The annual Fireworks Spectacular is right around the corner! Emerald Downs presents its July 3 evening of entertainment with Thoroughbred racing at 5 pm followed by a tremendous fireworks show afterward. Tickets are still available at emeralddowns.com or through Customer Service at 253-288-7711. Don’t miss the fantastic show, Wednesday, July 3!

Top northwest handicapper John Lindley joins Joe and Vince on this week’s show. Lindley is author of his decades long “Parker’s” tip sheet and also provides “Race Notes,” free of charge at emeralddowns.com. Many topics discussed and John joining in on segment 3 with Selections and his own Sport Short.

Many of the track’s top horses are in action this weekend as Emerald Downs presents the Hastings and Budweiser Stakes at six furlongs. Blazingbellablu tops entrants in Saturday’s Hastings for fillies and mares. She’s been a Washington champion the past three years and won this race in 2023. Fantastic sprinter Aloha Breeze heads the competition, she the winner of two sprint stakes for three-year-old fillies last year.

In Sunday’s Budweiser, it’s another meeting of Slew’s Tiz Whiz and Papa’s Golden Boy, the seventh time they’ve gone head-to-head at Emerald Downs. Papa leads the matchup 4-2 and has won the Budweiser the past two times he’s been in it. Slew’s Tiz Whiz is two-time defending Washington Horse of the Year and hero of the 2022 Longacres Mile. Paul Beattie is the guest, speaking to the outstanding coverage of Emerald Downs on elisportsnetwork.com.

It’s three days of great action coming up at Emerald Downs! As well as the Thoroughbreds Friday night and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, there’s Indian Relay Racing all weekend. It’s the Eighth Running of the Muckleshoot Gold Cup with several qualifying heats on Friday and Saturday and the Championships on Sunday. All the great Native culture, music and vendors too, to go along with the great action on the track.

This week’s guest, trainer Blaine Wright, has runners in both Thoroughbred stakes this weekend. He’ll saddle Golden Gate allowance winner Arctic Breeze in the Seattle Stakes on Saturday and the one-for-one Rundoft and Tougherthantherest in Sunday’s Auburn. Wright has won four-of-the-past-seven Seattle Stakes and an amazing four consecutive Auburns.

Emerald Downs has more top horses in action this weekend, the last week before stakes races begin on June 15/16. Sunday’s feature is stakes-quality fillies and mares at 6 furlongs and race #2 is the first two-year-old race of the season. Come out and watch and wager on all the great action from Saratoga on Saturday as that track hosts the Belmont Stakes and the fantastic supporting card. Simulcasting on the Fifth Floor starts at 7 am on Saturday.

Fab Fridays continue at Emerald Downs with racing at 7 pm, food and beverage specials and the $1,000 Horseshoe Toss. Bulldog races this Sunday with French and English Bulldogs after races #2, #4 and #6.

Come out for our first Fab Friday! The traditional kickoff is this Friday, May 31, and of course there’s a T-Shirt for all attendees. First race at 7 pm. The T-Shirt is good for free admission on Fridays the rest of the season. It’s also Teachers Appreciation weekend at Emerald Downs. All teachers and school district employees get free admission this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s race card has 72 horses entered over 8 races.

Sunday at Emerald Downs sees the return of two-time defending Washington Horse of the Year, Slew’s Tiz Whiz. The Tom Wenzel-trainee faces multi-year rival Papa’s Golden Boy, another Washington award winner many times over. Add Justin Evans trained Prisoner and you have excitement in the older horse division. Kyle Lusk, part of the ownership group of Papa’s Golden Boy is a guest on the podcast as well as Andrea Short, recent director of a Pacific Lutheran University documentary on Emerald Downs. The documentary is available to view on YouTube via “PLU medialab.”

Memorial Day weekend offers Saturday and Sunday action at Emerald Downs, first race each day at 1:30. For fans, fill out the entry blank both days upon entering the track to be eligible for prizes in the “Great Outdoor Giveaway.” It’s also Teacher Appreciation weekend and area teachers and administrators will get their chance on the track in the first “Teacher’s Dash.”

Jon White, nearing his induction into the Washington Thoroughbred Hall of Fame this August, just announced his retirement from Santa Anita after working there since 1981. White goes over a few of his hundreds of highlights and milestones of working in the horse racing industry. Justin Evans, defending Emerald Downs training champion, is also a guest. He’s off to a great start at the new meet and may have a stronger and deeper stable than ever.

Joe is a little under the weather, so Track President, Phil Ziegler, steps in to Co-Host with Vince.

Trainer, Alexis Silva-Martinez, stops by to talk about Coastal Kid, who had an impressive win in the feature race last Sunday. Promotions Manager, Gary Dougherty, guests on the show to talk about all the promotions and special events this season.

This Weekend is a Family Fun Weekend! Plenty of fun activities for the kids, including the Kids Race on the track on Sunday! First race on Saturday & Sunday is @ 1:30pm.

Double the action, double the good weather at Emerald Downs for Week #2! Two days of great racing coming up this Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12. It was a bit damp on Opening Day last Saturday but spectacular, summer-type weather is predicted for this weekend. Sunday is Mother’s Day and all women attendees are eligible for the traditional prize drawings. Fill out the free entry blank upon arriving.

Track President Phil Ziegler joins Joe and Vince this week. He speaks to the upcoming season, improvements for fans over the first day, opportunities for fans to get further involved and some financial aspects of year-to-year operations. Veteran jockey agent at Turf Paradise Chad Anderson gives information on EmD new jockeys Karlo Lopez, Brayan Pena and Luis Reyes, who all ride here for the first time this weekend.

Opening Day at Emerald Downs is this Saturday, May 4! It’s our 29th opener and the first race goes at 1:30 pm, gates open at 11 am. The Fifth Floor is open even earlier, 7 am, for simulcasting from Churchill Downs and elsewhere. Yes, Opening Day is Kentucky Derby day, too!

Guests on the ‘cast are Jon White and Anthony Stabile and Joe and Vince couldn’t have better big-race handicappers. They’ll make their Derby analyses and selections. Attendees on Saturday can enter the Hat & Best-Dressed Contest. Stop by Customer Service on Track Level to enter for a total of $1,000 in prizes. Have and Up Day at the Downs!

Penny breakage at Emerald Downs for 2024! Help for the horseplayer, more money returned on wagers through the breakage reduction from 0.10% to zero. A wager that paid $6.40 last year will pay up to $6.59 this year. Also, extremely low 8% takeout on Pick 6 and Pentafecta wagers. Opening Day is Saturday, May 4!

Joe Bianca, from West Point Thoroughbreds and host of “Rail Talk” podcast, joins Joe and Vince. Bianca praised Emerald Downs on the new breakage level and speaks to that and his racing history and current job. Also a guest is the “Big A,” Anthony Stabile, who begins his new job as Track Announcer at Finger Lakes on Monday, April 29. Emerald Downs is open seven days a week for full card simulcasting.