New competition for Suffolk Downs?

[Glimmerglass]

The return of one of the since shuttered Mass Fair race tracks is possible although it isn’t in the Berkshires Region. Rather it’s Brockton which is (relatively speaking) just outside of the greater Boston area.

Feb 6, 2009 “Carney hopes to bring horse racing back to Brockton Fairgrounds”

Horse racing could come back to the city this fall, but only if the Brockton Fairgrounds no longer has to pony up money to another track, its owner says.

Racing ceased there in 2001 but only after returning after a 29-year absense

Flashback to NYT August 10, 2001 “Races Make Return to Fairgrounds”

‘‘We’re determined to give it our best effort,’’ said Tom Creel, Brockton’s racing secretary. ‘‘We’re scheduled to run from June 30 through Aug. 19. We’ve recruited horses from New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, even as far away as Florida.’’

Brockton, about 20 miles south of Boston, was a stop on a thoroughbred fair circuit decades ago. The circuit also included Franklin, Great Barrington, Marshfield, Northampton, Taunton, Topsfield and Weymouth. Each fair offered 6 to 10 days of racing. The circuit took the sport from the Massachusetts shore to communities in the Berkshires.

It was at Brockton that the infamous Carlos Figueroa gained his 'King of the Fairs" title including his training of Shannon’s Hope.

Back in 1963, Figueroa won five races in eight days on the circuit with a horse he trained named Shannon’s Hope. Figueroa said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals came to investigate. ''I told them, ‘I run Shannon’s Hope short distances, six and a half furlongs, no farther,’ ‘’ he said. ‘‘This Paul Revere, he’s a hero in Massachusetts, but he ran his horse 26 miles in one night!’’

[Glimmerglass]

Just to add - as it’s somewhat amusing - is the New York Times (link cited above) remarks regarding the challenges of TB racing at fairs:

Brockton offers seven to nine races a day, at distances from five furlongs to a mile and five-eighths. The track’s width allows for a maximum of eight horses per race.

Distractions at fairs are frequent. ‘‘At Marshfield, the Ferris wheel was so close to the track you went right under the seats as they spun around,’’ said Bubba Wilson, 41, Brockton’s second-leading rider this summer. ‘‘They call these places bullrings. Turn hard left at the French fries stand, then hard left again where they sell funnel cakes. Takes nerve, I tell you.’’

By comparison the TB fair racing in California isn’t quite as “yee-haw” as that description would depict. I cannot say I recall hearing of a horse taking a bite of funnel cake while going wide into a turn

[Glimmerglass]

More on the background on the attempt to revive racing there and why it ceased

Enterprise News Feb 6, 2009 “Carney hopes to bring horse racing back to Brockton Fairgrounds”

A bill filed at the Statehouse would eliminate a 2001 law that has required the fairgrounds to pay part of its earnings to Suffolk Downs in East Boston — an arrangement that has kept the Brockton track dark, according to its owner.

The 2001 law requires the fairgrounds to pay 3 percent of its receipts from simulcast betting on horse races — live broadcasts of races happening elsewhere, which could be bet on at the fairgrounds — to Suffolk.

It also only allows simulcast betting on days that the horses run at the fair.

Carney stopped racing and simulcasting at the fairgrounds in 2001, which had marked return of the thoroughbreds to Brockton after a nearly three-decade long hiatus.

That year was disastrous for the Carney family, which said they had invested $3 million into restoring the track and ended the season losing their investment plus $400,000.

Chris Carney, the son of George Carney and general manager of the former track, told The Enterprise in 2002 that the Legislature had put the 3 percent payment into law with the expectation that “Brockton was supposed to go over so big, everyone would share in the profits.”

The return of horse racing had also been marred its first day, when two horses had to be euthanized after being injured during races. The Carneys also blamed an especially hot summer for small crowds.

It appears the racing - only 2 weeks total - might be positioned around Thanksgiving time. No idea how that relates to a Fair being operational

[spooky01]

Thanks for the info. Just a couple of side notes–the timing fits right, Suffolk closes at the end of the 1st week in November and leaves alot of trainers in limbo, as many go to Tampa, and they don’t allow horses in untill the beg. of Dec. The jockey mentioned, Bubba Wilson past away about a year or two after Brockton ended. Very sad and unfortunate as he left a young daughter.
Marshfield Fairs turns were, to put it mildly…hairy…very tight and the ferris wheel did in fact distract alot of horses, making it even hairier. Part of me would love to see Brockton come back as I live very close and made some money ponying (which I love doing)but only if it is strickly regulated, which I believe it would be. The accident on the 1st day was terrible, a horse on the inside was not used to the tight turns of a 1/2 mile track and bore out badly, causing the wreck. It’s a little ironic…Carney has always been at odds with the other tracks, but has a small stable at Suffolk.

[Jessi_P]

I would love to see racing back at Brockton.

