In the 1980s I purchased a few inexpensive nags as a hobby. The first horse I ran at Suffolk Downs, I invested $6 across the board. (That means to win, place, and show.) If the horse finished in any of the top three positions, I got money back. That sounded like a good investment to me, and the payoff, if there was one, would be immediate, not having to wait weeks, months or years like if I had invested in a stock. Well, you guessed it. The horse won by a nose. I still have the picture framed on my wall and am looking at it right now. She was a 3-year old filly (Mostly Jesting) and paid - ready? $135 to win, $45 to place and $35 to show. Trainer Ed Hess, jockey Denise Boudrot. Needless to say, my $6 investment turned into - well, you do the math.
Meanwhile, is the state of Mass., the greatest home of all sports in the country, going to sit back and allow Suffolk Downs to close its doors while just a few slot machines 10 years ago would have saved racing in our area? Finally the state is allowing casinos which they should have done in the 1930s by studying Nevada's casino financial success. Where? One location stands out as the natural. It sits on a major highway. It sits beside the MBTA and it is a baseball home run from downtown Boston. And it already has a 79 year old horse race track. Come on you guys. Stop studying and voting and put the casino where it belongs. Okay?
Roland Hopkins is founder of the NYREJ, Norwell, Mass.
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