Projects target thoroughbred revival in Mass.
Thoroughbred horse racing disappeared from Massachusetts this summer when Suffolk Downs hosted its final laps around the East Boston oval, but at least three groups are promoting projects that could revive the sport of kings here.
The latest comes from the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which is working with an investment group to develop a $60 million race track in Rowley. Led by Newburyport thoroughbred horse owner John Grossi, the Rowley Group will present to town officials a plan for a track on 284 acres off Route 133 later this month. The Rowley Group and the MassTHA said the project "is expected to bring in excess of 500 million dollars of economic impact back to the Commonwealth."
"Restoring significant, full-time racing days on a consistent and sustained basis in Rowley will be the foundation for the revitalization of Massachusetts based thoroughbred breeding, the engine behind agricultural and economic expansion and will promote the preservation of thousands of acres of open space and farms," MassTHA President Bill Lagorio said.
Meanwhile, the real estate development group Notos Group is pitching a thoroughbred track in Wareham as part of a $300 million mixed-use development. And Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, which operated the track at Suffolk Downs and continues to operate a simulcast wagering center there, wants to hold up to 40 racing days at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds.
Both projects would require a change in state law. The Notos Group wants to also include a gambling element but is asking lawmakers to allow the Gaming Commission to issue a license for a gaming facility that would fall somewhere between a slots parlor and resort casino. For the Great Barrington plan to work, Sterling Suffolk needs the Legislature to pass a bill (S 101) that would make pecific changes to the gaming laws and reshape the way racing and simulcast wagering are governed.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments