Commission tables vote on 3-day Suffolk Downs meet

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission tabled a vote on whether to approve three days of live racing this year at Suffolk Downs in East Boston after a group of horsemen contended that a company owned by Frank Stronach was interested in leasing the track, according to officials at the meeting.

The horsemen, led by trainer William Lagorio, have raised opposition to a plan by Suffolk and the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association to race three festival-like days this year in August, September, and October. With the decision to table a vote on the plan, the proposal is now in jeopardy, according to Lou Raffetto, a consultant to the New England HBPA, because the next gambling-commission vote will not take place until Aug. 6 at the earliest, two days before the first live racing date in the three-day plan.

The dispute between supporters of the plan – which include Suffolk, the New England HBPA leadership, and the state’s breeders – and the group of horsemen has led to bitter feelings between the two sides. The horsemen who oppose the three-day plan instead favor a meet with 50 or more racing dates, but Suffolk is not willing to run an extended meet.

Chip Tuttle, the chief operating officer of Suffolk, said he had discussions with Stronach Group officials over the past weekend and on Monday.

“We had a short and polite discussion,” Tuttle said. “But that is a long way from reaching a long-term lease agreement.”

Tim Ritvo, the chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, said the Massachusetts group led by Lagorio reached out to him about the possibility of leasing the track, and he downplayed the extent of the talks so far.

“We’re a racing company; we look at racing properties,” Ritvo said in an e-mail. “Boston is a big market, and we have a lot of racing content. There’s absolutely nothing in place after a few calls were made.”

Tuttle said Suffolk remains committed to the three-day plan reached with the New England HBPA and the state’s breeders, and he said he was shocked at the decision by the gambling commission Thursday.

“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected with this commission,” he said. “We reached a deal with the horsemen and breeders, and we are going to do our best to honor that, within reason. If we get any additional delays, we’re going to have to look at some other options.”

The three-day plan would have called for racing Aug. 8, Sept. 5, and Oct. 3, all Saturdays, with purses in the $400,000 range for each day. The plan calls for purses to be funded in part from a casino-subsidy fund established in the state, with the long-term intention of raising funds to build an equine facility in Massachusetts over the next several years, to take over racing after Suffolk is sold or developed.

Suffolk announced late last year that it would close after the track was passed over for a casino license. The track later reached an agreement with horsemen to run three days a year for the next two years as officials explored options for the property.

Raffetto said the August card will now be impossible to hold, but the plan could be amended to include another date in late October. However, he said that would jeopardize the success of the brief meet.

“Late October is not a great time for outdoor events in New England,” Raffetto said.

The gambling commission had already postponed a vote on the three-day plan, leading supporters to drop a live-racing date in July and add the date in October.