Raffetto Joins New England HBPA Effort

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By Lynne Snierson
 
Lou Raffetto, former Suffolk Downs vice president of racing, is teaming with the New England Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association in its efforts to structure a deal that would restore live racing at the track.
 
The horsemen are seeking to lease the East Boston, Mass., facility from its current ownership.
 
"I have nine years of experience with Suffolk Downs and I'm very proud of what we accomplished with Suffolk in general and with the Mass 'Cap in specific," said Raffetto, who was part of the team that re-opened the then-shuttered track in the early 1990s and returned the track's marquee race to national prominence. "Lazarus came back from the dead once. Let's try it again."
 
Raffetto, a racing industry expert, was introduced as a consultant to the NEHBPA by Anthony Spadea, president of the organization, to members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission at an Oct. 21 hearing held in Boston to solicit public input regarding the horsemen's placeholder dates application for a live meet at Suffolk in 2015.
 
The MGC drove a stake through the heart of the Thoroughbred industry in Massachusetts when it awarded the sole Boston area casino license to Wynn Resorts on Sept. 16 instead of to Mohegan Sun, which was partnered with Suffolk Downs. Immediately afterward, Suffolk's owners announced that this year would be the last for live racing and the meet ended on Oct. 4.
 
After the MGC received considerable blow-back from track workers, horsemen, breeders and other industry stakeholders for its decision, it said it would keep the door open as wide as possible for live racing to continue.
 
Some of the people directly affected by the track's closure and the executive director of the local Chamber of Commerce testified before the commission.
 
"I hope you can do something to keep us old farm guys going," said Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association president George Brown, 79, who is the state's largest breeder at his Briar Hill Farm, which has been in his family for 150 years.
 
The MGC must grant or dismiss the application of the NEHBPA, which initially applied for one date in 2015, by Nov. 15. If it is green-lighted, the horsemen must come back with a detailed plan for running a meet. Current state statute requires that the holder of a commercial license operate a minimum of 65 live dates.
 
"We hope to work out an arrangement with Suffolk Downs for the next three years of live racing at Suffolk Downs," testified Spadea, who along with Raffetto and NEHBPA executive director Bruce Patten will meet with Suffolk chief operating officer Chip Tuttle and other track officials on Oct. 22. "Bruce is an engineer by trade and I'm a financial planner. We're not racetrack managers. That's why we brought in Lou Raffetto."
 
Raffetto, who was also a top executive with the Maryland Jockey Club for almost a decade, said, "I thought the hearing was worthwhile. The commissioners were very interested in the concerns of the horsemen and were receptive."
 
One day earlier, the MGC held a similar hearing in Brockton, Mass. to receive input on the two 30 dates applications submitted by the owners of the Brockton Fairgrounds. An agricultural license holder is required to race only 30 days minimum.
 
"It went very well," said Chris Carney, whose family owns the facility which last hosted a Thoroughbred meet in 2001. "We own the land, we own the track, we have a proven record and we love racing. The last time we didn't have the horses, the purses, and the right tax structure. The timing is a lot better now. We don't have to fund the purses now."
 
Purses would be funded by the new Race Horse Development Fund, which was established in the state's 2011 expanded gambling legislation to protect the racing and breeding industry. The RHDF will be supplied by a percentage of the future three resort casinos and one slots parlor and a portion of the license fees for each.
 
The RHDF will supply tens of millions of dollars annually, with 80% of the revenue designated for purses, 16% for breeders, and 4% to welfare, when the facilities come online. If there is no Thoroughbred racing in Massachusetts in the near future, the horsemen's share will be held in escrow.
 
"There are many obstacles and hurdles they have to get over at Suffolk Downs," said Carney. "We could amend our applications for 60 days or more and would race two days a week for most of the year. We're not going to be Belmont, Saratoga or Santa Anita. We're going to be the local minor leagues of Thoroughbred racing. We want to utilize our property and give the local horsemen a home, and we're excited about it."
 
The MGC has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 23 to draft regulations pertaining to the RHDF. In September, the MGC accepted a subcommittee ruling that the fund be split 75% to the Thoroughbred industry with 25% going to Standardbred horsemen.