SUFFOLK DOWNS

111 Waldemar Avenue
East Boston, Massachusetts 02128
(617) 567-3900
http://www.suffolkdowns.com

Suffolk Downs Racing Dates
May 5 - November 10

Racetrack Information
Main track (dirt): 1 mile, oval
Length of stretch from last turn to finish line: 1,030 feet
Distance from finish line to clubhouse turn: 360 feet
Width of homestretch: 90 feet
Width of backstretch: 70 feet
Composition: Stone dust base, mason sand, extra silt and clay added during warmer seasons
Inner turf course: 7 furlongs
Width of stretch: 70 feet
Width of homestretch: 70 feet
Distance from top of stretch to finish line: 1,030 feet
Distance from finish line to clubhouse turn: 360 feet
Composition: Perennial rye grass

Track History and Fun Facts: Horse-drawn starting gates and assistant starters outside the stalls were the norm when Suffolk Downs opened its gates in 1935. The track's rich history, spanning seven decades, includes appearances by such equine superstars as Whirlaway, Cigar and Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit won an allowance race that day and, upon Smith's recommendation, the three-year-old colt was purchased by businessman Charles Howard at Saratoga in August of that year. Seabiscuit ran at Suffolk Downs eight times in his 89-race career, winning the 1937 Massachusetts Handicap with jockey Red Pollard. Seabiscuit first raced at Suffolk Downs on July 15, 1935, just five days after the track opened. Between 1990 and 1991 there was no racing at Suffolk. In 1992, a deal was brokered between Suffolk Downs and Rockingham Park allowing racing to return. In 1995, the Massachusetts Handicap returned from a six-year hiatus and Cigar won the race.

During the 1960s, Suffolk Downs established a single-day handle record of $2,175,836, a mark that stood until the advent of simulcasting in the '90s. On Aug. 18, 1966, The Beatles played an infield concert at the track in front of over 25,000 fans. It was the group's last appearance in Boston.