Emerald Downs

Graded stakes winner Five Star General (Distorted Humor--Party of Interest, by Bernardini) will begin his stud career next season at Covilar's Owl Hollow Farm in Floyd, Virginia. Covilar, founded by Dr. Josep Bassaganya-Riera, acquired a 50% ownership share in the 8-year-old stallion through a strategic partnership with existing owner Kenny Alhadeff. Since acquiring Owl Hollow Farm in 2021, Covilar has worked to transform the property into a modern, world-class breeding facility. Five Star General's pedigree, performance and versatility aligns with Bassaganya-Riera's long-term vision for the farm, according to a release...

For the 30th racing season, Emerald Downs will have 51 days of live racing beginning Apr. 27 and ending Sept. 7, the track announced Friday evening. The meeting will run through 13 Fridays, 18 Saturdays, and 18 Sundays as well as special racing days on Memorial Day May 26 and the annual Fireworks Spectacular July 3. There will be a mid-season break spanning July 4 to July 10, and the stakes schedule will be crowned by the 90th renewal of the Longacres Mile. "We are looking forward to the 30th...

Every week, the TDN posts a round-up of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among this week's rulings, trainer Charles Essex has been suspended for 15 days and fined $1,000 after his trainee, The Golden Egg, tested positive for acepromazine after finishing second at Emerald Downs May 31. A ubiquitous sedative across the nation's backstretches, acepromazine is a Class B controlled medication under HISA, a maximum first-time violation for which is what the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Unit (HIWU) meted out to...

Emerald Downs will offer Penny Breakage on all wagers Emerald Downs commencing with its 55-day 2024 season that begins on Saturday, May 4. Historically, wagers were rounded down payouts to the nickel or dime which made sense when most wagers were made with cash on track. However, the change was made because of the evolution of account wagering and vouchers on track. Emerald Downs estimates that penny breakage will return approximately $400,000 in additional payouts to bettors. Also starting in 2024, Emerald Downs will offer a "Dynamic Morning Line." The...

Jockey Basil Frazier, Grade I-winning mare Flag de Lune (Flag Officer), and racing writer/broadcaster Jon White will be inducted into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame this summer, Emerald Downs announced Wednesday. Washington's Horse of the Year in 1984, Flag de Lune was a multiple stakes winner on dirt, including the inaugural running of the Longacres Lassies S., and became a Grade I winner on turf when she won the the 1984 Ramona H. at Del Mar. A native of Spokane, Washington, Frazier rode in Canada and the United States,...

Slew's Crew Racing's multiple stakes winner Slew's Tiz Whiz (Slew's Tiznow) was named Washington's top racehorse for the second year in a row at the 2023 Washington Thoroughbred annual awards dinner held Feb. 24 at Emerald Downs. The 6-year-old gelding, bred by the late Karl Krieg, also earned the titles of champion sprinter and handicap horse. He is trained by Tom Wenzel. Earning her third state title was Petra Lewin (Rainbow Meadows Farm) and trainer Charles Essex's homebred star Blazingbellablu (Grazen). Crowned Washington Horse of Year as a 3-year-old in...

The 89th edition of the Longacres Mile headlines a 21-race stakes schedule worth $1,150,000 for Emerald Downs at the 55-day meeting from May 4 to Sept. 15. The $150,000 Longacres Mile anchors a stakes quadruple-header Sunday, Aug. 11. Billed as Championship Sunday, it co-features the $50,000 Emerald Distaff for older fillies and mares, $50,000 Muckleshoot Derby for 3-year-olds, and $50,000 Washington Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. A total of 16 stakes are scheduled on Sundays with five set for Saturdays, including the $50,000 Seattle S. for 3-year-old fillies that kicks off...

Bill Downes has been named track announcer for the upcoming winter/spring meet at Golden Gate Fields. Downes, who has called the races at Emerald Downs for the Washington track's last two seasons, has over two decades of experience in the announcer's booth. "We look forward to having Bill call our races," said Golden Gate Fields Vice President and General Manager David Duggan. "He has called all over the country and provides viewers and listeners with an accurate description of a race." Along with his stint at Emerald, Downes has also...

The 56th annual WTBOA Summer Yearling and Mixed Sale was held Tuesday, Aug. 22 at the WTBOA Sales Pavilion located at Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn, Washington. After seven outs, 75 yearlings went through the sales ring. Topping this year's venue was Hip 71, a colt by first-year stallion Barkley (Munnings), winner of the 2018 GIII Longacres Mile before retiring to Nina and Ron Hagen's El Dorado Farms in Enumclaw. The colt sold for $55,000. The Hagens bred the saletopper, who was one of a trio of yearlings purchased by...

Some two years ago, Randall Lane, the chief content officer for Forbes, and Bob Daugherty, an investor and educator, met for dinner and the conversation turned to horse racing. Both are fans of racing and they started to talk about why the sport isn't nearly as popular as the four major sports. The answer, they concluded, is that in baseball, basketball, football and hockey, the sports center around teams, leagues and standings. People fall in love with their teams, they root for them, they pay to see them play, they...

MonmouthBets, the first legal and regulated mobile application for fixed odds betting on horse racing in the United States, has launched announced BetMakers Technology Group Friday. Approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the MonmouthBets app is now available for New Jersey residents to accept wagers on mobile devices ahead of Monmouth Park's 78th season beginning Saturday, May 13. In addition to being able to place bets on Monmouth Park races, New Jersey horseplayers can now place fixed odds wagers on races from Tampa Bay Downs, Canterbury Park,...

Emerald Downs has lowered takeouts on Daily Doubles and Pick 3s to an industry low 10% for its upcoming season, which opens Saturday and continues through Sept. 17. "There are a lot of takeout promotions on Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagers, but those are tough to hit," said Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler. "We wanted to give the players a better chance to win with a 10% takeout on all our Daily Doubles and Pick 3s." The track's win, place, show wagering has a takeout rate of 16.1%, while...