Emerald to drop four August dates due to horse population, declining handle
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On Monday, the Washington Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved a request from Emerald Downs management to drop four Fridays of racing in August, with Emerald Downs president Phil Ziegler advocating for the move as a necessary antidote to dwindling horse population and handle.
In a crowded conference room at the Auburn, Wash., racetrack, Ziegler promised those assembled that the races carded for the canceled days will be moved to Saturdays or Sundays, creating 11-race cards that would be more attractive to bettors.
"If people are going to get the same amount of money, the amount of days are irrelevant," said Ziegler.
Several trainers testified that they were skeptical that the same number of races would be run with fewer dates. Others pointed to a perception problem that would accompany a cutback, however temporary, to a two-day race week.
Ziegler said that, year over year, betting handle was down 15 percent and the horse population on the Emerald backstretch was down 32 percent, with average field size down from 7.32 horses per race to 6.19.
Ziegler said that there had been 56 fields with five or fewer horses this year, compared to 15 at this point last year.
"I hope we don't find ourselves in a position where we have to cancel a race day in July," said Ziegler. "We've come close a few times, which is pretty scary. Planning ahead is important to us."
Trainer Kay Cooper countered that the racing office should consider rewriting conditions so that more horses will have more opportunities to run, while other trainers remarked that moving up Friday's 7 p.m. Pacific post time might make wagering more attractive to East Coast bettors.
Ziegler pointed out that only eight races filled for this coming Friday, July 3, when last year there were 10 races on the same date, which is a typically well-attended affair with a post-race fireworks show. Emerald Downs is dark on Independence Day and resumes racing on Sunday.
Toward the end of the meeting, 87-year-old former Emerald Downs owner Ron Crockett said he'd had positive communications with Gov. Bob Ferguson's office on the prospect of getting more state subsidies for the track, adding, "We know you're hurting. You're good people, you're hard-working people, no one is against you. We wouldn't have built this place if we didn't like you."
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