When J and I went to Suffolk Downs the weekend before last, we had no idea it would be the last time we’d watch live horse racing in Revere. Last week the Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted permission for a swanky new casino in Everett, thereby dashing Suffolk Downs’ hopes of building a casino there. Casinos bring in big bucks; live horse racing does not. After the casino decision was made, Suffolk Downs made an announcement that saddened but didn’t surprise me: the 79-year-old track will be closing, with live racing ceasing at the end of the month and simulcast betting continuing through December.
The part about horse racing that interests me is the horse part, not the gambling part, so neither simulcast betting nor swanky new casinos interest me. Had Suffolk Downs won a casino contract, J and I would have gone there to slide a quarter or two into the slot machines, briefly ogle the table games, and otherwise mind our business on our way to the track, where the horses are. But there will be no horses or horse racing at Everett’s new casino, so I’m unimpressed by the proposed development. Why do we need a casino in Everett when the casinos in Connecticut are such a short drive away?
When J and I arrived at Suffolk Downs the weekend before last, there was a little girl loudly cheering for her favorite jockey as she made her way into the Winner’s Circle: Janelle Campbell, the same jockey I’d photographed last year as she sat beaming atop her mount. Being a jockey, I explained in that post, is every horse-crazy girl’s dream job. After Suffolk Downs is shuttered, who will horse-crazy little girls cheer for? Their favorite poker stars or blackjack dealers?
Suffolk Downs is a place past its prime: it’s clean and well-kept, but clearly run down. Every time we’ve gone to Suffolk Downs, J and I have wandered the grandstand, meekly exploring the empty upper concourses and wide, carpeted entryways. In its heyday, Suffolk Downs was packed with enthusiastic race fans; today, sparse handfuls of people watch horses race outside while the serious gamblers stay indoors, where races from other tracks are simulcast on rows of TV screens.
Simulcast races are something you can watch (and bet on) anywhere, including online…and simulcast racing is where the big gaming money is. My personal preference to watch horse racing in person might be shared by horse-crazy little girls, but apparently it’s not shared by the adult population at large. Why do we need live horses racing at Suffolk Downs when it’s so easy to watch (and bet on) horse races on TV? Why even leave the house when you can gamble online?
It’s too bad that Suffolk Downs is closing, as it was a place with a history. Both Seabiscuit and Cigar raced there, back when horse racing was glamorous and fast horses were celebrities. The racetrack where my father used to watch (and, yes, bet on) harness horses in Ohio added a casino several years ago, and the place never felt the same. Men now drop their wives at the casino while they go to wager on simulcast races, and my dad stays home to follow the stock market: a different kind of gambling.
I’m saddened to think of all the horse-folks who will be out of a job when Suffolk Downs closes for good. The new casino in Everett will provide jobs for waitresses, cashiers, and card dealers, but where’s a good groom, jockey, or trainer going to go for a new job?
The horses who raced at Suffolk Downs will move on to other tracks, or they’ll retire from racing and find homes with folks looking to adopt sleek saddle horses. It’s a slower life after you’ve been put out to pasture. The world races on, and you get left behind.
Hoarded Ordinaries 
Sep 24, 2014 at 7:52 am
Great shots and story. Sad passing of an old way of life. The casino in Everett might not be built if the MA voters vote against it, though that won’t change the closing of Suffolk Downs.
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Sep 24, 2014 at 8:32 am
Nice read. I was thinking of going to Suffolk this Monday past, for a final visit, but in the end I decided against it. I think my overall feeling would have been one of depression.
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Sep 24, 2014 at 8:52 am
“The world races on, and you get left behind”
at the risk of being “spiritual” sa’di’s take (‘the orchard’) is one really has to keep up !
“One night in the desert of Faid my feet became fettered with sleep
A camel-driver awoke me, saying, ‘Arise, since thou heedest not the sound
of the bell, perhaps thou desirest to be left behind!
I, like thee, would sleep awhile, but the desert stretches ahead.
How wilt thou reach the journey’s end if thou sleepest when the drum of depar-
ture beats? ‘ ”
its just an awful feeling being alone/by yourself in the desert and watching the camel train/caravan pull away in the distance without you, wether it’s part and parcel of “the way” I cannot say . . ! : o), but bodhidharma may have been executed at heyin, things g o w r o n g ! . . : o (
the sa’di quote is page 122 of the orchard
http://www.thesufi.com/sufi_ebooks/Shaykh_Saadi/Bostaan_The_Orchard.html
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Sep 29, 2014 at 12:48 pm
It is always sad to see a piece of history being shuttered … put out to pasture, where memories will fade away, and no new memories will be cemented into the history books. Some truly awe-inspiring memories have come to life there, and I’m sorry to see the place close. Nothing takes the place of the sound of hoofs against the dirt, or the festive buzz pulsing through the crowd as the throng of horse approach the finish line. No amount of online betting even comes close to the sounds and smells and energy of the track. Cie la vie. Life marches forward, minus Suffolk Downs.
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