Suffolk gets approval for three-day fall meet

The Massachusetts Racing Commission on Thursday approved three live race dates at Suffolk Downs in September and October of this year, settling an issue, at least momentarily, that has divided horsemen in the state.

Suffolk plans to run cards on Sept. 5, Oct. 3, and Oct. 31 under the plan, which was opposed by a minority group of horsemen who had campaigned against the proposal for several months. Although the plan was supported by Suffolk, the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, and the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association, the commission had previously tabled two votes on the proposals, leading to a shift in the scheduling of the races from summer to fall.

Suffolk plans to distribute approximately $550,000 in restricted and open purses on each race day, according to Lou Raffetto, a consultant to the New England HBPA who negotiated the plan with Suffolk and breeders. The first two cards will likely feature at least 12 races, while the third card, held on the second day of the two-day Breeders’ Cup event, will feature a smaller number of races, Raffetto said.

“We’ll run whatever we can fill,” Raffetto said.

The minority horsemen’s group had claimed at a meeting in July that the Stronach Group was interested in leasing Suffolk and running a long race meet at the track, leading the commission to reach out to the Stronach Group and Suffolk this week to determine whether that lease was under negotiations. Both Suffolk and Stronach Group officials said that they had not talked in some time, and not in any detail, according to officials.

Raffetto has said that horsemen will seek to find the funding to build a new track and equine center somewhere in the Boston area in the next two years. Suffolk’s owners have said that they are exploring re-development options after the track was passed over for a casino license by the gambling commission late last year.