Arnold
said. “Chris’s many years of experience as assistant racing secretary and stakes
coordinator gives him the relationships necessary with horsemen locally,
nationally and internationally to move Arlington’s stakes program and overnight
racing forward in 2010.”

Polzin, a Chicago native and son of former Chicago Tribune handicapper
and turf writer Elmer Polzin, got his start in racing working in the Arlington
Park press box as a statistician in 1981. His first job as a racing official
came in 1982 at Sportsman’s Park and he joined the Arlington Park racing office
in 1985 as clerk of scales. He has been the assistant racing secretary here
since 2005 and prior to that was stakes coordinator from 1991-2002. The
55-year-old Polzin has also served as assistant racing secretary at Hawthorne
Race Course and Sportsman’s Park.