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AUBURN — While horses run under the famed Twin Spires in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, others will be running around Emerald Downs’ Mount Rainier turn as racing returns to the Puget Sound area for the 2023 season.
Opening day at the Northwest’s top horse racing venue features a seven-race card, led by a tough six-horse field of older horses contesting an allowance race over 6½ furlongs. First post time is 1 p.m.
The 88th running of the track’s signature race, the $150,000 Longacres Mile, will take place on Sunday, Aug. 13. Contenders should include last year’s champion, Slew’s Tiz Whiz, who has been training at Emerald Downs in recent weeks.
The Mile is one of 23 stakes races scheduled during the 52-day meet, worth a total of more than $1.2 million. Some of the track’s biggest annual draws include the annual July 3 fireworks display, Indian Relay Racing on June 16-18, and corgi races on July 23.
Jockey Alex Cruz will vie to become the first to win four consecutive riding titles at a Washington track after notching 90 victories in 52 racing days last year. Kevin Radke, last year’s runner-up in the jockey standings with 77 wins, will try to challenge Cruz, as will newcomer Luis Negron, who has previously won riding titles at several tracks in the Southwest.
Last year’s leading trainer, Jorge Rosales, is also back to defend his title. His toughest competition could come from Justin Evans, a new arrival who easily won the training title at Turf Paradise in Phoenix over the winter.
Bettors will notice that the track has lowered its takeout on daily double and pick-3 wagers to 10 percent, the lowest of any racetrack in the United States. Lower takeout is welcome news to bettors; takeout is the amount the track removes from the wagering pools to pay its expenses before returning the rest to those with winning tickets.
After the Kentucky Derby Day card this week, racing will continue on weekends through May, and then on a Friday-Sunday schedule through the summer months. Closing day is Sept. 17.
Fans can learn more and purchase tickets at emeralddowns.com, and the popular Parker’s tip sheet is available at parkerspicks.com.
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