Emerald Downs Horseracing

Emerald Downs is a one-mile horse track in Auburn, Washington that features thoroughbred racing. The racing season typically spans from April to September each year.

This 167-acre facility, located midway between Seattle and Tacoma in the Auburn valley, features a state-of-the-art, six level stadium with a commanding view of the entire one-mile racing oval.

Nestled under the shadow of world-famous Mount Rainier, Emerald Downs has established itself as the premier thoroughbred racing venue in the Pacific Northwest. Among the big stakes events it has hosted is the Longacres Mile, the richest stakes race west of Chicago and north of the Bay Area. Other big events hosted are the Mt. Rainier Breeders' Cup, Washington Breeders' Cup Oaks, Emerald Breeders Cup Derby and the Gottstein Futurity.

Emerald Downs Facts

• Main Track: One mile, oval
• Distance from last turn to finish line: 990 feet

Emerald Downs Records

Distance	Horse	Age	Weight	Time	Date
2 Furlongs	Midnight Cruiser	2	118 lbs	:21.40	May 4, 2000
4 ½ Furlongs	Trackattacker	2	118 lbs	:49.98	Jun 1, 2014
5 Furlongs	Starbird Road Jazzy Mac Victor Slew	5 5 4	119 lbs 98 lbs 115 lbs	:55.40	Oct 1, 2006 Aug 20, 2000 Aug 24, 2003
5 ½ Furlongs	Hollywood Harbor	5	118 lbs	1:00.87	Apr 22, 2012
6 Furlongs	Kaabraaj	4	122 lbs	1:06.86	Apr 23, 2016
6 ½ Furlongs	I Keep Saying	5	124 lbs	1:12.94	Jul 27, 2014
1 Mile	Point Piper	6	118 lbs	1:32.90	Aug 14, 2016
1 Mile & 70 Yds	Exclusive Speaker	6	123 lbs	1:38.20	Jun 23, 2023
1 1/16 Miles	Kid Katabatic	5	123 lbs	1:39.60	Jul 26, 1998
1 1/8 Miles	Flying Notes	3	122 lbs	1:45.40	Sep 2, 2002
1 3/16 Miles	Andoras Attitude	4	119 lbs	1:57.40	Aug 25, 2005
1 ¼ Miles	Itstufftobegood	4	124 lbs	2:01.00	Aug 5, 2005
1 ½ Miles	Military Deputy	5	120 lbs	2:29.00	Aug 26, 2007
1 3/4 Miles	Itstufftobegood	4	128 lbs	3:02.00	Sep 18, 2005
2 Miles	Horatio	5	115 lbs	3:22.60	Sep 20, 2004

Emerald Downs Quarter Horse Track Records

Distance	Horse	Age	Weight	Time	Date
350 Yards	Snip N Dale	5	126 lbs	17.300	Sep 25, 2010
400 Yards	Chicks Special Angel	5	125 lbs	20.007	Jun 1, 2013
440 Yards	Bh Lisas Boy	3	121 lbs	21.376	Sep 6, 2015
870 Yards	Cm Once Ina Bluemoon	5	125 lbs	45.423	Aug 20, 2020

History of Emerald Downs

• For many years, the Longacres racetrack was the premier thoroughbred racetrack in the state of Washington. In 1990, its owners, the Alhadeff family, sold it to Boeing, which since has developed the land. Longacres ran its final race on September 21, 1992. The overall decline in thoroughbred breeding and the void left in the state by the closure of Longacres racetrack helped to deplete the thoroughbred ranks.
• On June 20, 1996, a new era in thoroughbred racing dawned in Washington with the opening of Emerald Downs in Auburn. Due to the dormancy of thoroughbred racing in the state brought about by the closure of Longacres and the subsequent migration of many owners and trainers to neighboring California, there weren't enough thoroughbreds to regularly fill the twelve post positions the starting gate at Emerald Downs can accommodate. The pressure to fill fields at the track led some trainers to push their horses into the starting gate again, or "run them back," as frequently as once a week.
• In 1997, Emerald Downs spent nearly a million dollars on surface improvements due to various horse injuries that were attributed to the old track.
• On April 25, 1998, Emerald Downs welcomed what is largely believed to have been its largest crowd since its first opening day, though this is only an estimate as Emerald Downs does not publicize attendance figures.

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