Berkshire Downs (racetrack) explained

Berkshire Downs was an American horse racing track located in Hancock, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.42.421°N -73.346°WThe track opened for its first season of racing on 19 September 1960 [1] and in 1962 counted Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as investors.[2] The track struggled from outset due to poor weather, corruption, and proximity to other nearby tracks including Green Mountain Race Track, a much larger track that opened in 1963 only 30 miles due north.

The track ownership included many infamous names in mafia circles such as Angelo Bruno and Raymond L.S. Patriarca.[3] In the early 1970s, the track made national headlines when the owners were compelled to appear before a Senate Sub Committee investigating racketeering, but Sinatra and Martin were cleared of wrongdoing.[4] The facility closed in 1976 and is now used as a private horse breeding and training business, Sebring Stables.

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20141011054723/http://www.albanylaw.edu/media/user/glc/racing_gaming/berkshire_downs.pdf Berkshire Downs: Racing's Non-Success Story
  2. Web site: Mysteries from the morgue: A castle in Adams, Sinatra and a mob boss in Hancock . . 2019-01-18 . 2020-01-24.
  3. http://articles.philly.com/1998-05-18/news/25741289_1_mob-boss-frank-sinatra-sinatra-tunes, Sinatra's `Associations' With Mob Sinister Relationship Or Friendship And Loyalty? Here's A Look., Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 1998
  4. http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/M%20Disk/Mafia%20General/Item%2006.pdf,Legislators Hear Sinatra in High Fie