Emerald Downs to offer penny breakage and a low takeout 50-cent pick six

Emerald Downs will begin its 55-day spring-summer meeting on Saturday with a new weekend post time of 1:30 p.m. Pacific. Opening day coincides with the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 3:57 p.m.

A Fabulous Hat and Best Dressed Contest will augment the Derby Day festivities at Emerald Downs with $1,000 in prizes to be divided among several different categories and age groups. The deadline to enter the contest is 2:30 p.m.

Live racing will take place on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month of May with Friday evening racing to commence May 31. The only alteration to the schedule will be for the annual fireworks spectacular after a special Wednesday card on July 3. There will not be racing on Friday, July 5.

The meet runs through Sept. 15.

General admission to the facility is $10 for adults on weekends and $5 on Fridays. Admission for children aged 5 to 17 is $5 on any race day. Admission for seniors 60 and older is $5 on Saturdays.

The season’s highlights include next weekend’s Mother’s Day Buffet. The traditional Sunday buffet has been so popular that it is now offered on two consecutive days.

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The Muckleshoot Gold Cup Indian Relay will come to Emerald Downs on June 15-16 and the Longacres Mile will be run for the 89th time on Sunday Aug. 11.

Emerald Downs will introduce penny breakage this meet, which will find winning payouts listed to the penny, instead of to the dime or nickel. The move will leave more money in the hands of bettors.

Emerald Downs will also implement a 50-cent pick six wager with a special 8 percent takeout. The low minimum and takeout should draw attention from many in the industry.

The pick six will be offered on the final six races each race day. There will be a 70/30 split on days when the pick six is hit – 70 percent to winning tickets, 30 percent divided among those with five winners.

On days when the pick six is not hit, 30 percent of the pool will be paid out to tickets with the most winners, and 70 percent will be carried over to the next race day.

The horse population continues to be scrutinized by all facets of the racing industry and there are many incentives in place for horsemen to race at Emerald Downs. Additional horses are due in from Turf Paradise and other locales, and will be steadily arriving throughout May and June.

The number of official workouts clocked at Emerald Downs through April 27 was up 17 percent from the number clocked to the same point in 2023. Mother Nature has been kind this spring and morning workouts have gone mostly uninterrupted to this point.

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