SufferinDowns is Back.

[Suff]

It Lives.

LIVE RACING RETURNS MAY 1, 2004

The live racing season at Suffolk Downs will begin on
Kentucky Derby Day, May 1, 2004, and
continue through November 27. Live racing will
conducted every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Saturday.
Fridays will be added to the schedule from June 11
through August 27 and from September 24 through
November 26.

Suffolk Downs continues to be open for simulcasting
year-round, seven days a week

[PaceAdvantage]

That is INDEED good news...suffolk will always have a very special place in my handicapping heart....

[Suff]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
That is INDEED good news...suffolk will always have a very special place in my handicapping heart....

Yes. I was glad to see it. Actually I was surprised. I had them for dead.

For those that have never been to Suffolk Downs in East Boston. Its a HUGE track, as far as Land. The land is worth way more than the Horse Operations. Its a 1/2 mile from Logan International Airport, a 1/2 Mile from Beach Front property. and not a small one either. a 3 mile beach, Revere Beach. The Oldest public Beach in America. If You stood on top of the gate, and looked east.. You'd see the beach.. its that close. And its only a mile from Downtown boston. Location , location as they say.

I felt the end when they changed Friday afternoon racing. 2 things were tradition in New England racing. A live winter meet and a Live Friday afternoon card..

When they moved the Live Friday card , to a Tuesday when the Majors are Dark. Then they abruptly canceled thier signature Race, The grade II MassCap. On top of losing the ROCK to the Buggies. Then they Cancelled the entire winter meet and ordered all the barns emptied.

I thought they were dead. But I guess not. Good luck to them.

[Tom]

Good news indeed.
Although I have never been there, I have driven by many times back in the 70's and early 80's when my company did business with Parker Brothers in Salem. (I did, however, always find time to stop at the Hillside Steakhouse in Saugus!).
Finger Lakes used to get a lot of shippers from Suffolk, and I woulld always be looking through newspapers and the Form for any Suffolk results I could find. I would make a list of the conditions of claiming races, such as NW2LT, NW1,6, NW1,12, etc.
Back then, there was a goldmine in knowing what conditions a horse was coming out of, and there were MANY trainer manuvers that involved this angle with SUffolk shippers (and Florida Downs, Penn, Keystone, Bowie, etc.)
John Buckley came from there and made an impact on FL racing, and he brought in Jill Jellison who gave me more than a few longshots.
Racing was lot harder back then, when information was not nearly as available as it is now. I remeber SUff used to have a summer and winter track and I always made whatever variants I could when charts were available so I would have that edge when thay came here in the spring.

[WINMANWIN]

I'm sure leading rider JOEY HAMPSHIRE is Excited about the news
Suff, how long approx has he dominated the Boston Jock colony
Now ?

[John]

Don;t get too excited, If management does not see a Slot bill on the horizon in 2004 it will lock-up and be sold.

Near by casinos are lobbying to keep the slots out.So they can keep their Mass. players. Also the Mass. lottery is the most successful in the country.Mass. state gets 60% of all lottery tickets sold . If slots come in, Mass.State get 5% Why would The state want to lose a lottery ticket buyer to a slot machine.

Right now Suffolk Downs is being out handeled by Rockingham park on a daily with simucasting. Rockingham Park has switched to Harness Racing live for the Summer

I will miss Suffolk Downs more than any of you. For years it was my bread and butter.One of the best Information tracks I know of. When ever I got a horse and it did not win I would follow the horse for 1 or two starts and get the money.

[Suff]

Originally posted by WINMANWIN
I'm sure leading rider JOEY HAMPSHIRE is Excited about the news
Suff, how long approx has he dominated the Boston Jock colony
Now ?

Leading Rider 7 years running I believe. The Unfortunate Accident that ended Rudy Baez's Career ...helped ..

What do you think of him Butchy? You've watched him ride for 5-6 weeks now... ? I have read a few articles that have been complimentary of his NY work... but the numbers are not reflective of that.

PA.. you have any take on how Hampshire is percieved as a rider in the Locker room and/or The racing office?

[John]

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Joe Hampshire Jr.

