Horse Racing Commission approves Emerald Downs' request to remove four Fridays in August

The Washington Horse Racing Commission on June 29 approved Emerald Downs' request to eliminate four Friday night race dates in August and reallocate those races to longer Saturday and Sunday cards.

Phil Ziegler, president of Emerald Downs LLC, told the commission the proposal responds to sharply lower entries and shrinking field sizes this season. "We're not proposing any reduction of races or losing opportunities," Ziegler said; "what we're proposing to do is taking the 6 races and 7 races from Friday night and moving them to Saturday and Sunday." He told the commission that handle is down about 15% and horse inventory is down roughly 32% (692 horses this year versus 915 last year), and that the track guarantees purses even if cards are compressed.

Why it mattered: Ziegler argued that concentrating races on weekends would reduce the number of short, noncompetitive fields and improve the product for bettors and simulcast markets. He suggested longer weekend cards (11–12 races) would let the race office place weaker five-horse fields earlier in the card and preserve stronger late-race betting pools. "If we have all these 5 horse fields and we're running 11 races on a Saturday and Sunday, now you can carve your 5 horse fields as races 1, 2, and 3," Ziegler said.

Trainers and owners pressed for alternatives. Cliff Falcom, a trainer of 30 years, asked that any lost midweek days be made up later in the season. Debbie Perry and other trainers urged the track to consider alternate options such as earlier Friday post times or condition-book changes rather than removing dates. "If you take days away for the future, the future looks terrible," Perry said, adding that losing race days can harm owners' return on investment and discourage future participation.

Questions about horse supply and contract terms surfaced during the public comment period. Trainer Mike Puich asked where the additional horses would come from to fill expanded weekend cards, noting it can take about 60 days to prepare a horse to run. Commissioners and participants clarified that the horsemen's contract does not require a set number of days; instead, the condition book and entry rules determine which races must be used when viable entries exist.

Commission discussion and vote: After an hour and a half of testimony, Commissioner Bob Lopez moved to approve the association's request to eliminate the four Fridays in August; Commissioner Claude Bridal seconded. The chair called for the ayes and declared the motion carried following unanimous support.

What the approval does and does not do: The commission's action allows Emerald Downs to reassign the four Friday cards to weekend dates for August, but it does not change the guaranteed purse pool that Emerald Downs said it would continue to honor. Ziegler said the track would report back at the end of August with data on entries and handle so stakeholders can evaluate whether the change achieved its goals.

Other business and next steps: Commissioners then approved travel for any commissioner to attend services for former investigator Steve Kombach on July 25. Chair Doug Moore closed the special meeting at 12:05 p.m.

The decision marks a temporary, operational adjustment the track and stakeholders agreed to test during a season when field sizes and wagering handle have fallen; the commission and track will monitor outcomes and revisit scheduling decisions for future meets if the experiment does not produce the expected improvements.