Suffolk Downs applies for four 2019 dates

Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Mass., has applied for four racing dates over two weekends next year, according to the track’s chief operating officer, with the potential to add dates if plans for the redevelopment of the property are delayed.

Suffolk filed the application with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday, requesting live racing dates of May 17-18 and June 15-16, according to Chip Tuttle, the track’s top official. The barn area of the track is scheduled to be demolished in July, Tuttle said, preventing the track from running farther into the summer, as it has done over the past four years.

“We’ve extended our lease for another year, and we’re looking forward to running once again,” Tuttle said. “But the plan is to be done with racing by July.”

The Suffolk property was purchased by a development company last year. Suffolk ceased racing on a regular basis in 2014 after the track was passed over for a casino license.

Tuttle said that the grandstand of the racetrack is not scheduled to be demolished until after 2019. The track will continue to offer full-card simulcasting in the grandstand throughout the year, according to Tuttle. If the demolition of the barn area is delayed, Suffolk will likely seek additional dates, Tuttle said.

Suffolk held six race dates in both 2015 and 2016 and ran eight dates in 2017 and this year. The live race dates are coupled with food-truck festivals.