Growing up in South Philadelphia, Hampshire enjoyed riding pleasure horses and had aspirations of being an athlete. He got his start in racing in an interesting manner. His parents opened a phone book and called up Kentucky Derby winning trainer John Ward, who arranged for him to work odd jobs near Keeneland. Four years later, he was riding at River Downs in Cincinnati. As an apprentice, Hampshire won six stakes at Latonia (now Turfway Park) in Kentucky. He returned to Pennsylvania, where he was the leading "bug" rider at Keystone (now Philadelphia Park), and subsequently the leading overall jockey there in 1983. He first ventured to New England in 1988 and has been a regular on the circuit since the early 1990s…Hampshire has been honored as Outstanding Jockey by the New England Turf Writers Association four times, including 2000 and 2001...One of the biggest victories of his career was the 1999 Grade III New Hampshire Sweepstakes Handicap at Rockingham Park, aboard Adcat…He rode five winners on both January 19 and February 4 of 2002, giving him seven five-win days in his Suffolk career, second to Rudy Baez's 19…Hampshire has captured the last five meet riding titles at Suffolk, sweeping the Winter/Spring and Autumn meets in both 2000 and 2001 and garnering the Winter/Spring crown in 2002. He was the Autumn meet leader in 1994.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe, is a very personable guy, well liked, and down to earth, but a fierce rider. Few jockey's will try to get on the inside of his mount anywhere on the racetrack. All business with him and his no-nonsense agent Max Hall. They did well over the years together. Don't be supriseed to see Joe join Ron Dandy at Momounth. Ron has been trying to convince Joe to go there.

[WINMANWIN]

Nice article, good piece and good work Roca. The 2 nicest guys in the Boston area. Suff and Roca ;) It's been tuff for Joey H so far in New York, as Expected, the colony is tuff here, Even in the winter mths, with these apprentice jocks historically always doing well on the Inner. With Castellano and Migliore battling for leading rider at Aqueduct, and others, Hampshire will have a tuff go of it.
I have been wasting cashola on his mounts, I must admit :mad:
As his steeds do figure at times, so I'm sure he's gonna have O.K. days in the future, and possibly we can hook him up on the right steeds ! ;)

[PaceAdvantage]

On JH I have not a clue, but I can sniff around a bit and see if I can pick up a scent....

[BIG RED]

Hey Suff., I can't wait. Glad S.D. is going to run during nice weather. Revere Beach in the morn., horses in the aft., and the SOX at night!! Win-Win-Win:D

[Suff]

Originally posted by PaceAdvantage
On JH I have not a clue, but I can sniff around a bit and see if I can pick up a scent....

I thought with the Cancels he mighta just came home to Boston.. But he has No mounts tommorrow or Friday. Has'nt had an INNER mount yet. Looks like he cashed it in.

I thought he'd have a better showing.. Not embarrassing by any means. Capable Rider. But it shows how tough the game is at the 3rd and 4th levels... very few Live mounts.

Thats why I think the apprentice's USKE and Fragaso are respectable riders.. They bring home senstive winners that get ridden perfectly. But sometimes you get what you pay for...

Did you see Fragaso Go down in the Finale Today? Kinda Funny in a way.. Was in the 10 hole, on 3-1 , Starship smokester. Horse broke late and Fragaso wanted him to go slide in to the 3 or 4 path...and he thought he had him heading that way and he shifted his body weight to go with the Horse and to nudge him over..and the horse did'nt budge..he actually drifted out a bit...and Fragasa just threw himself of the Horse... He was'nt bothered at all... He took a left when the horse took a right...and there was suddenly nothing underneath him.

Pablo needs to learn that sometimes you gotta go with what the horse wants to give you....

[Buddha]

Originally posted by Suff
I thought with the Cancels he mighta just came home to Boston.. But he has No mounts tommorrow or Friday. Has'nt had an INNER mount yet. Looks like he cashed it in.

I thought he'd have a better showing.. Not embarrassing by any means. Capable Rider. But it shows how tough the game is at the 3rd and 4th levels... very few Live mounts.

Thats why I think the apprentice's USKE and Fragaso are respectable riders.. They bring home senstive winners that get ridden perfectly. But sometimes you get what you pay for...

Did you see Fragaso Go down in the Finale Today? Kinda Funny in a way.. Was in the 10 hole, on 3-1 , Starship smokester. Horse broke late and Fragaso wanted him to go slide in to the 3 or 4 path...and he thought he had him heading that way and he shifted his body weight to go with the Horse and to nudge him over..and the horse did'nt budge..he actually drifted out a bit...and Fragasa just threw himself of the Horse... He was'nt bothered at all... He took a left when the horse took a right...and there was suddenly nothing underneath him.

Pablo needs to learn that sometimes you gotta go with what the horse wants to give you....

I believe he is going to take a stab at the Mountain. He was here on Monday for 2 races, and I was told by an agent that he was coming and to watch out that he expected him to do well. That is all that I know right now though.

[John]

Buddha
Your right, J.H. is at Mountaineer.He did mot like Aqueduct for whatever reasons.

J.H. was home this past weekend to attend a funeral for a former Trainer/jockey.

Believe me it is not money with J.H. He has to be at a track that he has a shot to be on top of the Jockey standards.Plus his rideing style...speed racing.

I personally think J.H. should go to TURFWAY, that is a speed track and fits J.H. a little better

I wish him well. He should do better at Mountaineer than at Aqueduct.

Like SUFF said, J.H. bears watching