MassCap Monkey
T.D. Thornton, author of the excellent new book “Not by a Longshot,” said many good and interesting things about slots, racing, and great horses in today’s Blood-Horse chat, but this exchange just might be the highlight:
Peabody, MA: When I went to the MassCap when Cigar ran there was a MassCap monkey. He was not there when Offlee Wild won the race. Can you tell management to bring back the monkey?
Thornton: If you ever see one of these Blood-Horse chats and wonder if acquaintances of the guest ever try to sneak through an inside joke or two, this is your proof right here. This is a strange-but-true press box tale from the days of yore at Suffolk, when we actually did hire an organ-grinding monkey to roam through the crowd and entertain the fans on big racing days. We used to have a rather nice (but somewhat batty) old lady who constantly called the track to ask — of all things — when the monkey was going to be back for a repeat performance. It was a riot, because we had just delivered the best horse in the world (Cigar) to the Boston fans two years in a row, and here was this woman, very insistent and earnest, about how the “MassCap Monkey” was the star of the show. Gotta give the people what they want, I guess.
The MassCap will be run this year on September 22 after a two year hiatus. New track owner Richard Fields is offering substantial bonuses to attract a strong field; there’s been no mention of a monkey.
MassCap Coming Back
Reports the Boston Herald today:
In a move that is already generating buzz in racing circles, Fields and his fellow track owners are weighing plans to spend well over $1 million on the event …
“Bringing back the historic MassCap is just one component of our extensive plan to return racing to greatness at Suffolk Downs,” [lead owner Richard Fields] said in a statement.
He and fellow owners, who include Hub concessionnaire Joseph O’Donnell, are now busy hammering out the details of their plan to bring back the MassCap, most likely in September.
The Massachusetts Handicap dates back to Suffolk Downs’ opening in 1935 and was a G2 race until this year; it lost its graded status after being cancelled two years running. Its last renewal was in 2004, when Offlee Wild, Funny Cide, and The Lady’s Groom treated a packed grandstand to a thrilling three-way stretch duel in which Offlee Wild prevailed by a nose.
On This Day …
– “On this day in 1936, Tom Smith, an experienced horse trainer, spied an unlikely looking three-year-old Thoroughbred on the track at East Boston’s Suffolk Downs.” [Thanks to our friend Bill for the link.]
– Trainer John Rigattieri “is on a winning streak not seen at Suffolk Downs since John F. Kennedy was known only as a Harvard student.” The trainer kept the streak alive on Saturday with one win, on Monday with two, on Tuesday with another two, and on Wednesday with an impressive four wins out of the day’s nine races.
Suffolk Draws a Crowd
It was the best opening day since 1998: More than 14,500 people turned out at Suffolk Downs on Saturday to catch the first day of live racing at the track in nearly six months.
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Trainer John Rigattieri returned to his winning ways at Suffolk, with three wins on opening day (four, actually, but Tri Like the Devil was disqualified in the ninth). Favorites dominated, winning seven out 10, as did early speed — seven races were won wire-to-wire and two more by horses near the pace.
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Our good friend Bill at RacingFigures.com is posting Suffolk Downs ratings again this year — mostly for Monday cards, but occasionally for Tuesday (this calendar displays specific dates). The speed ratings Bill did last year were a great supplement to past performances, often identifying horses that ran very well at the track, and the sheets are free to download. Be sure to check out the site: Ratings for several other US tracks, such as Philadelphia and Hollywood, are available as well.
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Jessica Chapel writes and edits in Massachusetts. Railbird is a Thoroughbred horse racing blog published from June 2004 to July 2019. More / Contact
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