Suffolk opens the gates and draws a crowd

Suffolk Downs, still hurting from a weeklong April shutdown after the expiration of simulcasting rights, has seen better days.

But yesterday, all the recent blemishes were swept away -- the way the John Deere tractors raked the surface clean after each race -- as the East Boston racetrack opened its doors for the kickoff of live racing.

Though the weather shifted around noon, with clouds rolling in and the ocean breeze blowing toward the grandstand, the overcast day made for perfect racing -- not too hot for the horses and not too chilly for the 14,534 fans, the best Opening Day attendance since 1998.

Smiles and handshakes abounded, as did who-do-you-like queries for the Kentucky Derby. Bob O'Malley, the chief operating officer of Suffolk Downs, who was in East Boston instead of Louisville, Ky., on Derby Day for the first time since 1979, planned to put his money on Bob and John, because one of his longtime Derby companions was named John, or Sweetnorthernsaint, who was coming off an Illinois Derby victory. O'Malley cautioned, however, that he hadn't picked a Derby winner since 1980, when he tapped Genuine Risk, the first filly to win the race since Regret in 1915.

O'Malley was also pleased with the 7 p.m. starting time for yesterday's Red Sox-Orioles game at Fenway Park. He complained lightheartedly that Pedro Martínez, and before that Roger Clemens, always seemed to be pitching an afternoon game at Fenway on a big Saturday at the track, keeping racing fans in front of their televisions at home instead of placing bets at Suffolk Downs.

''Everybody's happy," said O'Malley. ''It's too early for them to have lost. Nobody's complaining, although I heard we're running out of space for valet parking and we'll probably run out of programs."

That was good news to O'Malley, who acknowledged the track's difficulty in attracting horses. O'Malley said Suffolk had to cancel Tuesday's live racing -- there will be races tomorrow, although Wednesday is still unclear -- because of a lack of commitments. O'Malley attributed part of the challenge to misinformation regarding the April closing, interpreted by some trainers as a death knell for the track.

So O'Malley and his employees have been getting out the word to the racing community that Suffolk Downs is back -- at least for this year. While the sting of the slot machine bill, voted down by the House of Representatives last month, is still hurting the track, O'Malley pledged that he is moving forward.

''We're going to concentrate on this year," he said. ''We're not going to concentrate on the slots now. The slots thing is behind us for another year, so we'll concentrate on running this place as well as we can. Next year we can take another shot at the slots.

''We want to put on the best local racing that we can. We're encouraging employees, from me on down, to react positively to the public, keep the place clean, all that stuff. We want to make people have an enjoyable experience here."

Yesterday, the horses put on a good show, including BL's Red Sock and Long John, who stretched their noses across the line in the second race for a photo finish. BL's Red Sock was credited with the victory after several minutes of review, drawing a cheer from the fans awaiting the result.

The tandem of trainer John Rigattieri and jockey Dyn Panell won three races: with BL's Red Sock in the second, Harley's Road in the third, and Sweet Promises in the sixth.

With Tri Like The Devil in the featured ninth, the $25,000 Miss Indy Anna Purse, Rigattieri and Panell finished second behind Killer App. Rigattieri and Panell also claimed second-place finishes with Dekay in the fourth behind Long Gone Con, and Lucky Geisha in the eighth, who trailed Return Trick.