Deal in Place for Meet at Brockton Fairgrounds

The Massachusetts Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Carney Family, owners of the Brockton Fairgrounds, have finalized a two-year purse agreement for 30 days of live racing at the facility in 2016 and 2017.

"We have a deal," said Chris Carney. "We don't have any dates set yet. We have to go back to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to see how much money is approved, but we're looking at purses of about $150,000 per day, depending upon how much we'll have allocated from the Race Horse Development Fund.

"We're planning on running two to three days per week, and with local horsemen," he continued. "I don't want to run any five-horse fields. I want eight-horse fields. So if I have to run two days per week until the middle of October, I will."

Bill Lagorio, president of the horsemen's group that splintered from the New England chapter of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, added, "It took some details to work out, but this will be beneficial to our group and the Carneys. The response from the New England horsemen and jockeys has been overwhelmingly positive. I've gotten so many calls from people who are excited to come home that my phone died. I think we'll have a very solid horse population."

The Carneys also own Raynham Park, which hosted live greyhound racing before it was outlawed in Massachusetts several years ago. Raynham is now a simulcast facility. The family holds two agricultural licenses at the Brockton Fairgrounds and by law is entitled to 15 days of live horse racing for each calendar year. 

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission earlier granted approval for both license applications, and at the same time approved a separate license request from Suffolk Downs for six days of live racing in 2016. Suffolk and Brockton may not run on the same days.

Suffolk Downs recognizes the New England HBPA as the legitimate representative of the region's owners and trainers. Suffolk chief operating officer Chip Tuttle confirmed April 21 that the two parties are finalizing details on their negotiated agreement on a six-day meet.

Suffolk has a one-mile main track and 7-furlong turf course and chute. The Brockton Fairgrounds is a five-furlong track with no turf course and it last hosted a live meet in 2001.

"I'm putting up a Fontana Safety Rail right now. I'm going to grade the track in a week or so. I think we will have 250-350 stalls. I'm putting the barns back to where they need to be and half of them are already done," Carney said. "I'll do the other half within a month. I have revamped the judges' stand, talked to the tote company, and we are moving right along."

The Carneys are also moving forward with a partnership with the Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, headed by Neil Bluhm, in pursuit of a license to develop a resort casino project on the Raynham property. 

There is one remaining state casino license, designated exclusively for the Southeastern region of the state, left to be awarded among the total of three casino licenses for three separate geographical areas. The federally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag Native American tribe has broken ground on its casino in the region but does not need approval from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

"The tie up in the negotiations over the deal was with the land," Lagorio explained. "We had a wonderful meeting with attorneys from both sides and we hashed it all out. I am extremely grateful to Neil Bluhm, because he's the one who OK'd us using the property for live racing prior to any decision about the casino license being rendered."

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will begin public deliberations next week on granting the regional casino license. By state law it may grant up to three licenses but is not obligated to do so. The advent of the Native American casino in the same region may prove problematic for the Carney/Rush Street Gaming proposal. 

Meanwhile, with this racing agreement in place, Brockton holds lucrative simulcasting signals and Carney said the approval of the NEHBPA is not required.

"I'm going to send my signal out to whoever wants it and bring signals in," he said. "Any signal that is offered to one track in Massachusetts has to be offered to every track." 

When the MTHA broke off from the NEHBPA, a major bone of contention was the 2015 three-day meet at Suffolk Downs, which offered purses in excess of $500,000 per day. The purse structure for the 2016 six-day meet at Suffolk is the same, pending any changes in the allotment from the Race Horse Development Fund.

Members of the MTHA have consistently contended that the Suffolk purse level benefits out-of-state horsemen who ship in for the day at the expense of local horsemen, especially those who have nowhere to train and get their horses ready.

"My track in Brockton is going to cater to Massachusetts people. It might not be glitzy or glamorous like Saratoga or Belmont, but local people will make local money. That's what we're intending to do," Carney said.

Added Lagorio, "We're trying to get everybody back on their feet and that is the intent of the Race Horse Development Fund. It is to promote local racing and to have economic impact within the Commonwealth. Our people can't wait to go back to work."