IN BRIEF : Suffolk Downs May Be Closed

BOSTON — Suffolk Downs race track owner Buddy LeRoux reportedly said he will close the track at the end of next year unless stables are moved from the track and off-track betting is legalized in the state.

LeRoux spoke Monday to members of the Committee to Preserve Thoroughbred Racing in Massachusetts, composed of members of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Assn. and other horsemen.

LeRoux said his plan for Suffolk Downs is to tear down the stables at the track and replace it with a new stable area 20 to 25 minutes away. Horses would have to be shipped to the track for races.

“He told us that it was that or nothing at all,” said Jim Pambianchi, secretary-treasurer of the horsemen’s association.

LeRoux’s plan for a $2-billion sports complex on the site of Suffolk Downs calls for housing for the elderly to be built in the barn area. He has promised to keep Suffolk Downs open through Dec. 31, 1989, under a legislative bailout bill that will provide him with an estimated $5 million.