Millions Unused in This State Fund Intended to Benefit Thoroughbred Racing

October 6, 2021 by 1 Comment

30/9/2021 Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets – WaverleyA recent audit of the Gaming Commission’s monitoring of gamblers listed on gaming exclusion lists found no deficiencies, but Auditor Suzanne Bump said the agency could do a better job of collaborating with the Legislature and other organizations to address the horse racing industry here, including the use of casino revenues to support racing.

The 2011 law that legalized casino gambling in Massachusetts carved out a portion of gaming revenues to flow into a Race Horse Development Fund (RHDF) that is meant to support each side of the horse racing world — the standardbreds that run at Plainridge Park Racecourse in Plainville and the thoroughbreds that used to run at Suffolk Downs. But with thoroughbred racing gone from the Bay State and the state’s casinos raking in record amounts of revenue, the statutory restrictions on the fund have led to a $20 million pot that largely cannot be spent as intended. …

“While MGC has done a noteworthy job managing the state’s emerging gaming industry, our audit makes clear the Commission should bring all relevant stakeholders to the table to consider the Race Horse Development Fund’s most effective use,” Bump said. “This consultation and collaborative effort would enhance oversight of the fund, and would benefit breeders, owners, and the industry as a whole.”

As of the end of August, the fund had a balance of more than…

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An unlikely comeback for horse racing?

November 15, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Longtime race horse owner Armand Janjigian knows all about calculating the odds, but he still wants to rescue the state’s thoroughbred racing industry, even if it’s a long shot.

The business consultant and owner of the Kingsbury health clubs in Medfield and Kingston just turned 86. But he’s not ready to ride into the sunset.

Instead, he is plotting an unlikely comeback for thoroughbreds [in Massachusetts]. Janjigian is piecing together more than 300 acres near Interstate 84 in Sturbridge to build a new racetrack. He’s lining up investors for the $25 million-plus project. And he is working with town officials to rewrite the zoning rules to allow racing, and the gambling that would go along with it…

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$60 million thoroughbred horse track near New Hampshire state line?

October 19, 2019 by 2 Comments

Source:  Press Release

ROWLEY, Mass. (AP) — Three proposals are jockeying to return thoroughbred horse racing to Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association says it’s working with an investment group to build a $60 million track on 280-acres in Rowley, near the New Hampshire state line.

John Grossi, who founded the Latitude Sports Club chain, is leading the Rowley Group’s proposal. The group is expected to pitch its plan to town officials later this month.

It’s the third proposal to emerge since Suffolk Downs hosted its last live races in June.

Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, which operated the historic Boston track, wants to refurbish the Great Barrington Fairgrounds in the Berkshires.

And the Notos Group, which is headed by developer Tom O’Connell, proposes a horse track, hotel and entertainment complex in Wareham.

The proposals all require legislative approval.

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Concerns about Suffolk Downs’ plans for Horse Racing at fairgrounds

July 24, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Great Barrington — A controversial horse-racing bill pending in the state Legislature has aroused concerns among town officials about a proposal from Suffolk Downs to bring racing back […]

Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, the company that operated the now-closed track at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, has reached an agreement with the fairgrounds owners to bring thoroughbred racing back to Great Barrington for up to 30 days of racing in the months of September and October starting in 2020. The company expects to spend between $15 million and $20 million, according to town manager Mark Pruhenski, who recently spoke with Chip Tuttle, Suffolk’s chief operating officer.

But in order to accomplish that feat, Suffolk needs a change in state law to permit it to hold races in Great Barrington while at the same time allowing it to maintain its simulcasting and betting operations back in East Boston. Racing at the fairgrounds would also require permits from the town.

Two bills that would accomplish that feat …

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Suffolk Downs, New England’s Last Thoroughbred Horse Track, Hosting Final Live Races

June 30, 2019 by Leave a Comment

BOSTON (AP) — New England’s last thoroughbred horse track, Boston’s Suffolk Downs, is hosting its final live races this weekend, but it’s not clear what comes next for the industry, which continues to receive millions of dollars in casino tax subsidies.

Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, the company that operates the once grand, 84-year old track, has been running a handful of summertime races since losing out on its bid to build a resort casino on the property in 2014.

Two years ago, it sold the property — where the Depression-era champion Seabiscuit was discovered by the team that launched him into the limelight — to a real estate developer that plans to build apartments, condominiums and offices on the 161-acre property straddling Boston and Revere.

But Sterling Suffolk still wants to remain in the racing business and is betting on legislative approval this year to make that happen.

The company has proposed restoring the Great Barrington Fairgrounds near the New York state line while keeping its more lucrative simulcast and online betting operations in the Boston area. Current regulations don’t allow for a state-licensed race operator to split its operations this way…

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