Emerald Downs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emerald Downs

Location	Auburn, Washington, United States
Owned by	Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Date opened	June 20, 1996
Course type	Thoroughbred flat racing
Notable races	Longacres Mile

Emerald Downs is a famous racetrack for thoroughbred horses in Auburn, Washington. It's located just east of Highway 167. The track gets its name from Seattle, which is often called the "Emerald City" because of its green landscapes.

History of Emerald Downs

Emerald Downs first opened its doors to horse racing fans on June 20, 1996. The first racing season lasted for 100 days, ending on November 4. This new track took the place of Longacres Racetrack, which had closed in September 1992 after 60 years of racing.

For a few years, from 1993 to 1995, there were no Thoroughbred races in Western Washington. However, racing continued at other tracks like Yakima Meadows and Playfair Race Course in Spokane.

From 1996 to 2015, Emerald Downs was run by a group of investors led by Ron Crockett. In 2002, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe bought the land where the track is located for about $70 million. Later, in 2015, the Tribe also bought the track buildings and facilities. They then formed a company called Emerald Downs Racing LLC.

Since taking over, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has made many improvements. One cool addition is a giant 1,150 square foot (about 107 square meter) screen in the middle of the track. Emerald Downs celebrated its 20th birthday on June 20, 2016, with a special night of racing. Many famous people from the track's first two decades were there.

What Does Emerald Downs Look Like?

An aerial view of Emerald Downs racetrack from the west-southwest in 2013.

The Race Track Itself

The main race track at Emerald Downs is a one-mile (1.6 km) oval. You can even see Mount Rainier in the background! The track surface is special. It's made of geo-textile fabric, washed rock, coarse sand, and a special track material. Unlike some other tracks, Emerald Downs does not have a grass course. The big tote board, which shows race information, is right in the center of the oval track.

The area inside the track, called the infield, is designed to collect all the rainwater. This includes water from the track, parking lots, and rooftops. Before any water is released into nearby Mill Creek, Emerald Downs tests it carefully. They check for things like how cloudy the water is and its pH levels. They also send samples to a lab to check for oxygen, ammonia, and bacteria. This helps prevent flooding downstream. In the fall and winter, much of the infield fills with water. This creates a home for ducks, geese, and other small wildlife.

The Grandstand: Where Fans Watch

The Emerald Downs Grandstand is a modern building where people watch the races. On the ground level, there's general seating. There's also a grassy park area with free activities for kids on weekends, if the weather is good.

On the third floor, you'll find special box seats and reserved seats outside in the grandstand. The fifth floor has an indoor clubhouse with more box and reserved seats. You can place bets at special windows located on each floor. There are also eight food stands and six places to buy drinks throughout the building.

Barn Area: Home for the Horses

The barn area at Emerald Downs is where the horses live and train. There are 11 barns, and each one is fully equipped for the horsemen (people who work with horses). Each barn has:

• 116 stalls for horses.
• 22 areas for storing tack (horse equipment) and feed.
• Six offices for trainers.
• 12 areas for storing hay and straw.
• 10 wash racks for cleaning horses.
• 13 dorm rooms for grooms (people who care for horses).
• Six mechanical hot walkers, which are machines that walk horses to cool them down.

Each horse stall is 10 feet (3 meters) by 12 feet (3.7 meters). For the horses' safety, the stalls have padded plywood kick-boards.

Sales Pavilion: For Horse Sales

The Morris J. Alhadeff Sales Pavilion is home to the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association. This building, which cost $1 million, opened on December 14, 1997, for the 1997 Winter Sale. It was built with generous donations from Micheal and Kenneth Alhadeff and others in the horse racing industry. The entire building is 17,300 square feet (1,607 square meters), including the sales arena and 4,400 square feet (409 square meters) of office space.

Equine Hospital: Horse Care

The Morris J. Alhadeff Equine Hospital is a very modern facility. It's used by the Emerald Downs Veterinary Association. This hospital was funded by Northwest Racing Associates, track veterinarians, the Alhadeff families, and other private donors. The vet clinic includes:

• A surgery suite for operations.
• Two padded rooms for horses to recover after anesthesia.
• A radiology room for X-rays.
• A prep room for smaller procedures.
• An isolation stall for horses with contagious illnesses.
• A dark room for developing X-ray films.
• Office space for the vets.

Wetlands Site: Protecting Nature

When Emerald Downs was built, a plan was made to protect the nearby wetlands. Wetlands are important natural areas. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the track, 56 acres (22.7 hectares) of wetlands were created or improved. This project cost $6.5 million. On the east side of Highway 167, a huge amount of soil (100,000 cubic yards) was dug out. This created 6 acres (2.4 hectares) of open water. Special features were added to this area to help waterfowl, birds of prey, and other animals.

Racing at Emerald Downs

Emerald Downs hosts live Thoroughbred horse racing from mid-April through mid-September. For example, the 2018 racing season ran from Sunday, April 22, to Sunday, September 23. Races are usually held Friday through Sunday for most of the season.

The track holds several large races that are not "graded stakes" (meaning they aren't ranked internationally yet), like the Auburn Handicap. They also have many other races called "overnight handicaps" and "stakes." On average, there are 7-8 races on weeknights and 10 races on weekend race days. Besides live racing, you can also bet on races happening at other tracks (called simulcast wagering) and play games in a card room casino all year round.

