Tracking down changes at Suffolk
Suffolk Downs is, in the words of chief operating officer Bob O'Malley, "in the process of being reinvented."
Gone is the circuit with Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., gone is year-round racing, and slot machines have fallen off the radar screen. A major adjustment should come within 10 days when an item in the budget, which sits on Governor Mitt Romney's desk, allows Suffolk to switch from a mandatory 150 live performances per year to 1,100 races per year. The change, which will provide flexibility in the schedule, is supported by both management and the horsemen.
Suffolk and Rockingham formed a year-round circuit in 1992, with Rock running in the summer. In 2003, Rock abruptly switched to harness racing. Suffolk picked up the Rock dates and ran all year, with the exception of a three-week break in late August/early September for the Northampton Fair. With slots on the back burner, Suffolk could not sustain the purse money needed for a yearlong schedule, and, starting this year, cut back to a seven-month slate of May 1-Nov. 30. It is highly unlikely Suffolk will ever race year-round again.
"The new schedule is working fine," said O'Malley. "Obviously, there was some hardship involved for a lot of people. And it was a risk on our part. But we had no choice with the circuit gone. We had to find some better weather, we had to give ourselves a better chance. To maintain purses, we had to have a period of time to build up reserves.
"Obviously, we could have gotten off to a better start. The culvert collapse [which took the racing surface out of operation in April and affected training] caused me a lot of grief. But we're out of the woods now. The entries are going well, and I hope we can cruise for the rest of the summer. Business has been good. It's not tremendous, but it's been well within our expectations.
"I was especially pleased with MassCap Day [overall handle on the card more than $3.6 million]. We took another risk bringing the race back [with a purse of $500,000], and we had a big day. It's not all bad. We've had some good fortune."
Originally, Suffolk, which runs Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, had planned to add Fridays. But, in anticipation of accommodating the 1,100-race mandate, that schedule has been dropped. Also, Suffolk will run against the Northampton Fair this year, though the tracks will only have a direct conflict one day a week.
"There will be no Fridays," said O'Malley. "I discussed it with the racing commission on Monday. In anticipation of the legislation, we're going to focus on a four-day week. We'll probably run a few more races on the cards than we have been. It's important to the horsemen that we run into November [Suffolk closed Oct. 27 last year]. We're determined to get there, and to keep the barn area open until the end of November. It's better for the horsemen and their logistics of shipping out.
"The 1,100 races gives you the flexibility to keep purses higher, run fewer dates, and package races better. Rather than running seven or eight races on a card, or doubleheaders [which counted as two programs], we can run 9-10-11 races, which is preferable. When we get the people in here, we'd like to give them as much as they can handle. Running 11 races on the MassCap card was better than running the 14-race doubleheader we used to run. A 14-race card is just too much. I remain confident the 1,100 races will work. We'll make our schedule official as soon as the law is official.
"As for Northampton, their meet comes in the middle of our meet, and I don't want to close and back off like we did last year. We took the time off, and it was really debilitating to the horsemen. They didn't like it at all. Only 70 of our horses went up there. The majority of our horsemen don't want the downtime, and they don't want to run at Northampton. It's not our intention to hurt them. The only year they've had to themselves was last year. They always ran against Rock prior to that. The way the schedules are, we'll only run against them on Saturdays."
Last year, with the state facing a $3 billion deficit, slots at the tracks was a hot item. But it didn't happen, and the economy has rebounded.
"I haven't heard anything on slots," said O'Malley. "Frankly, it's been very quiet. When I was so optimistic, I always based it on there being more of an outcry about huge cuts. It never reached the level I anticipated. The idea that slots at the tracks was found money never developed any steam. But I haven't given up hope. Anything could happen."
The current racing bill expires at the end of 2005. Even without slots, Suffolk management is committed to racing, as long as they feel they are treated fairly in a new bill.
"As far back as last year, we developed a Plan B in case we didn't get slots," concluded O'Malley. "We're prepared to go forward. We've worked on getting flexibility in the schedule based on no slots. Depending on how we're treated in a new bill, there is a commitment. I think we'll be fine for a few years. What we need is a solid racing bill, good for 3-5 years, so we can plan ahead like we have been doing."
