Suffolk Downs Set for Live Racing Aug. 6-7

Suffolk Downs will host the second of three scheduled live racing weekends Aug. 6-7. 

The highlight of 10 races on the Aug. 6 card is the $75,000 Drumtop Stakes, a one-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. The race has drawn a field of eight and features some of the top trainers from across the country, including Christophe Clement and Mike Maker.

Over the course of the weekend at the East Boston, Mass. track, there will be three stakes restricted to horses foaled in Massachusetts: the Louise Kimball Stakes, First Episode Stakes, and Last Dance Stakes. Each offers a purse of $75,000 and is a showcase for the Massachusetts Thoroughbred breeding industry. 

The First Episode Stakes will feature a rematch between the defending winner, Navy Nurse, and two-time winner Dreamed a Dream, who won back-to-back editions of the race in 2013 and 2014. 

The Last Dance Stakes has attracted a field of 11, including last year's winner, Worth the Worry, and Victor Laszlo, who won the race three times from 2012-2014.

In addition to the Drumtop Stakes and the Mass-bred stakes races, Saturday's card will feature five turf races, including a $20,000 optional claiming race with a purse of $45,000. That race has drawn a field of 10 and will be contested at one mile. Some of the trainers with runners entered include Wesley Ward as well as former Suffolk Downs leading trainer Jay Bernardini.

"We know this race meeting is a little unconventional but it's about the only way we could keep racing going in New England and give local horsemen a chance to earn purses over the short-term," said Chip Tuttle, the chief operating officer at Suffolk Downs. "We appreciate horsemen shipping in to support it and the cooperation we are getting from other tracks on the East Coast."

As it did last year, Suffolk Downs has also reduced the takeout to 15% on all wagers, down from 26% on exotics and 19% on straight wagers. Post time Saturday is at 12:35 p.m. EDT and gates open at 11 a.m.