"On Jan. 29, the New England horsemen withdrew their consent for races from the New York Racing Association to be simulcast in Massachusetts and now races from Beulah Park are no longer available. As of tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 6), races from Tampa Bay Downs will not be available and Gulfstream Park must stop sending its signal on Monday. Under Massachusetts statute, Advance Deposit Wagering account holders in the state are also prohibited from betting those tracks through TVG, Twin Spires, ExpressBet and other concerns."

"Suffolk and Wonderland, which are essentially a single entity, and which have pumped a combined $3 million into gambling lobbying since 2005, are especially troublesome. They’re basically the speaker’s tracks. They’ve long been the odds-on favorites to win a casino license. If they’d won one last year, the deal would have looked wired and unseemly, but also not all that unexpected. Things are different now."

“The unfortunate fact of the matter is that absent expanded gaming, the business model for 100 days of racing here is not sustainable,” said Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs chief operating officer. “The horsemen are having a very difficult time coming to grips with that.”

"The top spender was Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, which runs the Suffolk Downs racetrack. The racetrack spent more than $850,000 trying to persuade lawmakers to approve an expanded gambling bill."

Paulick Report interview with Chip Tuttle. "We’re certainly not throwing in the towel and there are scenarios under which the legislature would return to formal session before the end of the year to take up other issues. If that’s the case, it would be natural for them to address gaming, too. There may still be room for compromise between the parties."

"So that's what we're looking at here. The race course survived into the 1960s, amazingly enough. The superintendent's building and the other buildings were used until about 10 years ago, for use by the old Metropolitan District Commission and the Public Access Board."

"Consisting of an ensemble of connected buildings built in the Shingle and Colonial styles, the Charles River Speedway Headquarters recalls the late 19th-early 20th century summer estates in seaside and rural areas. Designed by William D. Austin, a prominent Boston architect, and constructed in 1899 as a companion complex for a recreational racetrack, the Headquarters served the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston as a gateway to the recreational attractions along the river. Although in need of updating and restoration, the complex retains its architectural integrity ..." See also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalregister/4967169681/

"No marker even identifies it as the headquarters of the long-ago-vanished Charles River Speedway. Preservationists want that changed. The cluster of six ramshackle structures was named yesterday to an annual list of the 'Most Endangered Historic Resources' in the state. The distinction from the advocacy group Preservation Massachusetts is designed to pressure the owner of the property, the state Department of Recreation and Conservation." Photos from the BPL: http://www.bpl.org/online/sportstemples/temple.php?temple_id=5

"The cuts risk further hurting racing at Suffolk Downs. Bruce Patten, acting executive director of the New England Horsemen’s Benevolence & Protective Association, said the cost-cutting 'creates a dilemma for the horse owners. They have to decide whether to take their horses and go somewhere else, or stick it out for the rest of the season.' The current season ends on Nov. 13."

"Through Aug. 2, Brockton's leading jockey was Howard Lanci, 42, with 30 victories. Seven of them were recorded June 30, and according to the American Racing Manual, that is a single-day record at a Massachusetts fair." Collisions, distractions, records. NYT article from 2001 on the return of racing at the Brockton fair.

"Yes, to an 'outsider' it may look positively dysfunctional. And, yes, we all know that if Suffolk Downs doesn’t survive life will go on. But to a significant group of people it will go on with a big piece missing."

"By winning the one-mile Acorn, the 1 1/8-mile Mother Goose and now the grueling 1 1/2-mile Oaks on her father's speedy filly. Mom's Command, [Abigail Fuller] had become the first female jockey to sweep the New York triple Crown for 3-year-old fillies. And Mom's Command became only the sixth filly to accomplish the feat, joining Dark Mirage, Shuvee, Chris Evert, Ruffian and Davona Dale."

"The Rev. Richard McGowan, a Boston College professor ... is betting that each side will get a little of what they want -- three casinos and slots at two racetracks ... McGowan is convinced that the conference committee will approve slots at Suffolk Downs, where the owners have a joint venture to build a casino with the operators of nearby Wonderland Greyhound Park."

"There are key differences with the plan that passed the House. The House bill calls for two casinos, and puts no restrictions on location. Most significantly, the House measure, with the strong backing of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, also allows up to 750 slot machines at the state’s two horse-racing facilities and two former dog tracks. Negotiators do not have much time to work out the differences, with the legislative session scheduled to end July 31." They have only 10 days, if they're going to make that deadline.

"We’ve been waiting for revenue from gaming for eight or nine years now.... You can’t presume anything, but we are light years ahead of where we were two years ago. It’s been a very pleasant surprise how much institutional support there has been for Suffolk Downs." Conditions for expanded gaming in Massachusetts have never been better.