If they develop it I hope they put in decent security or really locked-up condos as it’s just a ‘meh’ area and not one the real estate agency I worked for rented in (not high-value enough, especially with the planes constantly coming and going.)
Some horses are going south, but there are others were they were already trying to move because they aren’t worth shipping to the Florida tracks for the winter. Now there’s no real reason to keep them over, so they need to sell. Wish I had room…
My, having just been on the NE Canter site I must say there are some very nice looking horses at Suffolk. Having owned several ottb’s from PA tracks, I’m curious about the weight on these guys. While they look racing fit and muscled, they also look “round in the butt”. Before the ban on steroids in PA there were many “round butts and full necks”. Does MA still allow steroids? If they don’t I might be inclined to make some calls on a couple that look like future hunters.
[QUOTE=sonomacounty;7764921]
But is it closing for sure? I. Hate. This.
Is Suffolk nice? Always wanted to go there, it looks like a cute old track when it’s on TVG.
Question on Suffolk’s inner rail: It appears to be the old style and is that wood?
Thanks.[/QUOTE]
I went there this past spring and sadly, it seemed to be in a state of disrepair. At least from a spectator point of view.
[QUOTE=blue phlox farm;7774144]
My, having just been on the NE Canter site I must say there are some very nice looking horses at Suffolk. Having owned several ottb’s from PA tracks, I’m curious about the weight on these guys. While they look racing fit and muscled, they also look “round in the butt”. Before the ban on steroids in PA there were many “round butts and full necks”. Does MA still allow steroids? If they don’t I might be inclined to make some calls on a couple that look like future hunters.[/QUOTE]
No steriods. Go look at them, there are some nice horses.
Concert Dell and Marcianne are my picks as sport horse prospects. I wish I could take one of them…
Even with the planes, the site would be drool-worthy just for its proximity to Boston. It’s about a 20 minute ride on the Blue Line subway to downtown Boston. Take a look at what has happened at Assembly Square and Wellington on the Orange Line; both formerly marginal areas are now full of nice apartments and condos, restaurants, shops etc. close to Boston without quite the $$$$ hit of living in Boston. It may take 10 years but I expect the same will happen at Suffolk Downs.
A well-placed source of information reported to me that HIS well-placed sources indicated that Suffolk may yet arise from the ashes for at least a few years.
I am hoping so for the horsemen and all the connections. There will be time enough to develop the land.
Nice pieces from the Boston Globe and the Herald.
[QUOTE=danceronice;7770461]
If they develop it I hope they put in decent security or really locked-up condos as it’s just a ‘meh’ area and not one the real estate agency I worked for rented in (not high-value enough, especially with the planes constantly coming and going.[/QUOTE]
They used to say the same thing about the old wharf area warehouses.
My oldest daughter lived in Revere some years back. Her place was a short walk to Suffolk Downs. It was a classic example of racetrack construction with barns appearing to barely stand as green paint peeled on the walls. Suffolk Downs has been troubled for more than 6 decades. Maybe more. I don’t recall a time when it was not reported that it was closing. LOL.
Published in 1972 and certainly out of print now, “Thirty Tons A Day” by Bill-Veeck is an interesting read about his struggles as one of the owners to keep the Boston track afloat. If you can find it, I recommend it to you.
[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;7799861]
My oldest daughter lived in Revere some years back. Her place was a short walk to Suffolk Downs. It was a classic example of racetrack construction with barns appearing to barely stand as green paint peeled on the walls. Suffolk Downs has been troubled for more than 6 decades. Maybe more. I don’t recall a time when it was not reported that it was closing. LOL.
Published in 1972 and certainly out of print now, “Thirty Tons A Day” by Bill-Veeck is an interesting read about his struggles as one of the owners to keep the Boston track afloat. If you can find it, I recommend it to you.[/QUOTE]
I remember when Bill Veeck was there and I read his book too. Great book. Funny. And your right, when I worked there, a lifetime ago, it was always on the verge of closing. We never knew from one meet to the next.
[QUOTE=CFFarm;7806649]
I remember when Bill Veeck was there and I read his book too. Great book. Funny. And your right, when I worked there, a lifetime ago, it was always on the verge of closing. We never knew from one meet to the next.[/QUOTE]
You know when time is passing you by. The other day at Laurel Race Course, a gelding named “E biscuit” won the 7th. Well we still have the Seabiscuit movie to remember the grand old days at Suffolk Downs. No more Mass Caps to peek our interest in NE racing.
I’ve gotten a couple nice horses from NE Canter. Getting too old to take on any others. NE had a great turf writers association also.
I guess “Thirty Tons A Day” applies as well today as it did 1972. Manure happens. Bill Veeck just couldn’t get his head above water in Boston. He was an owner of the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Browns also and I think he was forced out of each. Whatever made him jump into horse racing, particularly in the land of Red Sox, is a mystery. Maybe he realized that the horses couldn’t talk back to him.
And you’d think that the Red Sox fans would support the Redskins name. Red is red, isn’t it.
Well, if you all can stand the mosquitoes, there is Scarborough Downs near Portland. I’ve heard lately they are considering not only reporting lasix in program but also the brand of bug spray they are using on the horses.
Personally, I think it was RI that started the decline of racing in NE. No doubt about it. It was such a small state that most horseracing fans drove through it before they knew they’d completely missed the tracks. LOL. Delaware didn’t have the problem. There was no one who didn’t know they had driven into NJ.
Well, you folks in Boston are crying and here I am trying to make jokes. The joke is on me. I have Colonial Downs. LOL.
Cheers.
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