The first Quarter Horse race in the track's history took place in 2010. In 2011, Emerald Downs added a big Quarter Horse race called the $60,000 Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge Stakes. This race is held on Labor Day weekend. Emerald Downs also hosted Indian Relay Racing in 2015, and this popular event returned in June 2018.

Top Races (Graded Events)

In 2019, the following important "Grade III" race was held at Emerald Downs:

• Longacres Mile

Jockeys: The Horse Riders

Gallyn Mitchell is the jockey with the most wins ever at Emerald Downs. He had 1,419 wins through the 2015 racing season. He is also the only jockey who has raced at every single season since Emerald Downs opened in 1996. Jennifer Whitaker is the top female rider with 457 wins.

Ricky Frazier set records in 2007 for the most wins in a season (157) and the most money earned ($1,632,102). He won the riding title again in 2009 with 155 wins. Vann Belvoir has the best winning percentage in the track's history at 23.9%. The record for the most wins in a single day is six. This record is shared by Seth Martinez (July 27, 2008) and Kevin Radke (September 2, 2002). Eliska Kubinova set a record for wins by an apprentice jockey with 75 victories in 2012.

Many famous jockeys have ridden at Emerald Downs. This includes several members of the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. Some of these famous riders are Laffit Pincay Jr., Pat Day, Eddie Delahoussaye, Russell Baze, Gary Stevens, Alex Solis, Garrett Gomez, David Flores, Robby Albarado, and Gary Baze.

Trainers: Who Prepares the Horses

Tim McCanna, a trainer in the Washington Hall of Fame, has the most wins ever at Emerald Downs with 906 wins through 2015. He has won 10 training titles since the track opened in 1996. McCanna set a track record with 66 wins in 2008. Jeff Metz tied this record with 66 wins in 2015. Since moving from California in 2013, Metz has won three training titles in a row.

Jim Penney, another Washington Hall of Fame Trainer, is one of the most successful trainers in the state's history. He has won the Longacres Mile five times (three of those wins were at Emerald Downs), which is more than any other trainer. He is also the only trainer in Washington State history to win five races in a single day twice! Doris Harwood is the only other trainer to do this once, winning five races on August 8, 2009. Penney's 50 career stakes wins are the second most of all time. He also won a training title at Emerald Downs in 1998 with 46 wins. Doris Harwood set a record for earnings in a single season with $931,916 in 2009. She also won 12 stakes races in 2009, tying a record she set in 2007. She has the most stakes wins ever at Emerald Downs with 66.

Owners: Who Owns the Horses

Horses: The Stars of the Show

Wasserman is the horse who has earned the most money at Emerald Downs, with $575,024 in prize money through the 2015 season. West Seattle Boy is the horse with the most wins ever at the track, with 21 career victories. His most recent win was on September 25, 2011, when he was 12 years old. Noosa Beach has the most career stakes victories with 11. In 2005, Halonator set the track record for wins in a season with 8. In 2015, Stryker Phd, a 6-year-old horse from Washington, became the first horse to win the Longacres Mile twice at Emerald Downs.

Horses with the Most Career Wins

Horse of the Meeting: Top Performers Each Year

Speed Records: Fastest Times on the Track

Note: (QH) means Quarter Horse.

The Longacres Mile: A Special Race

The biggest race at Emerald Downs is the Longacres Mile Handicap. This is a "Grade III" event, meaning it's a very important race. The race was first announced in June 1935 by Joe Gottstein, who founded Longacres. He wanted a special one-mile (1.6 km) race. He felt that the mile distance was often overlooked.

To attract top horses and attention, the prize money was set at $10,000. This made it the largest one-mile race in the country at the time, and it stayed that way for over 40 years! The first Longacres Mile had 20 horses entered, and 16 actually started. A horse named Biff, who was a grandson of the famous horse Man o' War, was a favorite. But a horse named Coldwater, who wasn't expected to win, surprised everyone and took the lead near the end to win the race.

In 2008, a local horse named Wasserman won the Longacres Mile in a very close finish. The 75th Longacres Mile was held on August 22, 2010. It was won by the favorite, Noosa Beach, ridden by Ricky Frazier. In 2011, the Longacres Mile featured a big matchup between Noosa Beach and a famous horse named Awesome Gem. Awesome Gem won, boosting his earnings to over $2.6 million.

In 2012, jockey Mario Gutierrez made history. He became the first rider to win both the Kentucky Derby and the Longacres Mile in the same year. He won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with I'll Have Another, and then won the Mile with Taylor Said. In 2014 and 2015, Stryker Phd became the first horse to win the Longacres Mile two years in a row at Emerald Downs. This 6-year-old horse was owned by Jim and Mona Hour, trained by Larry Ross, and ridden by Leslie Mawing.

Other important races at Emerald Downs and when they started:

• Cahill Road Stakes (1951)
• Emerald Distaff (1996)
• Emerald Downs Derby (1934)
• Gottstein Futurity (1940)
• Governor's Handicap (1933)
• Muckleshoot Tribal Classic (1942)
• Seattle Stakes (1934)
• Seattle Slew Handicap (1977)
• Washington Oaks (1980)

Washington Cup races:

• Washington Cup 2yo Colts & Geldings Stakes
• Washington Cup 2yo Filly Stakes
• Washington Cup 3yo Filly Stakes
• Washington Cup 3yo Filly & Mare Stakes
• Washington Cup 3yo Stakes

Images for kids

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  Grandstand with general admission seating on track level

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  Paddock and covered saddling area

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  Washington Racing Hall of Fame