Trainer Jamey Thomas to have string at Emerald Downs for first time

Trainer Jamey Thomas will have a stable based at Emerald Downs in Washington state for the first time this year, a result of the absence of racing in Northern California.

Thomas said on Wednesday that he will send “20 to 25” horses to Emerald Downs, while keeping a small number of runners in Southern California. The stable will relocate to Emerald Downs in coming weeks, Thomas said.

“Most of the horses will go to Washington and I’ll have five or six at Santa Anita that will fit there,” he said.

Thomas said his mother, Ruby, also plans to have runners at Emerald Downs this year. Ruby Thomas won a career-best 34 races in 2023 and had 20 wins last year. She had her first career win at Santa Anita on Jan. 20 with Crystal Proof in a $5,000 claiming race.

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Jamey Thomas, 55, has raced throughout California since his career began in 1996, winning 471 races. He had his best season in 2022, winning 49 races with runners who earned a career-high of $906,236. Last year, he won 29 races from 173 starters who earned $644,703. In December, he sent a small group of horses to Turf Paradise in Phoenix for the first time.

Thomas is among several Northern California-based trainers sending horses to Emerald Downs. He said the track’s presence on the West Coast and competition levels make the venue an attractive option.

“I think my horses will fit in there,” he said.

There is no racing scheduled in Northern California this year. Golden Gate Fields closed permanently last June. An autumn meeting at Pleasanton had lower-than-expected handle, leading to the cancellation of a proposed winter-spring meeting.

The California Authority of Racing Fairs announced in late January that it would not pursue racing dates for fairs at Ferndale, Fresno, Pleasanton, or Sacramento. Officials with the Sonoma county fair in Santa Rosa, which is not allied with CARF, said earlier this month that the organization is unlikely to pursue racing dates this year.

Currently, Thomas has runners in training in Pleasanton and smaller divisions at Santa Anita and Turf Paradise.

Thomas said his Southern California team will include Chancery Way, a five-time stakes winner who has not raced since November at Pleasanton. A 6-year-old California-bred mare, Chancery Way has won stakes throughout California.

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