Emerald Downs opens 30th meet with sunny forecast, strong horse supply

A six-race opening card, a mid-70s forecast and a horse supply deep enough to fill the barns gave Emerald Downs a clean start to its 30th live meet, a useful marker for a track that still lives on rhythm, not spectacle. The Auburn oval opens its 51-day season Saturday with a schedule built to be easy to follow and hard to miss: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at 1:50 p.m., with most Friday-night cards starting June 5 at 7 p.m.

That practical cadence matters because Emerald Downs is not trying to be a one-race destination. It is the Pacific Northwest’s lone commercial Thoroughbred track, and the 2026 meet runs through Sept. 7 on the same 51 race dates it received in 2025. The season pass, priced at $55, includes admission for all 51 days and 10 daily passes, another sign that the track is leaning into accessibility as much as tradition.

The opening-day card will not be flashy, but it is the kind of race day that keeps a summer meet alive. The feature is a $23,000 purse for older $25,000 claimers at six furlongs, exactly the kind of race that helps build field sizes, sustain betting pools and give local horsemen a place to run. Bret Anderson, Emerald Downs’ director of racing, expects nearly 800 horses by mid-May, with support also coming from Turf Paradise and several Canadian trainers.

That depth gives the meet a real foundation, and it comes at a time when the track has had to manage broader pressure from rising Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority fees. President Phil Ziegler warned earlier this year that those costs could threaten the meet, which makes the fact that Emerald Downs is opening on schedule more than a calendar note. It is a small but meaningful sign of stability for a circuit that depends on full stalls and steady weekends.

The stakes schedule adds the top-end draw. Emerald Downs says its 2026 stakes program is worth $1,075,000 and is led by the 91st running of the Longacres Mile, the track’s signature race. The opener also lands on Kentucky Derby day, tying Auburn’s local restart to the national stage. In Louisville, former Emerald Downs trainer Mark Glatt will saddle Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy, a reminder that the regional game still feeds into racing’s biggest afternoons. Emerald Downs opened in 1996 on the Longacres site after Longacres Racetrack closed in 1992, and 30 meets later it remains the place where Washington racing still finds its summer footing.