Racing Returns to Suffolk Downs Sept. 3-4

Suffolk Downs will host the third and final of three weekends of live racing Sept. 3-4 for its 2016 racing season.

 The weekend highlight is the$75,000 Steve Pini Memorial Stakes on the 11-race card Saturday,

The Steve Pini Memorial Stakes is a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares. The black-type event has drawn a field of 11 and features some of the top trainers from across the country, including Christophe Clement, Mark Casse, and Bill Mott. The race is named in honor of Steve Pini, a third-generation Suffolk Downs employee and longtime track superintendent who passed away last year. There will also be a dedication in the paddock in his memory before the start of racing on Saturday. 

Over the course of the weekend at the East Boston, Mass. track, there will be three stakes restricted to horses foaled in the state: the John Kirby Stakes, the Massachusetts Stallion Stakes, and the Thomas F. Moran Stakes. Each offers a purse of $75,000 and is a showcase for the Massachusetts Thoroughbred breeding industry.

"We are thankful that we have been able to continue the tradition of racing here during this transition phase as we look toward the future development of the property and we look forward to working with the local horsemen and women, the local breeding farms and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to continue racing again next year," said Chip Tuttle, Suffolk's chief operating officer.

Suffolk Downs has also, as it did last year and for the races in July and August, reduced the takeout to 15% on all wagers. The takeout rate also has been lowered from 26% on all multiple bets. The reduction is from 19% on straight win, place, and show bets. 

Post time is 12:35 p.m. EDT and gates open at 11:00 a.m.