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Racing Archive

Winning Bets, Losing Fans

Michael Gee went to the track with newbies on Saturday:

Cornelius, a Bruins fan of note, was the third member of our party. He’s roughly my son’s age. He had never been to a horse race. He didn’t know how to read a program or the Daily Racing Form, at first anyway. But before the nine-race card was half over, Cornelius cashed a big ticket, hitting an exacta that paid $97.20 for a two dollar bet. And he was hooked. By the seventh race, Cornelius had hit another exacta, was deep into exotic wagering, and observed, “maybe it’s a good thing for me this place is closing. I can see how this could get serious.”

Cornelius was a lost opportunity for Suffolk Downs.

This is another way in which Suffolk’s closing will reverberate through the industry. A region without a racetrack is a region that isn’t feeding a lot of new racing fans and bettors into the game. That’s a hit, especially when the city without a track is as young and populous as the Boston metro area.

Posted in Racing on October 6, 2014 / Tagged Suffolk Downs

The Massachusetts Experiment

One year’s decline isn’t a trend, but the fatality rate reduction at Suffolk Downs reported by racing director Jennifer Durenberger is still impressive:

Let’s look first at the catastrophic injury rate for the meet: 1.24 per thousand starts. This is down from 1.73 in 2013 — a nearly 30 percent reduction …

Thanks to the Jockey Club’s Equine Injury Database (EID), which captures data from an amazing 93 percent of all flat racing days, we know that the average catastrophic injury rate in 2013 was 1.9 per thousand starts. That includes all horses — young and old, graded stakes competitors and seasoned claimers, sprinters and routers, turf specialists and mudders. When we separate that by surface, we see a nationwide average of 1.63 catastrophic injuries per thousand turf starters and 2.08 per thousand dirt starters. At Suffolk Downs in 2014, the turf rate was 1.44 and the dirt rate was 1.20 — less than 60 percent of the national average.

Among the losses incurred by Suffolk Downs’ demise, count the reform work done by state regulators in partnership with track management since 2012, work that included adopting uniform medication rules and a horse-first welfare policy, making racing safer for vulnerable (older, cheaper) horses.

Posted in Racing on October 6, 2014 / Tagged Equine Safety, Fatalities, Horse Welfare, Massachusetts, Reforms, Regulations, Statistics, Suffolk Downs

Closing Eve

Closing day at Suffolk Downs has long been poignant. Since the track became the last in New England, get-away day has meant a scattering — of horses and trainers and riders to Florida and Maryland and others points south — and the start of another winter. The backstretch empties. The grandstand echoes. First frost ices the infield, then snow covers the racetrack. What’s kept it from being sad has been knowing that come spring, the horses would be back.

But this Saturday, there’s another near-certainty: That the horses won’t return. That after 79 years, Saturday isn’t closing day for another season, but forever.

I’ve seen comments here and there that Suffolk’s end doesn’t matter, that its closing will bolster racing elsewhere, and that its best days are far in the past — the takeout is too high (say horseplayers), there’s too much racing for the market to bear (say industry wiseguys), the game is old-fashioned and can’t draw a crowd (say those who can’t see the beauty and challenge of it) — but I’ll miss the place, and its history and gritty charm, and all the good people who called it theirs and fought for its survival, coming back year after year.

I’ll miss my spot on the rail by the winner’s circle too, but not before I stand at it tomorrow for what’s likely the last time. I’m going to try to celebrate Suffolk until then, try to be like 89-year-old Mary Donatti, a regular since 1941. Asked by a Boston Globe reporter if she had more to say about closing day:

… the sprightly Donatti said, “No, I have to study,” as she peered into her racing form to prep for her day’s first wager.

That’s a woman who knows — there’s always another race.

There is a longshot possibility for next year: The New England HBPA submitted a “placeholder” application for a 2015 meet with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Wednesday. It’s talking with Suffolk Downs management about leasing the track. It’s exploring changing state simulcasting law so that monies can be diverted from purses to operations. “Don’t give up hope, yet!” a teller said to a first-time visitor drawn by Suffolk’s imminent shutdown. I’d like to think he’s right, but I’ll be there on Saturday to say goodbye.

Posted in Racing on October 3, 2014 / Tagged Suffolk Downs