Washington Cup Day tops meet

AUBURN, Wash. - The inaugural Washington Cup Day on Sept. 21 highlights the stakes schedule at Emerald Downs for its eighth summer meeting, a 92-day meet from April 19 through Sept. 22.

Washington Cup Day includes eight stakes, seven of them for Washington-breds, with a combined value of $400,000. The lone race not restricted to Washington-breds is the $100,000 Gottstein Futurity at 1 1/16 miles, the track's traditional championship race for 2-year-olds.

Among the stakes for statebreds are the $50,000 Washington Cup Classic for older horses, the $50,000 Belle Roberts Handicap for older fillies and mares, and five other stakes with purses of $40,000 each.

The 2003 schedule lists a total of 38 stakes worth a sum of $2,120,000, topped by the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 24.

Other six-figure stakes on the schedule are the $100,000 Mt. Rainier Breeders' Cup for older horses on July 27, the $100,000 Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Aug. 23, the $100,000 Emerald Breeders' Cup Distaff for older fillies and mares on Aug. 24, and the $125,000 Emerald Breeders' Cup Derby for 3-year-olds on Sept. 1.