Historically, wagers were rounded down payouts to the nickel or dime which made sense when most wagers were made with cash on track. However, the change was made because of the evolution of account wagering and vouchers on track. Emerald Downs estimates that penny breakage will return approximately $400,000 in additional payouts to bettors.

Also starting in 2024, Emerald Downs will offer a “Dynamic Morning Line.” The morning line, which is typically made 4-7 days prior to race day, will now be updated using the same system and formula before each race day to reflect scratches and changes. Then, beginning in the second race each day, the line will be updated approximately 20 minutes to post time. This update will reflect wagering in closed pools such as the Daily Double, Pick 3, and Pick 4.

The updated lines will be displayed on the track's simulcast broadcast.

“There have been effects to calculate live projected payouts, but Emerald Downs will be the first to update and use the morning line in a format that can be efficiently communicated to bettors,” explained track president Phil Ziegler. “If a 5-1 morning line horse has lower will-pays than a 3-1 horse, we will update the line to reflect this wagering which should help guide bettors.”

Emerald Downs will also assist players by keeping live odds displayed until the final horse enters the gate.

Emerald Downs offers a traditional 50 cent Pick 6 each race day featuring an 8% takeout, along with a Pentafecta (Super High 5) on the final race, also with an 8% takeout. All Win, Place and Show wagers will be at 16%, Exactas and Daily Doubles at 21% and all other wagers at 23%.

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The topic “Land For Sale. How Will Race Track Closures Impact the Industry's Long-Term Sustainability?” elicited some of the commonly debated plights facing the industry, such as the decline of the foal crop, the fierce competition for the thinning horse (and horse owner) population, how to shore up field sizes, and the emergence of so-called “super” trainers and multiple-owner partnerships.

The panelists largely agreed those practices are consolidating the remaining equine assets into the hands of too few entities, but each speaker had a slightly different take on how to best deal with those woes.

Bill Nader, the president and chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), didn't shy from rhetorically asking what he termed as “the hard question” about racing in the state that he represents. California is facing outsized upheaval because of the planned 2024 closure of Golden Gate Fields, right on the heels of a 10-year span that also saw top in-state tracks Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows slide off the Thoroughbred grid.

“What's the best path forward, and can California support two circuits?” Nader postulated before following up with the TOC's perspective.

“We know we have the [Northern] fairs, that's a given,” Nader said. “And we have Southern California. But can we support two circuits, knowing what we know?” in terms of the above-referenced downward trends.

Nader continued: “One avenue would be to look at something new [as a flagship track] in the north. [Plus] there is no alternative [revenue stream from gaming to fund purses], which makes it really hard, because we're doing it the old-fashioned way, pari-mutuel wagering only, sort of one arm tied behind your back…

“If there's something in the north that we think is viable and can really form a good business case, that would be option one. If not, then we have to redirect to suitable opportunities in the south, and make use of our assets at our racetracks at not only Del Mar and Santa Anita, but also Los Alamitos.

“If the foal crop can rebound, and we can get some positive momentum, maybe we can stay a little bit close to even” in terms of nationwide track closures, Nader said.

“It's really important that California stay strong, that we keep supporting [it],” Nader said. “Our owners are big players at the Keeneland sale and many of the major yearling sales. [So] in terms of understanding the worth and the value of what everybody brings, less racing may not be the worst thing if we can improve the product and make it better for the people who bet on the races, because that triggers the handle, and that drives the engine.”

Nader explained that for Californians, it can be difficult to see other iconic, nationally important  tracks, like Belmont Park and Keeneland, planning substantial long-term facility upgrades while grand places like Santa Anita and Del Mar are more focused on the year-to-year survival of their underlying state circuit.

“That's great that they're leveraging that [financial] advantage to make their venues better, no problem with that,” Nader said. “But I want everybody to be reminded how important California is. California doesn't have those [secondary revenue] advantages…. In terms of expectation management, we're okay, but we still want to escalate to the next level…. I think for the rest of the country, everybody should recognize [how] important California is to the rest of the country: Racing, breeding, history, tradition.”

