A rainbow over the track after a storm which cancelled the remainder of the card on June 29th. Photo by Abby Powell.
Suffolk Downs of East Boston, Massachusetts, the last Thoroughbred race track in New England, saw horses run down the stretch for the final time on Sunday, June 30th as demolition of the barns and the track was scheduled to begin the following day on July 1st.
I had the honor of joining a friend who is familiar with the track on Saturday for the second to last day of racing. I expected the weekend to be part celebration of the 84-year-legacy of the racetrack, part mourning for the demise of a place where so many memories were made, but a gratefulness really seemed to be the prevailing mood: gratefulness for the the time spent, friendships forged and for the horses who brought everyone together on the outskirts of the city under the landing planes of Logan Airport.
I didn’t spend a huge amount of time at Suffolk so the track’s closing certainly doesn’t affect me in the way it does those who’s livelihood has depended on it, but it did play a part in fostering my love of the horse at an early age. As a kid who didn’t grow up around horses and was bitten by the horse bug completely out of nowhere it was a way to get up close to the animals that so fascinated me. Before I could convince my parent to let me take riding lessons, I convinced them to bring me to the track to watch the horses run!
My friend adopted her horse off the track from Suffolk and in her words, he’s the best souvenir from a place that’s meant so much to her over the past 10 years. This week in honor of Suffolk Downs our OTTB Wishlist features three horses who have crossed the finish line there. Make one of them your very own souvenir from this historic track:
Stone to Gold. Photo via Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds.
Stone to Gold (BUSTIN STONES – CHEVAL DE JOI, BY FRENCH DEPUTY): 2014 16.0-hand New York-bred gelding
Stone to Gold was a part of Suffolk Downs’ grand finale weekend, racing in a claimer on Saturday and finishing near the back of the pack as has been his recent form. His trainer realizes that racing is not his calling and wants him to find a second career while he’s still young and sound. This lovely grey gelding is nicely put together and has a nice reaching walk and cute trot to go along with his correct build. His owner says he’s a sweet horse who’s always looking for peppermints. He was well behaved and listed to his handler during his jog video even though he was clearly a little spicy that day.
Located at Finger Lakes Race Track in Farmington, New York.
View Stone to Gold on Finger Lakes Finest Inc.
Legendary King. Photo via MidAtlantic Horse Rescue.
Legendary King (BRAHMS – DANCE SKIRT, BY CAUCASUS): 2008 15.3-hand Kentucky-bred gelding
Legendary King, indeed. This gelding is both a war horse and a world traveler. Though he was bred in Kentucky, Legendary King actually began his racing career in Poland where he won three out of four starts. Once he came stateside, he ran in a few graded stakes races and but wasn’t super competitive in those fields. He found his niche as a king of claiming races, often finishing in the money and earning a total of $165,320 over his career. Legendary King has raced at 11 different tracks in the U.S., including Suffolk Downs.
In his last race which was in June of 2018, he bowed a tendon and was vanned off the track. He’s been rehabbing ever since and is back under saddle now, showing great progress. The leg is noticeable cosmetically, but it’s cold and tight and isn’t causing any hurdles in Legendary King’s retraining under saddle. He’s even jumping cross rails already! If you’re looking to give a great home to a really incredible horse who could still yet be a low level eventer, don’t overlook Legendary King.
Located in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
View Legendary King on MidAtlantic Equine Rescue.
We Wilburn You. Photo via CANTER PA.
We Wilburn You (WILBURN – WE USE TO SING, BY MINESHAFT): 2014 16.0-hand Pennsylvania-bred gelding
We Wilburn You is a real barn favorite thanks to his kind and easy-going personality (notice that there is no one holding his lead …) His trainer says he’s “just a good egg” and actually wanted to keep him for herself as a foxhunter. Time constraints for his sale, however, so her loss is your gain and his price was recently reduced! We Wilburn you last raced at the end of March and has made a total of 41 career starts with modest earnings of $47,000. He passed through Suffolk Downs once, racing in a claimer there last June.
Located in Grantville, Pennsylvania.
