Bittersweet Finale for Closing Suffolks Downs

By Lynne Snierson



Carl Gambardella, the all-time leading rider in New England, hadn't been back to Suffolk Downs in four years but he made sure that he was on hand for the last day of the meet, as it is slated to be the 79-year-old track's last.



"This is a sad, sad situation," said the winner of 6,456 races and member of the New England Turf Writers Association Hall of Fame. "This track is a big part of the sports world in Boston, just like the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins. When I rode here, the stars from those teams would always come to the track."



But those days, and the daily big crowds and high handles, are long gone. The current ownership group has lost more than $60 million in the past few years and the final straw came Sept. 16. That's when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission dashed all hope for a $1.3 billion casino developed by Mohegan Sun on the racetrack grounds. Instead, it granted the sole Boston area casino license to rival Wynn Resorts, which intends to build a $1.6 billion casino only two miles from the stable gate.



Without a casino, it was lights out for Suffolk Downs.



"I came here to be a part of the closing ceremonies," said the rider known as "Gamby," who hung up his tack 20 years ago and cannot count the number of stakes victories on his resume. "It's a sad, sad situation. The people in the racing community here have been very good to me for 40 years and I have a lot of wonderful memories. Now I'm sad to say this is the fourth New England track I've closed. Add Suffolk to Rockingham Park, Lincoln Downs, and Naragansett Park."



Those tracks made up the long gone New England circuit. Now that the last of the 17 Thoroughbred tracks which once ran in the region has ended live racing and will stop simulcasting and all other operations in December, the horsemen and riders who call Suffolk home will be dispersed.



"I don't know where I'm going. My husband, John, who is my agent, and I have three small children. It's all up in the air," said Tammi Piermarini, who won two races on the nine-race card to add to her total of 2,358 that make her the third-winningest female rider in history. "I won my first race here and now I've won my last race here."



Closing day was a fitting tribute to the track's glorious past and an energized and enthusiastic crowd of 9,153 was on its feet cheering for every race. Each of the nine races, which all drew full fields for the first time in recent memory, was named for a special person, horse, or event tied to the history.



The fourth race was called "The Beatles" to mark when they took the city of Boston by storm in 1966 and performed in the infield. The first race was "The Eddie Wrack" in honor of the horse who won the first race on opening day in 1935.



Richard Phelan, 83, brought the silks of his father, who owned Eddie Wrack.



"I am excited and honored to be a part of history here again," he said after watching Restless Rebel win the first race with Dyn Panell in the irons. "The end of live racing and Suffolk Downs is a terrible situation. Everyone is going to miss it."



The day's last race was called "The Seabiscuit", in honor of the legendary horse who was stabled here in 1935 and won the first Massachusetts Handicap. Jockey Red Pollard and trainer Tom Smith, fellow Hall of Famers, called Suffolk home back then.



In the nightcap, Bo Badger, owned by Eighth Note Stable and trained by John Botty, prevailed  in a photo finish under a gutsy ride up the rail on a muddy track by veteran Taylor Hole. When they posed for the final winner's circle photo, the skies opened up and tears were falling as well



Kathy Botty, who has been her husband's partner as they trained many New England divisional champions over the decades, was overcome with emotion. "I can't explain what John and I are feeling right now," she said as applause erupted around them in the winner's circle. "It's overwhelming and unbelievable."



Hole, the son of former longtime New England jockey Mike Hole, said he could feel the excitement of the fans, who turned out hoping to be part of history.



"For 27 years, this racetrack has put a roof over my family's head," he said as his eyes welled up with tears. "I don't want to see it end, but if it has to, it was great to win the last race. It's great to win any race any day, but this one will always be extra special. "



There were long lines at the mutuel windows all day, and Chip Tuttle, who started in the track's publicity department in 1992 and rose to become the chief operating officer, was gratified by the turnout.



"This is a very nice crowd and all of our dining areas are packed," he said. "We wanted to accommodate all of the fans who requested a fitting tribute for the track. But today is bittersweet. This has been a very difficult past few weeks."



While Suffolk was having its send-off celebration, officials of the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective officials were hard at work in their on-site trailer trying to to put together an economically feasible deal to lease the facility and bring back racing next year.



On Oct. 1, the NEHBPA filed a preliminary application with the gaming commission for 65 dates in 2015. A complete and detailed application is due by Nov. 15.



"I feel absolutely terrible that this could be the end of live racing in New England, and I hope that we can put together a deal that will be the beginning of a bright new future," said NEHBPA President Anthony Spadea. "There are so many determining factors and we're trying to figure it all out. Our priority is to continue racing right here where we belong."



Tuttle reiterated that owners' position that while they are willing to keep an open mind and work with the horsemen, the lease arrangement is a long shot at best.



"The end of live racing is devastating," said trainer John Assimakopolous, who has also owned bred horses in New England with his father, New England Turf Writers Association Hall  of Fame member Charlie Assimakopolous. "Im relocating to Gulfstream, but my heart will always be here. This is home. We've been in the business here for over 35 years. Every year, the last day of the meet is always sad, but today is especially so.



"But I am a positive thinker and I will continue to hope that good things will happen and we'll reopen next year and be back racing," he continued.