BOSTON — There will be more opportunities to see live Thoroughbred horse racing at Suffolk Downs this summer, although much of the focus in that area is still on a massive redevelopment effort that's in the works.
The Gaming Commission on Thursday approved a revised racing schedule for the track that includes two additional race days. Horses will now run at the East Boston/Revere oval on May 18-19, and June 8, 9, 29 and 30 -- six days of racing rather than the four initially approved late last year by the commission.
When the commission approved the four-day schedule, some commissioners expressed concern that the tradeoff of supplying purse money for the track in exchange for wider economic benefits was losing its luster with so few racing days.
The commission on Thursday approved a disbursement of $3.8 million from the Race Horse Development Fund to be used as purse money for the six racing days. The fund is supported by casino gambling revenues and the commission has typically approved about $1.1 million for each weekend of racing at Suffolk Downs.
Commissioners said they understand the constraints Suffolk Downs faces -- the track was sold in 2017 to The HYM Investment Group and must cease live racing by July 1 -- and welcomed news that demolition of part of the site not necessary for racing has been postponed until after the racing schedule ends.
"Obviously this is not ideal for Thoroughbred racing to have such a limited opportunity, but it is an opportunity," Commissioner Gayle Cameron said. "I am certainly willing to support this. I know it is important to the horsemen and all of those jobs and livelihoods around racing. Two more days is certainly a good thing, as far as I'm concerned with racing."
While standardbred racing has seen a resurgence tied to the slots parlor in Plainville -- the track's 108 harness racing days begin April 8 and run through Nov. 29 -- Thoroughbred racing is near its all-time low in Massachusetts. Suffolk Downs hosted eight racing days in each 2017 and 2018, the most since the track ceased regular racing in 2014.
As the racing scene recedes at Suffolk Downs, there's increased attention to the redevelopment project proposed there.
City officials are reviewing redevelopment plans for Suffolk Downs proposed by HYM Investment Group that span 10.5 million square feet of development on about 109 acres.
According to the city, the proposal will include "development of a new mixed-use neighborhood, a 40-acre publicly accessible open space system, and two retail squares at Suffolk Downs and Beachmont stations."
The initial phase will include 1.39 million square feet of development, including 520,000 square feet of corporate use and amenity space, three residential buildings, townhomes along Waldemar Avenue totaling over 800 housing units, and construction of the Horseshoe Pond landscaped wetland enhancements and Belle Isle Square public plaza with over 100,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards will host a listening session at Umana Middle Academy in East Boston Thursday at 6:30 p.m. focused on jobs associated with the project.
According to the councilor's office, the development is projected to create up to 14,000 construction jobs and between 25,000 and 50,000 new permanent jobs, "but jobs standards, and the preparedness of East Boston residents to access this employment, are still unclear."
State House News Service
