In the face of growing local opposition to the Thoroughbred racetrack and equestrian center in Massachusetts, selectors in the Town of Hardwick have decided to delay a scheduled vote approving the project so that the community have more say in the process.
The action was taken at an open meeting October 25 by a three-member selection panel in the hope of passing the question to voters on the ballot initiative. The delay would allow opponents more time to gather the necessary signatures needed for a referendum.
“One thing I would say is that everyone in this town wants to vote on this,” Selectman H. Robert Ruggles told the Worcester Telegram. “I really think we should give them a chance, but that requires a ‘yes’ vote.”
Reportedly, the chairman of the board, Julie Quink and Selectman Kelley Kemp agreed.
Richard Fields, one of the former owners of Suffolk Downs, and Robin Kalaidjian, longtime owner and rancher in the state, are principals of Commonwealth Equine and Center for Agriculture. They plan to buy the 360-acre Meadowbrook Ranch in Hardwick Township, located in central Massachusetts, and revive direct racing and breeding in the state. The proposal also includes a retirement facility for racehorses on site.
There have been no live Thoroughbred races in Massachusetts or New England since June 30, 2019, when the New England HBPA held the final meeting of its eight-day Racing Festival at Suffolk Downs, which was sold to a real estate developer in 2017.
While Hardwick’s selection committee has publicly expressed support for the project and state law allowing them to be the decisive voter, they now believe the community should have a greater say in the process. this program.
Reportedly, the board and local officials say that many town residents have contacted them to express that they should have a chance to vote on the issue. Townsfolk believes that a proposal of this magnitude is too important to be decided by a three-member panel alone.
Meanwhile, Fields and his partners submitted their 2023 live race day applications to the Massachusetts Game Commission by the October 1 deadline. They are requesting a two-day in-person meeting of all grass-court races, with an average daily purse allocation of $750,000, for next year to begin restoring live races, with the hope of increasing the number of days in the coming years .
MGC has scheduled a hearing on the Hardwick proposal for October 31. Under state law, MGC must make its decision on whether to issue a racing license by November 15.
The board’s vote on Monday night to delay the proposal appears to put further pressure on that timeline.
