For about 75 years, Suffolk Downs horse track has been a place special to the people of Revere — riched with cherished memories and long, deep-rooted history. Starting in 1934 by the Eastern Racing Association — after the State Racing Commission was created and pari mutuel wagering was legalized — it was built in 62 days, on 200 acres of mud flats in East Boston and Revere for the price of $2 million.
Similar to how all things change with time, in that nature, Suffolk Downs eventually branched off from just being a horse track and became more involved with its city. On August 18, 1966, The Beatles arrived and performed there — a highlighted historic moment for Suffolk Downs, and counted as one of the last performances they had together as a group.
Years later, there had been other appearances by musical groups such as Aerosmith and Elvis Costello. In addition to hosting more cultural attractions, the horse track associated themselves with the Hot Dog Safari, the Joey Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.
It remained a beloved place brimmed with hope, pride and determination. Unfortunately, Suffolk Downs has headed towards it end on the track due to its failing bid on having a casino resort.
According to the Boston Globe, an article issued by Yvonne Abraham stated Suffolk Downs’ last live race was on Sept. 29, but will officially close down somewhere in the month of December.
Hard-working men and women who’ve been part-time to full-time workers at Suffolks Down were devastated by the news. “It was a very difficult meeting,” Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer at Suffolk Downs, said in the article, “As you can imagine a lot of people have worked here a lot of years.”
Surprisingly the track had experienced an economic fall for quite a while. In another article by Nestor Ramos, Michael Levenson and Travis Anderson, saving Suffolk Downs “was one of the prime motivations behind the 2011 casino bill signed into law by Deval Patrick.”
The gaming revenue would have benefited to economic development, like funding local aid and capital projects; but because the gaming panel chose Everett’s rivaling proposal over the casino to save the game track, 800 people are soon to be out of work and Boston is losing one of its prized establishments.
Without a doubt, Suffolk Downs — with its colorful characters and horses — will forever secure a special place in the hearts of the people.
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