Over 21,000 racing fans packed Suffolk Downs for the final weekend of live racing at the historic oval as the track hosted its final weekend of live racing.

On Saturday, the track was forced to suspend the live racing card after the seventh race due to severe thunderstorms that rolled through the area. Live racing resumed Sunday with twelve races and brought out 12,311 fans despite passing storms early in the day.

East Boston, MA — Live racing will return to Suffolk Downs for the final time in the track’s 84 year history on Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30. Entries for the weekend-long live racing and food truck festival are scheduled for Tuesday, June 25 for two days of racing featuring over $1 million in purses and incentives alongside a $100,000 stakes race as well as four $50,000 stakes races for horses bred in Massachusetts.

East Boston, MA — Live racing will return to Suffolk Downs with an eleven-race card in conjunction with the Belmont Stakes this Saturday and Sunday as the track hosts the second of three scheduled live racing and food truck festival weekends for the final season of horse racing at the historic property.

The eleven race card features robust field sizes with over 120 horses entered for the day and an average of 11 horses per race. The entries include familiar local horsemen and jockeys including Jay Bernardini, Michael Gorham and Tammi Piermarini who will ship in to compete for $500,000 per day in purses and participation incentives.

The featured race is a $55,000 allowance/optional claiming race that is scheduled to be run at about one mile on the turf. That race has drawn an overflow field of thirteen contenders including Wicked Freud, a seven-year-old gelded son of Freud who hails from the barn of Jason Servis. Wicked Freud is coming off of a victory in the featured turf race at Suffolk Downs on May 18. In addition to the featured race, there are four other races carded on the turf for Saturday.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be four stakes races restricted to horses foaled in Massachusetts – the $50,000 First Episode Stakes and the $50 Last Dance Stakes on Saturday along with the $50,000 Louise Kimball Stakes and $50,000 Mr. Meso Stakes on Sunday. The popular Massachusetts-bred Dr. Blarney will be trying to win Last Dance Stakes for the fourth consecutive year.

The Mr. Meso Stakes, which will be run for the inaugural time, is named in honor of New England champion Mr. Meso, one of the most decorated Massachusetts-bred horses in history. Mr. Meso retired from racing in 2011 at the age of eleven with a resume that included 24 victories from 68 starts with over $467,000 in earnings. Since his retirement, he has served as the stable pony for trainers Matthew and Dylan Clarke.

Following the final live racing weekend scheduled for June 29-30, the track will remain open year-round for simulcasting. Sterling Suffolk Racecourse (SSR), the company that operates racing and simulcasting at Suffolk Downs, is currently working alongside the New England HPBA and the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association (MTBA) on plans to refurbish and return live racing to the Great Barrington Fairgrounds in Great Barrington, MA and to continue simulcasting operations in Boston.

Post time for the 11 race card is at 12:55 p.m. and gates open at 11:00 a.m. In addition to live racing, the track will be hosting a food truck festival featuring food trucks from numerous local vendors, craft beer, live music and family fun activities.

Live racing will continue on Sunday with eleven races and the track will again offer $500,000 in purses and participation incentives.

For more information, visit www.suffolkdowns.com

East Boston, MA — Wicked Freud, a seven-year-old gelding who hails from the barn of Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Security, the first-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby that was disqualified and placed 17th, is slated to run in Saturday’s feature, a $55,000 allowance/optional claiming race at about 7 ½ furlongs on the turf with a field of nine as live racing resumes Saturday at Suffolk Downs in conjunction with the simulcast of the Preakness Stakes.

More than 100 horses have been entered for the Saturday’s 11-race card with more than $500,000 in purses and incentives on the line as the track kicks off the first of three scheduled live racing and food truck festival weekends for its final live racing season.

