The fair itself woulda cleared out by then. It only operated for the Labor Day weekend. The racing went another week or sometimes two.
[QUOTE=Barnfairy;3863783]
'Pretty sure Shannon’s Hope accomplished his five race in eight days win streak at the Marshfield Fair, not Brockton.[/QUOTE]
Noted and confirmed 
Although some in the media tweak the story a tad
Boston Globe 3/19/2004 “Bad Turn at Suffolk”
It used to be just the opposite. Figueroa remembers getting into trouble for running horses too much. In 1963, he ran Shannon’s Hope five times in six days at the Marshfield Fair, winning four times and incurring the wrath of the ASPCA.
Suffolk Downs profiles: Carlos Figueroa
In 1963, he saddled Shannon’s Hope to five wins in an eight-day span at the Weymouth and Marshfield Fairs.
Timonium is Saratoga compared to the NE fairs! I remember going to Marshfield and looking at the surface and saying “no f-ing way…” At that point it was deep marsh sand full of holes and sticks. Went to Northampton the same year and it was rock hard. I didn’t even want to trot on it, much less gallop.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d be concerned that trainers would use the fair venue to circumvent the “no kill” policy at Suffolk. And I recall the CANTER New England folks working so very hard to find homes for the fair horses (where was that last fairground?). While I’d love to support more racing in New England, I could only do it with some stringent animal welfare rules in place and enforced.
Slighty OT–the first year I had my OTTB, we took him to the 4-H clinic at the fairgrounds in May, and he flipped out. I actually got kicked (not on purpose, he was doing that TB-stretch thing only we didn’t know that’s what it was.) It took all day lunging until I could finally get on him and go around just a bit.
In August, we went to Fair, and during his first morning workout hour he was definitely zooey again. I figured in the evening workout we were dead, because then the midway rides would be turned on, there’d be a lot more people, and noise, and lights…so I took him out, got on him, he did one spook, and then seemed to say “Huh. Okay.” And was prefectly fine. Apparently, quiet fairground full of other horses and nothing else = BIG SCARY, midway full of screaming people and children and ferris whees and shooting gallery = business as usual.
True that. A few months after I brought Rasor home, I took him to a show (also at a 4-H fairground), and despite all the craziness in surroundings, he really wasn’t all that fazed. Not entirely unlike Hot Dog Safari day at Suffolk Downs.
Taking him for a quiet hack in the woods behind my house on the other hand? Now that can be a challenge. You see, after 10 years of backside living, Rasor is a city boy through and through. There are horse eating monsters in the woods, don’t you know. Since moving here, Rasor has had to endure a steady stream of “visitors” ranging from fox and deer to moose and, most recently, 25+ wild turkeys oozing out from the forest into one of the pastures. One of them even gobbled – the horror!!! You don’t need to wait for the National Geographic special; Rasor can tell you that turkeys are just modern day raptors!
Boston Globe Feb 15, 2009 “Off to the races again in Brockton?”
Horse racing at fairgrounds, however, will remain restricted to the dates an agricultural fair is running, as required under the law. “Horse racing is permissible if some form of agricultural activity is tied to it,” Kennedy said.
According to the senator, bills are being assembled and assigned to various State House committees for initial review. “Hopefully, this bill will be heard quickly,” he said.
Carney, in any case, doesn’t plan to run the horses during the annual Brockton Fair in July. At that time of the year, the weather is hot and Suffolk Downs is holding races of its own. [b]He prefers to run horse races in the late fall and early spring, which would give Brockton access to horses that race at Suffolk during the track’s season.
“It will give us a better caliber of horse than we’ve had in the past,” Carney said. “Anyway, it wouldn’t make any sense to compete against Suffolk Downs.”[/b]
To meet the requirement that horses run only during an agricultural fair, Carney simply plans to offer some type of fair during race dates. “We can make it festive,” he said.
One benefit, Carney said, would be a few extra weeks of work for Suffolk Downs employees.
