Emerald Downs at risk of shutting down in 2026
Emerald Downs at risk of shutting down in 2026
This could be Emerald Downs' last season for horse racing. Revised fees could force the Auburn racetrack to stop hosting events.
AUBURN, Wash. - This might be the last horse racing season you can catch at Emerald Downs in Auburn.
What we know:
Since 1996 and even through the pandemic years, horses have galloped around the racecourse in Auburn, but now it’s facing a financial crisis, according to Phil Ziegler, the president of Emerald Downs.
"We get great crowds out here," he told FOX 13, explaining business is back to pre-pandemic levels.
"People come. They pay to get in. They have fun. They bring their kids. Our business is okay. But these regulatory fees…"
Part of the fees he’s talking about are new. In 2020, Congress established the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
The organization is meant to enhance the safety and integrity of the sport, and the welfare of horses through anti-doping and medication control.
Its funding comes from fees paid by racetracks.
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For Emerald Downs, those amount to more than $1 million, according to Ziegler, something they can’t afford.
These fees pile on to what Emerald Downs is already paying the Washington Horse Racing Commission.
"We are starting to get into a place where the only option we have is to reduce purses," he said. "And if we do that and you're a horse owner and you can run in 12 other states for twice as much money, you ain't coming."
Emerald Downs could choose not to pay these fees but then HISA would cut their broadcasting signal, which would also impact their purses.
Ziegler estimates horse racing brings $240 million dollars into the state through horse boarding, breeding, feeding and care.
The horse racing season at Emerald Downs is set to begin at the end of April.
The Source: Information in this story is from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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