Spook, was Bubba Wilson brother or nephew to Billy Wilson that rides here at Mnr? And Bubba spent some time riding at Delaware Park I believe, rode quite a few Arabians? So sad.

The Timonium track is also a fair track, aka bullring. I remember being in the paddock one time and the trainer trying to give the non english speaking jockey instructions. They couldn’t communicate with each other, finally the trainer pointed at the ferris wheel and said “See that?? When you get THERE, GO FAST!” That must have been 20 years ago, when we lived in Cockeysville.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=spooky01;3863136]
Marshfield Fairs turns were, to put it mildly…hairy…very tight and the ferris wheel did in fact distract alot of horses, making it even hairier. Part of me would love to see Brockton come back as I live very close and made some money ponying (which I love doing)but only if it is strickly regulated, which I believe it would be.[/QUOTE]

It must take a fair amount of training to get a horse used to seeing a ferris wheel - with screaming people and lights - without spooking. I know my horses would start to slow down and I’d get the “WTF is that” feeling with her eyes getting wide

Agreed that any racing in 2009 just needs to be in line with safety precautions and suitable surface conditions, et al. No value in taking two steps back just in the interest of letting horses run in hopes of making a few bucks.

Suffolk shouldn’t be seen as the bad guy with Brockton’s demise. Nor should they take steps with their clout in the State house to hold back any chance for a little guy to fill a very tiny void in the racing calender .

[Acertainsmile]

Great, as if those poor lower level horses need another venue where they will be pushed beyond capability… The NE Fairs are a scary place.

[Glimmerglass]

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;3863176]
Great, as if those poor lower level horses need another venue where they will be pushed beyond capability… The NE Fairs are a scary place.[/QUOTE]

When going up against live racing dates at places like Suffolk, the Big A or Finger Lakes the since-lost MassFairs towards the end of their runs indeed only could entice (typically) horses that couldn’t make it on those other tracks. So ruled off horses like Zippy Chippy from Finger Lakes did continue to race at Northampton, etc.

I’m only reading the remarks from the owners but it would appear they understand that racing wouldn’t work if they again go up against the big tracks. So exploiting time on the schedule when Suffolk isn’t running live races could open a niche for runners stabled there to easily go down the road for a week.

All things being equal any trainer would go for a larger pursed race but if the chance of getting anywhere near in the money is vastly less at the Big A then an alternative like Brockton would gain interest.

I’ve cited this before but it was a good article from ESPN’s Bill Finley on the demise of the Mass Fair circuit: ESPN December 21, 2005 “Thanks for the memories”

excerpt

They all had a charm that modern-day racing at major tracks so desperately lacks. Part of that was the outside attractions. There were the tractors pulls and 4-H shows, the cotton candy and caramel apple stands, the Ferris wheels and tilt-a-whirl rides. Part of it was the racing.

Watching bottom-level claimers whip around a half-mile track might not be for everybody, but there were those of us who thought that brand of racing to be every bit as entertaining and as fascinating as Saratoga. To say, the least, the fairs were never dull.

There was the time an 18-year-old named Golden Arrow ran at Great Barrington in 1979. Zippy Chippy came within 1 1/2 lengths of breaking his notorious losing streak, which eventually reached 100, when he finished second in 2003 at Northampton.

And the exposure to fraud and schemes …

In 1983, I was on hand to witness how shamelessly crooked racing at the fairs could be. Right out of college and working my first job in racing, I was assigned to the fairs by the Daily Racing Form to work as a chart taker and was not too thrilled to learn that I would be making less than $200 a week. What I didn’t count on was that my stint at Marshfield was going to present me with the greatest betting opportunity of my life.

Because there was no press box there, we had to work from a card table behind a bay of mutuel windows. I sat in front of a mechanical board that showed how much had been bet on each exacta combination, information that was not made available to the public. By watching what exacta combinations were taking an inordinate amount of money, I was, essentially, in on the fix. I cleaned up, once cashing, I kid you not, after standing in the same line as a jockey.

[spooky01]

Jessi P–not sure as I only met him that one year, although I do remember him riding at Marshfield and North Hampton in prior years

I do agree that the NE Fairs can be a horrible place, I kinda “grew up” there. Always wanted to be a jock until opening day at Marshfield, my first year, sitting behind the gate on my pony and seeing a very bad spill right in front of me, decided right there and then to stay on the pony and just gallop in the am to get my fix. But for the most part, I thought Brockton did a good job on the track surface and I would think you would get alot of Suffolk personnel (i.e. track vets) working Brockton and our head track vet, (Dr. O’Gorman)is a very caring and attentive vet. Not at all afraid of ticking off trainers by scratching them, whether in the am or in the post parade.

[Acertainsmile]

I can only go by what I saw when I rode at Suffolk in the mid eighties… I believe it was Great Barrington, there were 3 guys in the gate with 9 horses… a nightmare to say the least… I had offers to ride at that fair, and politley turned them all down.

As far as Timonium, while it is still a “fair” I really have a hard time comparing it to what I witnessed in NE.

[Jessi_P]

Andi I assume you are saying Timonium was better than the NE fairs? How were they worse, sore-er horses that should have been retired instead of running at the fairs?

[Glimmerglass]

Just some pictures of Mass Fairgrounds racing

Zippy Chippy’s last race 9/10/2004 at Three County Fair, Northampton, MA

That was just his 4th start over 2 years; the track actually looks fairly uncluttered with side attractions and fair rides.

Today’s ‘racing’ to be found in 2007 at Three County Fair, Northampton, MA

It was a deadheat between 3 & 4

Aerial image of Brockton Fairgrounds (and track) from 2007

[Jessi_P]

Great pics, Glimmer.

[Acertainsmile]

[QUOTE=Jessi P;3863328]
Andi I assume you are saying Timonium was better than the NE fairs? How were they worse, sore-er horses that should have been retired instead of running at the fairs?[/QUOTE]

Jessi, yes you assumed right… although the medication rules between MD and NE are different, there were some pretty scary horse/rider combinations back then… along with a very poorly maintained track…Timonium still had to adhere to MD rules… I’m not sure if there were any at the fairs in NE…:winkgrin:

[spooky01]

not answering for acertainsmile, especially since I was only at Timmoniun once, and they were dark that day, but yes!!! It was very sad back in the 80’s and into the 90’s when we used to run Marshfield, Northhampton then Great Barrington and Suffolk and Rockingham were running also. By the time these poor souls got to GB they were in bad shape. The vetting was horrible, the trainers didn’t care if the horse made the course and the jocks had a death wish. There were two horses in particular that I used to gallop, that were so crippled I would get off in tears. One of them was Norman’s Woe, he disappeared after about a week, they wouldn’t tell me where he went, but I knew. Why did I do this and come back day after day? Well, if I didn’t gallop them the 200lb SOB, who didn’t give a rat’s a$$ would and 2 minute lick them around. I was very light back then and cared deeply about them, I felt that If I wasn’t there, they wouldn’t have anyone to love on them. It was pure torture for me. But 20 years later, I am very proud to be affiliated with Suffolk who truly has proven that this is unacceptable behavior and does a great job making sure sore horses aren’t run and that when they are done, they are placed. Not saying it’s perfect, but were getting better.

[spooky01]

slightly off topic but…acertainsmile, do you remember Mr. Pontiac? He was my first OTTB. I got him at age 10, he ran at Suffolk and Rock and all the fairs. He one 7 in a row with Debbie Long one year. Yet, that iron horse retired sound (well he had some jewerly).

[War_Admiral]

Just for nostalgia purposes I’d loff to see racing at Brockton again.

Old-timers: anyone from the 60s remember Good-oh? Big black horse? He was my big eq. horse later, but ran at Brockton every so often when being reconditioned after layup b/c his owner/trainer lived nearby.

For the OTTB fans here, I was squinting and squinting at this pic (thanks Glimmer, these are cool) trying to remember where the SHOW grounds were: weren’t they in the upper-left quadrant of the pic?? So you showed literally right next to the track - ALWAYS fun with a TB who had raced there! :lol: My old guy wouldn’t do much more than flick an ear, but I remember some serious meltdowns from younger, less experienced ones!

[Jessi_P]

[QUOTE=Acertainsmile;3863368]
.Timonium still had to adhere to MD rules… I’m not sure if there were any at the fairs in NE…:winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

I bet you this was HUGE - at least Timonium is still running under the MD Racing Commission and subject to their rulings. Who was going to enforce a drug policy at the fairs?

When we were at Delaware years and years ago I sold a couple horses to go the Northampton Fairs. Guy was coming thru the stable area looking specifically for speedball type horses to run at the Fair. I had a couple with good early speed that couldn’t quite get the 5 furlong minimum distance, so I sold both of them, one a filly named Talisan. She had a second or two then was retired. I know that Talisan has had at least 6 foals, happily the Fair wasn’t the end of the road for her.

[Barnfairy]

'Pretty sure Shannon’s Hope accomplished his five race in eight days win streak at the Marshfield Fair, not Brockton.

Strictly from a welfare standpoint, the racing I remember at Marshfield and Northampton was the lowest of the low. I’d have a hard time getting excited about racing at any of the New England fairs, unless maybe it involved Shetland ponies or Hippity Hop horses.

[spooky01]

[QUOTE=Jessi P;3863775]
I bet you this was HUGE - at least Timonium is still running under the MD Racing Commission and subject to their rulings. Who was going to enforce a drug policy at the fairs?

Well, as with all other states, there are rules, I just think that they may have been “overlooked” at the fairs, jmo. But as I said before, for the most part, things are not “overlooked” like they used to be. Who knows if/what or when things are not looked at as closely, but they are a heck of alot better than they used to be!