Emerald Downs Changes to a Wednesday-Thursday Schedule
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Photo: Reed Palmer Photography
Racing at Emerald Downs
Live racing at Emerald Downs will be held Wednesdays and Thursdays, a deviation from its original plan to race Mondays and Tuesdays, the Washington track announced June 5.
Its opening week features racing June 24-25 with first post at 2:15 p.m and 5 p.m. PT, respectively. Racing will be conducted without fans, with wagering coming mostly via advance deposit wagering companies.
The track said it chose to change its racing days due to a glut of tracks racing Mondays and Tuesdays.
Last month, the Washington Horse Racing Commission approved a 44-day season running through Oct. 4. The track's signature race, the $100,000 Longacres Mile Stakes (G3), is Sept. 13, a date that also features the Emerald Distaff for older fillies and mares.
Many stakes received purse reductions from the original schedule that was released before COVID-19. The Longacres Mile had been a $200,000 race scheduled for Aug. 9.
Most tracks that have resumed racing have done so with lesser purses partially because on-track handle has been eliminated by spectator-free racing.
Horse racing without public participation is included in Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's "Safe Start Washington" plan. Upon entering Phase 4, racing will open to the public, and Emerald Downs will return to a traditional weekend race schedule.
The June 24 program marks the official return of live professional sports to the state, the track said.