Emerald Downs has been cleared to drop four Friday race dates in August after the Washington Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved the request at a special meeting on Monday.
The Auburn track, the last remaining commercial racing venue in the Pacific Northwest, had opened its 2026 season with a 51-date programme but has struggled to sustain three-day racing weeks since Fridays were added after Memorial Day.
President Phil Ziegler told commissioners that the July 3 card had exposed the depth of the problem, with eight races assembled only after a prolonged entries process and three of them attracting just five runners, Thoroughbred Daily News reported.
Horse population figures force August rethink
Ziegler said handle across the relevant 21-date comparison was down 15% year-on-year, while horse count had fallen from 915 to 692. Total starters were also down 21%, and average field size had dropped from 7.32 to 6.19.
The track’s plan is to move races from the four removed August Fridays into Saturday and Sunday programmes rather than reduce the overall purse outlay.
Founder Ron Crockett urged horsepeople to back the short-term cut, saying he had recently discussed racing’s future in Washington with the governor and has a July 14 meeting scheduled with elected officials and state planners.