“I want to run the horses when Suffolk Downs closes for the season, around Thanksgiving,” Carney said. “We’d run late November through about Dec. 10.”
“We’d take everybody that works at Suffolk Downs in the racing department, because they’re experienced,” Carney continued. “They would come down to Brockton, race the horses for two or there weeks before they take off for Tampa. Maybe some of the horses would board here for the winter.” Suffolk Downs reopens on the first Saturday in May. “Maybe we could open in late April and race for a week to 10 days,” Carney said.
Horse races were an integral part of the Brockton Fair when it was established in 1874 by the Brockton Agricultural Society. Back then, the fair was held in the fall, after crops were harvested. The event was held for nearly 100 years, interrupted only by world wars and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.
Circumventing the “no kill” policy
[QUOTE=frugalannie;3864249]
Maybe it’s just me, but I’d be concerned that trainers would use the fair venue to circumvent the “no kill” policy at Suffolk. And I recall the CANTER New England folks working so very hard to find homes for the fair horses (where was that last fairground?). While I’d love to support more racing in New England, I could only do it with some stringent animal welfare rules in place and enforced.[/QUOTE]
That could happen but you also have to recognize that since the trainers at Suffolk all have to remove their horses in November anyway, they could be sent to the killers from wherever they go next. We’re returning five Thoroughbreds back from Canada to New England that were sold for slaughter this winter.
David, thank you for your efforts, and those of your organization to help OTTBs. Will the names of the trainers of those horses be reported to Suffolk? Just curious how far their policy reaches.
I’m hopeful that more and more tracks will institute policies like Suffolk’s. While there will always be ways to circumvent any “no kill” policy, making it a less convenient option seems to be a good way to start.
Frugalannie
We’re not affiliated with Suffolk Downs and consequently have no reason to report our activities to them. The horses we’ve saved are in the US now. They’ll be transported to Watchtower Farm and introduced during an open house the last Sunday in April.
We’re returning five Thoroughbreds back from Canada to New England that were sold for slaughter this winter.
Did these horses originate from Suffolk-based trainers trying to circumvent the zero tolerance slaughter policy? That seems to be what you’re implying. If so, why wouldn’t you contact Sam Elliot? We can help protect even more horses if we all work together. :yes:
Hmm. No answer was the sad reply.
I take the lack of response to mean that the five horses have no connection with Suffolk Downs whatsoever.
Regardless, I’m glad they found a safe place to fall. Thanks for looking out for them, and others.
Sorry for the delay in following up; Yes the horses we saved were at Suffolk Downs. You have to recognize, however, that there are some good folks out there that are able to intercede and call organizations like ours when they come across slaughter-bound Thoroughbreds. If the people that sent the horses to slaughter were exposed, the opportunities to save many of these horses would go away.
We’re an independent, charitable organization. It’s not our mission to be involved in enforcing racetrack policy. To us, what’s important is that we’re responsive to Thoroughbreds in need, regardless of how their circumstances came about.
I hope this satisfies your curiosity. I’m not sure if your message was sincere, sarcastic or both…
Well, you made the decision to post on the internet inferring that you are essentially saving Suffolk horses from slaughter. Did you think no one would notice or care to look into it further?
I know I’m not the only one who feels that helping Suffolk enforce the zero tolerance slaughter policy in the long run helps protect more horses. Covering things up is exactly what has been going on in this industry for too long, and that serves only to allow the practice to continue.
Wendy took the words right out of my mouth.
I’m not sure I see the point in allowing trainers who send horses to slaughter to fly under the radar so they can continue their practices, especially if the horses are being picked up out of kill pen situations, and not from the track BEFORE the trainers resort to sending them “down the road”. I absolutely understand not wanting to tread on toes when it comes to accepting rehabs/retirees from trainers at the track, and feel VERY strongly about that, but if the horses have already left the trainer’s hands and are picked up at an auction, that’s a different story entirely.