The entries include familiar local horsemen and jockeys including Jay Bernardini, Karl Grusmark and Tammi Piermarini, the third all-time leading woman rider in history. In addition to the featured race, there are five other races carded on the turf for Saturday.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be four stakes races restricted to horses foaled in Massachusetts – the $50,000 Rise Jim Stakes and the $50,000 Isadorable Stakes on Saturday along with the $50,000 African Prince Stakes and $50,000 George F. Brown Memorial Dirt Mile Stakes on Sunday. The popular Massachusetts-bred Dr. Blarney will be trying to win the Rise Jim Stakes for the third consecutive year for owner and breeder Joseph DiRico.

“Once again we look forward to welcoming back racing fans and to providing an opportunity for local owners, trainers and Massachusetts breeders to run here for purses and incentives enhanced by the state’s Race Horse Development Fund,” said Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs’ chief operating officer. “We appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and its staff in staging these festival weekends. And, we look at this final season of live racing here as a celebration as we continue to work with the New England HBPA and the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association on our plan to restore and refurbish the Great Barrington Fair Grounds in order to preserve live racing and its related economic and agricultural benefits in the state.”

Prior to resuming live racing, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Safety & Integrity Alliance extended Suffolk Downs’ accreditation. The track has continuously maintained its status since receiving its initial Alliance accreditation in 2011. Alliance certification standards address an extensive list of safety and integrity concerns within six broad areas: injury reporting and prevention; creating a safer racing environment; uniform medication and testing; jockey health and welfare; aftercare and transition of retired racehorses; and wagering security.

Post time for the 11 race card is at 12:55 p.m. and gates open at 11:00 a.m. In addition to live racing, the track will be hosting a food truck festival featuring food trucks from numerous local vendors, craft beer, live music and family fun activities.

Live racing will continue on Sunday with eleven races and the track will again offer approximately $500,000 in purses and awards.

For more information, visit www.suffolkdowns.com

East Boston, MA — The 2018 live racing season at Suffolk Downs concluded after eight days of live racing spread over the course of four weekends from June through September. The boutique meet, held in conjunction with food truck festivals each weekend, featured over $4 million in purses and awards including stakes races for Massachusetts-bred horses.

Trainer Jay Bernardini, a resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, topped the trainer standings with 10 victories and starters earning a total of $342,850 over the course of eight racing days. He saddled 52 horses and completed the season with a 52% in the money percentage. Local horseman Dylan Clarke finished second in the standings with 6 wins and $280,000 in earnings. Bernardini claimed the leading trainer title in 2014, the last time Suffolk Downs ran a full season.

Jockey Erik Barbaran, a familiar face in recent years in New England racing, topped the jockey standings with $325,050 in earnings and nine victories. Seven of his nine victories came aboard Bernardini-trained runners. Barbaran also claimed the top spot in the August edition of the $5,000 Jockey Challenge, an inaugural incentive for 2018 in which the riders compete for points over the course of each weekend.

Massachusetts-bred horses dominated the standings with Grady and Princess Dream getting the distinction of being the most winning horses of the meet. Grady, trained by Dylan Clarke, is an eight-year-old gelding who won three of his four local starts for earnings of $77,000. Princess Dream, a five-year-old daughter of Freud bred and owned by Mrs. Patricia Moseley of Hamilton, Massachusetts, went undefeated from three starts against stakes competition for trainer Jonathan Buckley and won on both turf and dirt.

The track remains open year-round for simulcasting and intends to request live racing dates for 2019 from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

East Boston, MA — SuffolkDowns hosted the final of four scheduled live racing and food truck festivalweekends of the year and concluded the 2018 season on Sundaywith aneleven-race card. Jockey Hector Diaz, Jr. rode three winners on the day andRuben Silvera swept the $5,000 Jockey Challenge.

“We arevery happy about the way these festival weekends have turned out and thesupport they have gotten from the local horsemen and horsewomen,” said Chip Tuttle, the Chief Operating Officer at SuffolkDowns. “As part of our ongoing partnership with the New England HBPA and theMassachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association, we plan to file a request fordates in 2019 with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission by the end of themonth.”

