Suffolk Downs was a Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello at a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to create housing and a shopping district. The final day of live racing at the track was June 30, 2019, with the facility hosting simulcast race wagering thereafter. The only remaining live horse racing in Massachusetts is at Plainridge Park Casino, which has harness racing.
A number of famous horses raced at Suffolk Downs, including Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Funny Cide, and Cigar. The Massachusetts Handicap (or MassCap) was the track's most significant annual event, last held in 2008. The track is a dirt oval with a seven-furlong inner turf track. Non-race functions at the venue included the Hot Dog Safari. The track provided the name of the nearby MBTA Suffolk Downs subway station.
History
Opening After parimutuel betting was legalized in Massachusetts, the Eastern Racing Association, Inc. was formed to open a thoroughbred race track in East Boston. Businessman, politician, and former steeplechase jockey Bayard Tuckerman Jr. was the corporation's first president. Harness racing promoter Allan J. Wilson was named vice president. Walter E. O'Hara, promoter of the Narragansett Park was named managing director of the track, however he backed out after a few months because he felt East Boston was not a suitable site for a race track and instead wanted to build a track in Framingham or Natick. Richard Danielson, Charles Adams, Bruce Wetmore, and John R. Macomber were also members of the track's first board of directors.
Eastern Racing Association applied for a track charter and license on January 11, 1935, and on April 9, the Massachusetts Racing Commission granted the corporation a license to race in East Boston. Construction did not begin until April 29 due to legal entanglements.
The track opened on July 10, 1935. The first card consisted of eight races, with the Commonwealth Stakes, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds, serving as the feature race. The Commonwealth Stakes featured twenty-two horses from eighteen stables, including horses owned by Edward R. Bradley, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. The race was won by Bradley's Boxthorn, which had been a starter in that year's Kentucky Derby. 35,000 spectators watched the first day of racing. Later that month, Seabiscuit would make his Suffolk Downs debut, finishing fourth in the Mayflower Stakes.
The first MassCap was held on October 16, 1935, with Top Row taking first ever victory in the event.
Early years On May 7, 1936, Tuckerman stepped down as president. He was succeeded by Charles Adams. Adams himself would step aside in favor of James H. Connors in December 1937. Although Adams stated that he decided to give up the position to focus on his other interests, he would later say that Connors was elected at the behest of Governor Charles F. Hurley.
In 1939, Connors resigned as Suffolk Downs president amid allegations that he, his brother-in-law (State Racing Commissioner Thomas R. Foley), and Outdoor Amusements, Inc. (a company applying for a license to open a track in Westport, Massachusetts) attempted to gain control of horse racing in eastern Massachusetts. According to the Eastern Racing Association, Foley secretly worked to acquire a license for Outdoor Amusements, Inc. while Connors demanded that his fellow Eastern Racing Association shareholders sell him their stake in Suffolk Downs or they would not get any favorable racing dates. The racing commission voted to revoke Outdoor Amusements' license due to misleading information in their application, but found that there was not enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between Outdoor Amusements, Connors, and Foley.
On June 29, 1936, Seabiscuit won an allowance race at Suffolk Downs. This was the first time trainer Tom Smith saw Seabiscuit race and he would later recommend that Charles S. Howard purchase the horse.Hillenbrand, Laura (2001), "Seabiscuit: An American Legend." Smith and Howard would go on to make Seabiscuit a national hero. Seabiscuit would return to the track in 1937 to race in the Massachusetts Handicap. The race was attended by 40,000 people. Seabiscuit won the race in 1:49, which broke the track record for 1 1/8 miles. The victory was Seabiscuit's seventh consecutive win, a career high. The winner's purse of $51,780 was the largest of Seabiscuit's career up to that point and would only be surpassed by his final victory, the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap. In 1938, 60,000 people turned out to watch Seabiscuit defend his MassCap title against War Admiral. However, Seabiscuit was scratched due to an injury minutes before post time. The race was won by Menow. War Admiral finished fourth, breaking his streak of eleven-consecutive victories and marking the only time in his career that he would finish out of the money.
On July 15, 1942, Whirlaway succeeded Seabiscuit as the all-time leading money-earner by winning the MassCap.
During World War II, the track continued to hold races. On August 8, 1942, Suffolk Downs donated $625,000 to the National War Fund. This contribution was the single largest donation to the war effort by any sports venue.
On February 20, 1944, the Aldred Investment Trust purchased a majority of the voting stock in the Eastern Racing Association. Gordon B. Hanlon was elected president of Suffolk Downs. Three months later the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it had filed a complaint in federal court accusing Hanlon his fellow directors of the Aldred Investment Trust of gross abuse of the trust, including drastically changing the investment policy of the trust without giving adequate notice to security holders by purchasing stock in the Eastern Racing Association. On January 19, 1945, Judge George Clinton Sweeney found Hanlon and five other Aldred officials guilty of gross abuse of the trust and control of the track was given to the trust's receivers, Edward O. Proctor and Edward F. Goode. On April 24, 1945, the receivers selected Allan J. Wilson to succeed Hanlon as track president.