Edited to add: I fully understand that given these particular 5 horses didn’t go straight from Suffolk to slaughter, there would be no action regarding them, but I still feel it’s important to communicate with Suffolk. The implication is that even if there was a horse found in a kill pen that had recently been at Suffolk, it wouldn’t be reported.
David, I have looked closely at the NETRC website. I appreciate that you are providing a wonderful retirement for many thoroughbreds. However, in past newsletters and on Watchtower’s page you have seen fit to take thinly veiled shots at Suffolk Downs, some of the trainers there, and CANTER New England. Some of the things written on your site are misleading, offensive, and out of line.
Based on what I have seen on your website and what I know to be true, your credibility to me is low. You have an obvious personal agenda. It is exactly the sort of thing which discourages trainers from working with thoroughbred retirement organizations, ultimately hurting the horses, and that is why I have called you out on whether or not these five horses were headed to slaughter as a result of Suffolk based trainers trying to avoid the zero tolerance policy. Frankly, I don’t believe you. I think you just want to make Suffolk look bad.
However, if I am wrong, as I am not above admitting that I sometimes am, then I really do hope you will put bad blood aside and contact Sam Elliot. If in the course of enforcing the zero tolerance policy some innocent persons from helpful resources close their doors, then we thank them for having done right by the horses this far, knowing that there are other good people who will step forward to take their place.
It will take a unified effort to stop racehorses from going to slaughter. It takes putting the horses first over personal differences. It requires the industry stepping up and making rules that have some teeth to send a message that this is not okay. Suffolk Downs has taken a step in this direction; why not support that?
Barnfairy,
I didn’t intend to do anything more than participate in the discussion after another member posted about the fair circuit being a potential outlet for Thoroughbreds to go to slaughter.
Our mission is stated on the first page of our website. We follow it by responding to the needs of Thoroughbred horses.
It’s really not appropriate or attractive to continue this kind of exchange.
Wow. Barnfairy you really don’t know David! He is one of the finest horsemen I’ve ever known. His devotion to our Thoroughbreds and all of us that work with him is amazing and inspiring. I don’t understand why you were so hard on him. Watchtower Farm is a wonderful organization doing amazing things. As far as I know, there is no other Thoroughbred retirement facility like it in New England. I can assure you there are lots of people that support and appreciate our work.
Please take your suffolk slaughter conversation to private PM’s. this isnt the place to do it…not on this thread
My brother is a pro motocross racer. Marshfield fair now does that. My brother races there every fall as part of a series he races in. That gains a heck of a lot of attention and i know a lot of people go there to watch it
I think that bringing the horse racing back to the fairs would be really neat- but only if there was some serious animal welfare precautions taken. I dont see the point in taking lower level horses who really shouldnt be doing this sor tof thing…and making them do it.
If your going to take horses who are fit for racing and love it from suffolk or anywheres else during their off-season and continue to race them here…then thats fine.
I deffinately wont support it if its just a bunch of scum bags with poor horses who really shouldnt be out there. It would be a death wish for them.
I know the brooklyn fair here in CT (its about 15 min from me) is one of the oldest, if not the oldest fair in the country. Its a really small town, cute fair. They used to have horse racing. not sure how long ago but i think it was awhile. The original fencing for the track used to be there but its all been taken down now. The original grand stands are there, but now used for concerts (we had lady antebellum there this past fall before they where big!!)
Pretty neat, but like i said- the welfare of the horses needs to be taken into serious consideration.
And I thought that Kool Aid only worked for Parelli!!! :LOL::LOL:
There is a reason the TRF and CANTER no longer use Watchtower Farm as a foster home for the horses they save. And it’s not because they were intimidated by the level of horsemanship or level of devotion being used to care for their horses.
I am interested to see how the fair thing develops - it could be a very helpful thing for trainers and horses who aren’t ready to ship right into/out of Mass before and after Suffolk’s season, and I think that as long as Brockton and Suffolk work closely (as it seems they are hoping to do), the horses to slaughter issue won’t be any worse then if they were just running at Suffolk :yes::yes:
