*Please Note*
Everything written here is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing written here should be considered as financial or investment advice. Please consult with a professional investment advisor as needed.
*Please also Note*
I do not encourage or promote gambling.
If you can’t afford to lose $$$, then don’t gamble and if you have a gambling problem, please seek help immediately.
2025 horse racing at Emerald Downs is here. Don’t take it for granted.
If recent west coast thoroughbred events are any indication, Emerald Downs may be in the “Last Dance” phase of its existence.
That being the case, I suggest you spend an afternoon or evening (or 20) at the local speed-favoring oval while you still can. Be outside. Walk around. Look at the dirt and ponder the composition of the invisible treadmill. Appreciate the power of a racehorse. Wonder at their movements. Understand the risks and the dangers of the sport. Smell it. Taste it. Put your phone in your pocket for a couple hours and feel the actual thrill of victory and the agony of a bad beat (hopefully not too many of those) in person.
I have been a horse racing enthusiast for more than 40 years. Sadly, in the USA, the sport is in obvious decline. Here is a list of the racetracks I have been to, that no longer exist:
Longacres- Renton WA
Yakima Meadows- Yakima WA
Playfair- Spokane WA
Harbor Park- Elma WA
Portland Meadows- Portland OR
Bay Meadows- San Mateo CA
Golden Gate- Berkeley CA
Hollywood Park- Inglewood CA
Fairplex- Pamona CA
Yavapia Downs- middle of nowhere AZ
Arlington Park- Arlington Heights IL
Other west coast tracks that have recently shuttered:
Pleasanton
Sacramento
Ferndale
Fresno
Santa Rosa
Stockton
Yikes!
So, while it does appear Grants Pass, Prineville and Tillamook will offer a few days of racing this year, this leaves left coast horse players with only FOUR tracks that offer substantial race meets:
Emerald Downs
Los Alamitos
Santa Anita
Del Mar
With the closure of the Northern California tracks, there was hope for an influx of the associated horses at EMD. When I peruse recent EMD workouts, I do see names (trainers) Isidro Tamayo, Peter Miller, Victor Trujillo, Clifford DeLima etc. who do not normally keep a string here.
Offsetting this flicker of optimism is the word on the backside that Justin Evans, the leading trainer here in 2023 and 2024 may not be returning to the Pacific Northwest this year. (We’ll see.)
My understanding is that EMD was hoping to attract approx 1,150 horses to the backside this meet, but 900 ish might be more realistic.
However many there are and however dismal the long term outlook for this ancient sport is, I will be there and my goal is to encourage you to engage with, embrace and enjoy EMD this year.
Don’t miss this! Don’t wait until Sept. 7th to attend. Pick a nice spring or summer day, (or an ugly one) and come out to watch the horses run.
I will be posting throughout the season. I will offer insights. I might point you towards a couple of winners in one day. I might not give out a winner for weeks in a row. That’s how it is. If you are looking for someone to spoon feed you winners every race day, you will likely be disappointed.
Donna Summer had her Last Dance, so did the Chicago Bulls.
For EMD fans, this may be ours. Let’s enjoy the 2025 ride while we circle the drain!!!
I hope I’m not soon singing this song while fondly remembering warm summer days at the track with friends and family. I hope WA horse racing stays alive. I hope it thrives. I hope there is never a time when all the WA spring and summer days are dark. But, the writing is on the wall and it doesn’t say “for a good time call…”.
The Invisible Treadmill 