An afternoon at Suffolk Downs
Jun 21, 2014 18:37:45 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2014 18:37:45 GMT -5
I just got home from a day at Suffolk Downs. It was my first visit in about 2 years, for some reason I just never was able to get up there in a while. I was looking at it in one of two ways - either they'll be closed by this time next year (doubtful) or could be totally different once they're awarded their casino license.
Just as I remembered, although it's more than 75 years old (it opened in 1935, a year after Santa Anita and two years before Hollywood Park), it's one of the cleanest and best maintained tracks I've been to in a while. And unlike many other larger tracks that have smaller crowds, they haven't roped off or barricaded any of the areas of the grandstand to make it seem more "crowded". All things considered, there was a decent crowd, probably a couple of thousand people.
One of the things that impressed me was the banners hanging from the rafters of the first floor of the grandstand - the silks of all of the winners of the Massachusetts Handicap. It's a collection of some of the greatest horses to run, including Seabiscuit (who won the third edition), Whirlaway, Stymie, Skip Trial, Skip Away (twice), Cigar (twice), Riva Ridge, etc. An amazing group of horses to be shipped up to Boston for that race.
Another thing that was impressive was the attitude of everyone that worked there. The last time I was there it was almost like attending a wake. Today everyone was upbeat, happy, and looking forward to something that everyone hopes comes to pass. I was wondering if there was a little "inside information" about how the state will decided once they award a casino license, everyone was so cheerful.
On the racing side, it was a chalk fest - I had three winners in seven races and still lost a few bucks. Still, it was great to get back up there again.
Just as I remembered, although it's more than 75 years old (it opened in 1935, a year after Santa Anita and two years before Hollywood Park), it's one of the cleanest and best maintained tracks I've been to in a while. And unlike many other larger tracks that have smaller crowds, they haven't roped off or barricaded any of the areas of the grandstand to make it seem more "crowded". All things considered, there was a decent crowd, probably a couple of thousand people.
One of the things that impressed me was the banners hanging from the rafters of the first floor of the grandstand - the silks of all of the winners of the Massachusetts Handicap. It's a collection of some of the greatest horses to run, including Seabiscuit (who won the third edition), Whirlaway, Stymie, Skip Trial, Skip Away (twice), Cigar (twice), Riva Ridge, etc. An amazing group of horses to be shipped up to Boston for that race.
Another thing that was impressive was the attitude of everyone that worked there. The last time I was there it was almost like attending a wake. Today everyone was upbeat, happy, and looking forward to something that everyone hopes comes to pass. I was wondering if there was a little "inside information" about how the state will decided once they award a casino license, everyone was so cheerful.
On the racing side, it was a chalk fest - I had three winners in seven races and still lost a few bucks. Still, it was great to get back up there again.
