Suffolk Downs Adds Race Day for Tribute

By Lynne Snierson

 

As live racing draws to a close at Suffolk Downs and an era ends, track officials are extending the meet by one day so that the 79-year-old track where Hall of Famers Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, John Henry, Skip Away and Cigar once thrilled fans will have a proper send-off.

 

"There has been an outpouring of support since last week's events and we felt that it would be more fitting to have the last day of racing here on a Saturday than on a weekday to give more people a chance to take part in a fitting celebration of the end of an era here," said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer.

 

The final day of live racing will now be Saturday, Oct. 4 rather than the originally scheduled last day of Monday, Sept. 29. The added day also gives seasonal employees an extra week of work, although full-time employees were notified that they will be laid off Nov. 20.

 

Suffolk's owners were candid prior to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission's vote to award the single Boston area casino license that if their gaming partner, Mohegan Sun, was unsuccessful in its quest to develop a $1.3 billion casino on track grounds that it would no longer be economically feasible to continue live racing and this meet would be the last. When the MGC favored Wynn Resorts' plan for a $1.6 billion casino two miles from the stable gate, Suffolk's fate was sealed.

 

The MGC has received considerable backlash in the wake of the track's announcement to shut down and the resulting loss of employment for several hundred track workers and 1,500 people in total who hold direct and non-direct jobs in the state's Thoroughbred industry. The commission has scheduled an open meeting for Sept. 25 and a "Thoroughbred racing update" is on the agenda.

 

Meanwhile, a referendum on repealing the 2011 law authorizing three casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts is on the statewide Nov. 4 ballot.



Although there are horsemen who have said they now intend to vote for repeal, New England HBPA officials are urging their members to vote against repealing it because the bill has guaranteed protections for the racing industry through the Race Horse Development Fund.



"If the anti-casino forces are successful in November and the legislation is repealed, there will be no money from casinos going into the Race Horse Development Fund to support our purses, our breeders and the people who work and live on the backside," NEHBPA president Anthony Spadea said. "This is a crystal clear issue."



Under the law, the Race Horse Development Fund receives 5% of the $175 million total license fees for the three casinos and one slots parlor, 9% of the slots revenue, and .625% of the combined casino gross gaming revenue. Of that total, 75% will go the state's Thoroughbred industry, with 25% to the Standardbreds, broken down with 80% dedicated to purses, 16% to breeders' incentives, and 4% for backstretch welfare.



The Thorougbred horsemen's share is projected to be about $130 million once all of the gaming facilities are operational. If no Thoroughbred track is running, the funds are to be escrowed for three fiscal years.



"We need to stand together to protect our purses and our livelihood. I cannot state this strongly enough. Any horseman who votes 'yes' for repeal is voting against his or her own self-interest," Spadea said. "Let's be strong and be 'Boston strong' for Thoroughbred racing."



Spadea told the members at a Sept. 20 meeting that he and other officials are working with experts to develop a viable plan to keep racing alive in Massachusetts. The NEHBPA has approached Suffolk Downs about a potential lease agreement with the track next year and track management said it will keep an open mind as long as the plan is economically feasible.



The repeal is Question 3 on the Nov. 4 statewide ballot.