Jockey Hector Diaz,Jr. kicked off his triple in the second race with a win aboard Stormy Change($3.80) for trainer Gregory Sacco. He piloted King of New York ($10.40) tovictory in the seventh race for trainer David Donk and took the featured ninthrace with Diamond Play ($6.00) for Kelly Breen.

Suffolk Downs also concludedthe fourth $5,000 Jockey Challenge of the year in which the riders compete forpoints over the course of the weekend. Jockey Ruben Silvera took home the topprize of $2,000 and led the standings with 41 points. Erik Barbaran finishedsecond with 40 points for a prize of $1,500 while Jose Baez and PedroMonterrey, Jr. tied for third with 36 points each and each received $750.

The2018 live racing season at Suffolk Downs consisted of eight days of live racingfeaturing over $4 million in purses and awards including stakes races for Massachusetts-bred horses. The track remains openyear-round for simulcasting and intends to request live racing dates for 2019from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

East Boston, MA — Suffolk Downs will host the fourth and final live racing and food truck festival weekend of the year this Saturday and Sunday, September 15-16.

On Saturday, the average field size is 12 horses per race and 133 total horses have been entered for the day which features eleven races, seven of which have been carded on the turf.

The featured race is a $25,000 allowance optional claiming race that carries a purse of $50,000 and will be run at about a mile and seventy yards on the turf. That race has drawn a field of ten with three contenders listed as also-eligible. New England Hall of Fame trainer Ned Allard will send out Hills Pond for longtime owner Charles Matses. Tammi Piermarini, one of the most decorated riders in Suffolk Downs history, has been named to ride the three-year-old son of First Samurai. Piermarini is closing in on 2,500 career victories – she is currently at 2,495 with three mounts scheduled at Finger Lakes on Thursday and she is named on nine horses on Saturday’s overnight at Suffolk Downs.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be three races restricted to horses foaled in Massachusetts.

The track will also continue the $5,000 Jockey Challenge for the fourth weekend. The jockeys will be awarded points based on the their finish position in a race with six points for finishing 1st, five points for 2nd, four points for 3rd, three points for 4th and two points for 5th. For any finish between 6th and last place, one point will be awarded.  At the end of the weekend, the three jockeys that accumulate most points will be awarded a cash bonus of $2000 for 1st, $1500 for 2^nd, $1000 for 3^rd and $500 for 4^th. Dylan Davis took home the top prize in June, Pedro Monterrey, Jr. got top honors in July and Erik Barbaran led the standings in August.

Post time for the 11 race card is at 12:35 p.m. and gates open at 11:00 a.m. In addition to live racing, the track will be hosting a food truck festival featuring food trucks from numerous local vendors, craft beer, live music and family fun activities.

Live racing will continue on Sunday with 11 races.

SUFFOLK DOWNS TO ADD ADDITIONAL WEEKEND OF LIVE RACING IN SEPTEMBER

East Boston, MA — Suffolk Downs was granted approval from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission today to add a fourth weekend of live racing to the schedule with the funding to come from the Racehorse Development Fund. The track will host the final live racing and food truck festival weekend of the year on Saturday and Sunday, September 15-16.

“These festival weekends have proven to be successful in attracting fans and wagering and for giving local horsemen a chance to compete for purse money,” said Chip Tuttle, the Chief Operating Officer at Suffolk Downs. “We’re looking forward to 2019 and to continuing to work with the MGC and the Legislature on a longer-term commitment to racing that will provide more certainty and, in turn, investment in the state.”

The track has hosted three weekends of live racing this year that have been met with an average of over 6,800 fans in attendance per day as well as a field size averaging 11 horses per race.  There was in excess of $1 million in purses and awards each weekend.  The same purse and awards structure is scheduled for the final weekend.

The track remains open year-round for simulcasting.

East Boston, MA — Live racing returned to Suffolk Downs on Saturday, August 4 as the track held the third weekend-long racing and food truck festival of the summer. A rain dampened crowd of 6,776 was on hand as Fiesta made every call a winning one in the $100,000 Jill Jellison Memorial Dash.

