After nearly eight decades of action, the race has come to an end.
Saturday was the final day of live races Suffolk Downs in Boston and Revere, Massachusetts. Its closure is difficult for people who love the sport and the historic track.
The crowds on the last day were good, but nothing like the early years, when as many as 30,000 people would turn in on the weekends to see some of the best thoroughbreds in the country. Seabiscuit thrilled the crowd when captured the Mass-Cap there in 1937.
The track was built when Massachusetts permitted betting on horse races in 1935. Ironically, gambling is now forcing it to shutdown. Suffolk Downs and Mohegan Sun failed to win a casino license for the 160-acre site in Revere.
The license, instead, went to Winn Resorts in neighboring Everett.
More than 800 people work at Suffolk Downs, including those who handle, train and care for the horses. One of them is trainer Carol Skawinski.
"It's a sad day, and the people who are involved in it are hoping they can make enough money right now so they can get through the next few weeks," she said.
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The Beatles played at the track in 1966, but this place had always been about the horses.
Richard Phelan was on hand for the last day. His parents owned the thoroughbred that won the first race ever run at Suffolk Downs.
"We just hope that something will come about," he said. "It's a great sport."
