THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, July 5, 2019 Page 13 Huge crowd for Suffolk Downs send-off E AST BOSTON – Over 21,000 racing fans packed Suffolk Downs as the track hosted its final weekend of live racing at the historic oval. On Saturday the track was forced to suspend the live racing card after the seventh race due to severe thunderstorms that rolled through the area. Live racing resumed on Sunday with 12 races and brought out 12,311 fans despite passing storms early in the day. “It was very gratifying to give live racing a fitting sendoff, and we are amazed by what a wonderful and appreciative crowd showed up today to celebrate with us. We want to thank all the fans, our dedicated workforce, the horsemen and women who shipped in for the weekend and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s racing personnel who helped us with these festivals,” said COO Chip Tuttle of Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC (SSR) the company that operates racing and simulcasting at Suffolk Downs. “Now we are looking forward to what’s next and, hopefully, continuing Thoroughbred racing in Massachusetts next year at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds.” Tammi Piermarini, the thirdall-time-leading female rider in history and a mainstay in New England racing, piloted home Saint Alfred in the $50,000 Thomas F. Moran Stakes for trainer Karl Grusmark and Joseph DiRico, the owner and breeder of the five-year-old Massachusetts-bred son of irons. The three-year-old gelded son of Successful Appeal is now four-for-four for trainer Dylan Clarke. The final race in the track’s 84-year history was won in a maiden breaking score by Catauga County ($9.60) and jockey Andy Hernandez Sanchez. It was the third win of the day for Sanchez, who also won the third race aboard longshot Morgan’s Z Va ($30.60) for M. Anthony Ferraro and the eighth race for the Matthew Clarke–trained Fifty Eight O G ($24.60). Following the final live racing weekend on June 29-30, the track will remain open year-round for simulcasting. SSR is working with the New England Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Inc. and the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association on plans to return live racing to the Great Barrington Fairgrounds in Great Barrington, Mass., and to continue simulcasting operations in Boston. Dublin. Piermarini also teamed up with Jay Bernardini to win the sixth race with longshot Shackleson ($20.80). “It means a lot to be able to win a race on the final day of live racing here, and it was even sweeter to get to do it for two local trainers,” said Piermarini. “I have so many wonderful memories here, and Suffolk Downs will always feel like home.” Successful Saint, a homebred for owner Anthony Zizza, remained undefeated from four starts with an authoritative score in the $50,000 John Kirby Stakes with Jose Baez in the About Suffolk Downs Built by 3,000 workers in just 62 days when Massachusetts authorized pari-mutuel wagering in 1935, the historic track has been a showcase for some of the most famous names in Thoroughbred racing history, including Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, John Henry, Cigar and Skip Away. For more information, visit www.suffolkdowns.com. On July 1 – the unofficial start to summer – taxpayers are reminded of Airbnb tax B OSTON – As thousands of vacationers across the Commonwealth travel to the Cape and Islands and other vacation hotspots across the state, a new secret tax is poised to hit many of them that booked their trip on popular websites like Airbnb. Those who pay attention to Massachusetts state politics might remember the secret Airbnb tax passed right before Christmas, during informal session, and without a recorded vote. Passing a major tax on an industry so reliant on tourist dollars may seem ill-advised, but with the leadership currently running the Statehouse, it’s a reality that many taxpayers will be forced to contend with this week. The new tax that was seSaugonian inducted into National Society of Leadership and Success M ANCHESTER, N.H. – Ariana Iafrate of Saugus was recently accepted into Sigma Alpha Pi, a national society of leadership and success, for the 2018-2019 academic year. Membership in Sigma Alpha Pi is by invitation based on criteria determined by local chapter leaders. Students are selected by their college for membership based on their academic standing and/or leadership potential. Candidacy is a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction providing students with an opportunity to build their leadership skills, network with other successful students and stand out as valued candidates to graduate schools and employers. cretly passed could have been stopped, if only one lawmaker objected. Despite Airbnb’s protest at the time, it still passed. The new tax is so secretive that not even Airbnb lists Massachusetts under their “occupancy tax” page. “Massachusetts taxpayers will be feeling the burn this summer as new taxes hit their bank accounts when they book their summer vacations online. A quick web search found the tax is around 12 percent. That may not sound like a lot to a Massachusetts lawmaker, but for families on a budget, it’s a significant chunk out of their vacation fund,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Spokesperson/Board Member Paul Craney. “The Airbnb tax is a good reSaugonian graduates from University of New Haven WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Julia Dembro of Saugus recently graduated from the University of New Haven with an Associate of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. The University of New Haven, which was founded on the Yale campus in 1920, is a private, coeducational university situated on the coast of southern New England. It’s a diverse and vibrant community of more than 6,800 students, with campuses around the country and the world. minder that even if you support higher taxes, these debates must be done in the public and with recorded votes. This tax represents a failure in our state democratic process and a reminder to everyone looking to take a few days off that Massachusetts lawmakers will always be looking to tax you more, even if you are on vacation,” said Craney. Saugonian earns High Honors at Boston College High School B oston College High School sophomore Charlie Youssef of Saugus achieved High Honors for the fourth quarter. Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men founded in 1863. The school enrolls approximately 1,500 students from more than 100 communities in eastern Massachusetts.
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