The four-year-old daughter of Speightstown broke alertly under jockey Luis Ocasio and controlled the pace. At the top of the stretch, she kicked clear to win by 2 ½ lengths and completed the distance of about five furlongs in :58.40. It was the fifth victory of her career and her first black type win. Trained by Joe Sharp and owned by Seajay Racing, LLC, Fiesta returned $13.40, 6.60 and 5.00. Orecchiette returned $5.00 and longshot Eye on Berlin paid $13.20.

Also on the card, the Massachusetts Thoroughbred breeding program was showcased in the opener with the $50,000 Massachusetts Stallion Stakes. Desert Wonder, a five-year-old son of Wild Desert, went gate to wire to win by 1 ¼ lengths as the favorite. The gelding is owned by Arlene Brown and was bred with her husband, the late George Brown, at their Briar Hill Farm in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. George Brown passed away in July.

 “I am just sure that George was pushing for us,” said an emotional Arlene Brown in the winner’s circle. “He just would have been so happy.”

Desert Wonder returned $4.40, 3.20 and 2.40. Spectacularsociano, who was also bred by George and Arlene Brown, finished second and paid $4.80 and 3.60 while Tropical Joy returned $2.80.

Also on the card, jockey Dylan Davis piloted home four winners and is sitting at the top of the standings for the third $5,000 Jockey Challenge in which the riders compete for points over the course of the weekend. Davis kicked off his four win day in the second race with Eighth Commandment ($5.60) and teamed up with Michael Stidham to win the fifth race with Fetching Fury ($3.40). He went on to win the seventh race with the Jonathan Thomas trained Escapade ($5.60) for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and capped off his day with Peppi the Hunter ($8.80 for Joseph Minieri). Davis won the Jockey Challenge in June and heads into Sunday’s card with 37 points, 9 ahead of Erik Barbaran in second.

“I am having an incredible day so far,” said Davis. “I am just taking it one race at a time but I love getting to come to Boston.”

Live racing is scheduled to continue on Sunday, August 5 with a card of twelve races including two stakes races for Massachusetts-bred horses. Post time is 12:55 p.m.

Suffolk Downs will host the third scheduled live racing and food truck festival weekend of the summer this Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5. On Saturday, the average field size is 11 horses per race and 148 total horses have been entered for the day which features over $500,000 in total purses and awards.

The $100,000 Jill Jellison Memorial Dash will highlight the 13-race card on Saturday. Scheduled to be run at about five furlongs on the turf, the black type event has drawn a field of ten fillies and mares including D’Boldest, the winner of the 2017 edition of the race for trainer Jose Camejo. Regular rider Abel Lezcano has the mount on the eight-year-old daughter of D’Wildcat. In addition to the stakes race race, there are six other turf races carded for Saturday.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be two stakes races restricted to horses foaled in Massachusetts –  the $50,000 Massachusetts Sire Stakes on Saturday and the $50,000 George Brown Memorial Turf Mile on Sunday.

The track will also continue the $5,000 Jockey Challenge for the third weekend. The jockeys will be awarded points based on the their finish position in a race with six points for finishing 1st, five points for 2nd, four points for 3rd, three points for 4th and two points for 5th. For any finish between 6th and last place, one point will be awarded.  At the end of the weekend, the three jockeys that accumulate most points will be awarded a cash bonus of $2000 for 1st, $1500 for 2nd, $1000 for 3rd and $500 for 4th. Dylan Davis took home the top prize in June and Pedro Monterrey, Jr. got top honors in July.

Post time for the 13 race card is at 12:55 p.m. and gates open at 11:00 a.m. In addition to live racing, the track will be hosting a food truck festival featuring food trucks from numerous local vendors, craft beer, live music and family fun activities.

Live racing will continue on Sunday with 12 races.

Suffolk Downs has a request pending before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to add another weekend of live racing to its 2018 schedule, September 15-16. It is expected the MGC will take up the request at its August meeting.