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Off and running Racing returns to Northwest as Emerald Downs opens gates By Dan Raley SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER horoughbred racing fans put a saddle on Emerald Downs for the first time June 20 and, by most accounts, the ride was smooth. The newly built $82 million facility, restoring the sport to the region after a 45-month absence, opened its doors and ushered in 18,423 people, including a VIP gathering that included several national racing officials and media, local politicians and even a California state senator. The immaculately dressed intermingled with those in cowboy hats and T-shirts, and most seemed pleased with the track and its amenities as well as the opportunity to wager on live racing again. They marveled at the access and newness Emerald Downs provided. They provided a first-day handle of $1,807,709, or about $100 per person. "It met my standards for attendance and handle, but to be perfect from a glitches standpoint, that was impossible," said Ron Crockett, Emerald Downs president. "Not having done it before, opening a racetrack in my life, you expect a few glitches, and we had a few. They're correctible." Fans were generous in their praise of the facility and its accompanying 6-1/2-hour opening show high marks, welcoming racing back into their lives. "We've got this on one end of town, a casino on the other end," said Frank Petschl, owner of an Auburn used-car dealership. "We're a baby Las Vegas." What Petschl and the others saw and invested in were 11 races that went off without a hitch, including a pair of features won by favored Strawberry Morn and locally bred Sneakin Jake in a photo finish. A large portion of fans were decidedly younger than those who once patronized Longacres, as evidenced by the many baby strollers pushed through the stands. And at times, their reactions to the proceedings seemed more suited to a hydroplane or funny-car race, with loud whoops and hollers replacing polite applause. But the fact the grandstands were crowded did not go unnoticed by out-of-state visitors drawn to what has become a rarity in a racing industry grown stagnant -- a track opening. "There isn't any racetrack manager in the world that wouldn't be excited about the crowd they have here," said Jack Liebau, president and CEO of Bay Meadows Race Course. "One thing, they're having a good time, which means they'll come back." Said Sen. Frank Maddy (R-Fresno): "This is more people than we've seen at a track in a long time. This is kind of like the crowd you get at the (Kentucky) Derby. A lot of fans. It's good for racing. . . . If people continue to support it like today, it can't help but be successful." Liebau and Maddy were part of a California contingent that flew up on a whim, curious to see Emerald Downs unveiled. Maddy, a strong proponent of racing politically, also is the owner of 15 thoroughbreds, including one he purchased recently from this state. Strawberry Morn got the racing under way, bolting from the chute to lead by a length at the quarter-mile pole before crossing the finish line 10 lengths ahead of the field in the first race, the $35,000 U.S. Bank Stakes. Rider David Wilson said the horse seemed unnerved at first by the large crowd. "This is like winning the Kentucky Derby for us," said Jenny Roberts, Strawberry Morn owner along with husband, Aubrey, and a resident of Campbell River, B.C. The winner's share was worth $19,250. "I'm glad to be the leading trainer for a while," quipped Allan Jack, Strawberry Morn's trainer. The most entertaining race came in the most expensive, the $60,000 Auburn Breeders' Cup, when Sneakin Jake, with Vann Belvoir aboard, snuck past Final Act on the inside rail. The 9-year-old horse earned $36,520 for owner and real-estate magnate Murdock McPherson, and brought the largest payoff of the day for a minimum bet, $36.20. There were a few misnomers in the track unveiling, beginning with the removal of 50 labor-union picketers as well as a handful of people soliciting signatures for tax reform, from the grandstand main entrance. They were told by police they couldn't operate on Emerald Downs property, which is private. All agreed to move several hundred feet north or south of the track. The picketing was organized in response to Emerald Downs' refusal to use union labor. Union leaders promised there would be protesters present each day of racing. There was also grumbling over traffic snarls, which was backed up a half-mile on state highway 167 two hours before the first race, and long lines at the betting windows, which were 15 to 20 people deep most of the day. "It's too slow," said Ray Davis, an Everett horse player, standing near the back of the line at a third-level betting window. "I don't know what the problem is. Maybe they're learning. I don't think there are enough windows." Another horse player also said she had spent considerable time at the windows after placing a wager on the sixth race. But she wasn't complaining about the lines. "They're long, and isn't that wonderful?" said Barbara Shinpoch, chairwoman of the Washington Horse Racing Commission. Send comments to webmaster@seattle-pi.com © 1996 Seattle Post-Intelligencer The Hearst Corporation All Rights Reserved