The 30th racing season at Emerald Downs is underway.
Last Sunday, more than 4,000 fans packed the stands for Opening Day.
Track president Phil Ziegler expects an even bigger crowd for Saturday – Kentucky Derby Day.
“Kentucky Derby Day is the one day a year people love to get dressed up, they love to come to the races, they love to have their mint juleps,” said Ziegler.
This season runs through September 7. As for the 2026 season – it’s no sure bet.
As reported earlier by the Seattle Times, regulatory fees from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority are doubling.
As fees go up next year, mid-level tracks with smaller purses, like Emerald Downs, will be hit especially hard.
“We have some stakes races here, but we don’t have the $1,000,000 races here, so there’s got to be a place for the mid-level horses to have a place to compete and all the jobs that it supports – so that’s an industry wide thing,” said Ziegler.
Ziegler says the track generates around $240 million for the state economy.
A couple of state bills which aimed to help pay those added fees died in the legislature, but Ziegler remains optimistic.
“We hope we’ll be here for a long time,” he said.
And for the first time since 2016 – the racing season at Emerald Downs will include more than a thousand horses.
“Having extra horses means more competitive racing – better for the folks to come to the track and it’s always nice when you get eight or nine horses in a race because the payouts tend to be a little bit bigger, so you can win a little bit more money,” said Ziegler.
Gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday for the Derby.
The schedule includes Saturday and Sunday racing beginning May 10 – and Friday night racing starts June 6.
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