Jill's Journal: Three little girls and I headed deep into the Boston area for a little racetrack action today. Although one of my not-so-secret dreams is to see every racetrack in the country, I learned months ago it’s not all going to happen on this trip. But I’ll still take what I can get!
Suffolk Downs opened in 1935 and is now crowded by development. Planes landing at nearby Logan Airport give the illusion of racing over the finish line. The track has clearly seen better days and is definitely not among the upper echelon of racing, but it’s still a pretty little track and has several recent coats of fresh paint.
The girls absolutely love racing. They delight endlessly over the gorgeous animals, pick the ones they think are prettiest (or share a number with their age) to win, and cheer on their favorites all the way to the wire with all the enthusiasm and none of the cynicism of a big-time handicapper.
Suffolk was sadly empty, empty, empty...not at all reminiscent of its glory days when horses like Seabiscuit or Whirlaway (or even the more recent Cigar) won its flagship event. The girls definitely brought the median age of the place down considerably and we got lots of attention. So many jockeys waved and smiled and said hello to the girls and I even got a marriage proposal!
What a fun day and well worth the Boston traffic. (By they way, in spite of Boston’s notoriety for aggressive driving, I’ll take driving in Boston over driving in New Jersey any day!)
Jill's Journal: Three little girls and I headed deep into the Boston area for a little racetrack action today. Although one of my not-so-secret dreams is to see every racetrack in the country, I learned months ago it’s not all going to happen on this trip. But I’ll still take what I can get! 
Suffolk Downs opened in 1935 and is now crowded by development. Planes landing at nearby Logan Airport give the illusion of racing over the finish line. The track has clearly seen better days and is definitely not among the upper echelon of racing, but it’s still a pretty little track and has several recent coats of fresh paint. 
The girls absolutely love racing. They delight endlessly over the gorgeous animals, pick the ones they think are prettiest (or share a number with their age) to win, and cheer on their favorites all the way to the wire with all the enthusiasm and none of the cynicism of a big-time handicapper. 
Suffolk was sadly empty, empty, empty...not at all reminiscent of its glory days when horses like Seabiscuit or Whirlaway (or even the more recent Cigar) won its flagship event. The girls definitely brought the median age of the place down considerably and we got lots of attention. So many jockeys waved and smiled and said hello to the girls and I even got a marriage proposal! 
What a fun day and well worth the Boston traffic. (By they way, in spite of Boston’s notoriety for aggressive driving, I’ll take driving in Boston over driving in New Jersey any day!)
2 comments:
Great pictures and nice commentary. I live near the track and try to attend at least once a week, usually Saturdays. It isn't Saratoga, but it's still racing and the horses are beautiful regardless of venue. Suffolk has it's own gritty charm. Good luck with your goal of visiting every track in the country.
Tony
Tony -- thanks! Regular horseplayers like you are the backbone of this great sport. And that's the perfect description (gritty charm). I really, really liked Suffolk and am thrilled to have seen it. Count yourself lucky to live near such a nice facility.
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