Post-war On May 1, 1946, a consortium, led by Boston businessman John C. Pappas, acquired control of Suffolk Downs at a Federal Court-directed public auction. Pappas' $3.6 million bid exceeded offers made by Joseph F. Timilty, Henry Simberg (represented at the auction by Paul A. Dever), and Bay Meadows Racetrack general manager Bill Kyne.
On July 30, 1947, Stymie became the first horse to eclipse the $700,000 career earnings mark by winning the MassCap. From 1959 to 1970, Suffolk Downs hosted harness racing during the fall.
On June 30, 1960, while riding Lusty Andy at the track, Henry Wajda pulled fellow jockey Anthony DeSpirito back onto Color Bearer after DeSpirito had been knocked off his saddle in the first turn and was clinging to his mount by one hand and had a foot caught in a stirrup. DeSpirito credited Wajda with saving his life. For his bravery, Wajda received honors from the New England Turf Writers and New York Turf Writers organizations.
On March 21, 1964, Pappas sold the track to New York businessman David Haber.
On August 18, 1966, The Beatles played a concert before 24,000 fans on the track's infield. On June 19, 1968, Dancer's Image made his final public appearance. He was escorted onto the track by his owner Peter Fuller, son of former Massachusetts Governor Alvan T. Fuller, and his wife Jane.
In 1968, the track was sold to Reality Equities Corporation who brought on former baseball team owner Bill Veeck as president. During Veeck's tenure as president, Suffolk Downs hosted a number of promotions including chariot races, livestock giveaways and mock Indian battles. Veeck also won a number of legal victories, including one which allowed children to attend the races.
In 1971, Realty Equities sold Suffolk Downs to National Raceways Inc., a subsidiary of the National Mattress Company. A year later, the track was sold to Ogden Corporation.
On February 14, 1976, the inbound platform of the Suffolk Downs MBTA station was destroyed by fire, which hurt track attendance. The outbound side of the station remained open The station was rebuilt in 1983 and reopened in January 1984 after the project received a $1.9 million grant from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. The station was rebuilt again from 1994 to 1995 as part of a larger improvement project on the line.
On May 21, 1983, Preakness Day, Suffolk Downs aired its first simulcast race after the Massachusetts General Court passed a last-minute bill that allowed the track to air and accept bets on races from other tracks. Suffolk Downs handled $161,456 in simulcast bets that day.
First closure In 1986, Ogden Corporation sold the track to Belle Isle Ltd., led by Buddy LeRoux. In 1987, LeRoux threatened to close Suffolk Downs unless the state granted financial concessions to the track. In January 1988, the state Legislature gave LeRoux the concessions he asked for, which allowed racing to continue through the 1989 season. LeRoux made it known that he would allow the track's license to expire after the concessions expired, under the premise that racing was no longer profitable. The track closed after racing on December 30, 1989. Races were scheduled for the next day, however, track management canceled them out of fears of vandalism. Between 1990 and 1991, there was no racing at Suffolk Downs.
Reopening
In May 1991, Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC., headed by James B. Moseley and John L. Hall II, leased the track from Belle Isle for $8.5 million. The group spent seven months upgrading and remodeling the track. On January 1, 1992, racing resumed at Suffolk Downs in front of a crowd of 15,212. The track underwent further renovations in 1993, including a new AmTote Spectrum 2000 mutuel system, a newly constructed Clubhouse video lounge, a tribute to MassCap winners in the Grandstand, and a new racing strip. In 1995, the track saw the opening of a redesigned Legends Bar & Grill, improvements to the lighting, upgrades to the backstretch and racetrack, and a remodeled paddock and winner's circle. Also that year, the MassCap returned from a six-year hiatus. Cigar won the race. It was his eighth consecutive victory in his Horse of the Year season. Cigar won the race the following year to earn his 15th consecutive win. The race was attended by 22,000 spectators.
On May 31, 1997, Suffolk Downs hosted New England's first million racing day, with six stakes races including the MassCap.
On July 7, 1997, Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC purchased the track from Bell Isle.
On April 9, 1998, James B. Moseley, Suffolk Downs' Chairman of the Board and the man credited with reopening the track, died at the age of 66. He was succeeded on the board by his widow, Patricia.
On June 8, 1998, Suffolk Downs hosted Eddie Andelman's Hot Dog Safari to benefit the Joey Fund/Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event was attended by 35,000 people.
On June 19, 1999, Suffolk Downs held its first concert in decades when it hosted the Guinness Fleadh music festival. Thirty acts performed during twelve-hour festival, including Elvis Costello, Hootie and the Blowfish, and John Lee Hooker. Van Morrison was scheduled to appear but cancelled citing "exhaustion".
Change in ownership and casino bid