Smaller tracks weren't left out of the discussion. Phil Ziegler, the president of Emerald Downs in Washington, made the observation that all too often the big-name track closures get the headlines, while it is often the disappearance of the smaller venues, like county fair race meets, that quietly erode the sport from the bottom up.

Chris McErlean, the vice president of racing for Penn Entertainment, Inc., whose Thoroughbred track holdings include Penn National in Pennsylvania, spoke candidly about how well-intended racing executives in Penn's home region of the mid-Atlantic unintentionally contribute to the very problems they're trying to fix.

This includes, McErlean said, giving big-outfit trainers “unlimited” stall allotments or writing so many conditions that races either become hard to fill or go with too few entries to be appealing to bettors.

“We do that out of convenience, [and] that's kind of self-perpetuating. That's kind of what works, but it's probably not the right thing to do,” McErlean said.

McErlean talked about how difficult it can be for a racing executive to deny alleged “super” trainers stall space and dominance across race conditions knowing that if they clamp down, that trainer will just move on to the next track down the road that will be more accommodating.

“I think we've hurt ourselves that way, and it just becomes more difficult to bring that genie back into the bottle once you let it go,” McErlean said.

“I've been involved in the mid-Atlantic for maybe 25, 30 years,” McErlean  continued. “Tracks always work together very well there. But every year the discussion is, 'Let's coordinate race dates' or 'We need to coordinate race dates, it makes sense.' And it never happens. So, yeah, we're our own worst enemies.

“But at the end of the day, we run our individual businesses. We're not a league,” McErlean said. “We compete against each other [and] it's difficult to do those changes [because] we can step out and make the right choices, and then everybody else keeps doing what they're doing, and then we end up being the net loser. People want to cooperate. It's just very difficult to be able to actually pull the trigger…. In theory it sounds good. In practice, it's just much more difficult to execute.”

Craig Fravel, the executive vice chairman of 1/ST Racing and Gaming, whose portfolio of tracks includes Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, and the to-be-closed Golden Gate, underscored a focus-on-owners mantra.

“We do have to make sure that owners are sustained in a more profound manner, that they're engaged, and that they have, you know, a fighting chance to make some money,” Fravel said. “It's a game of hope. We don't want to fool them into thinking that this is a [can't-miss] investment in Microsoft in 1978. But we do want to give them hope, and we want to make sure they're well-treated…

“If we're going to try to change things, we're going to have to try things,” Fravel said. “We're going to have to do things that are new and different and sometimes make us uncomfortable.”

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“There are a lot of takeout promotions on Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagers, but those are tough to hit,” said Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler. “We wanted to give the players a better chance to win with a 10% takeout on all our Daily Doubles and Pick 3s.”

The track's win, place, show wagering has a takeout rate of 16.1%, while the exacta, trifecta, superfecta, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Jackpot Pick 6 all have takeouts of 22.1%.

Saturday's opening day program at the Washington track begins with a special 1 p.m. first post and marks the first time that Emerald Downs has opened on Kentucky Derby day. Saturday is the lone day of racing opening weekend. The normal 2 p.m. post is in effect when racing resumes with Saturday and Sunday programs May 13 and 14.

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Vic Cozzetti, a staple in Washington racing for over five decades, passed away Sunday in a Puyallup assisted living facility at age 93.

Cozzetti was a fixture in the press box at Longacres and Emerald Downs–where he was known as “Victor the Predictor”–and involved in every form of racing media–television, radio, newspaper, Internet. His nightly recap on local radio was especially popular with handicappers and horsemen alike, delivering results and racing news in the pre-Internet era of the 1970s and 80s.

Cozzetti was more than just a handicapper and voice for racing, however, founding one of the first ownership syndicates in America, bringing together virtual strangers via 10% shares to own and race Thoroughbreds. Beginning with Media Stables in the 1970s and followed by SKS Stables and Vic-Tory Stables, his syndicates' navy-blue silks were fixtures at Washington racetracks. His final horse, He's All Heart, won the 2011 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic by 10 1/4 lengths.

Cozzetti took great pride in handicapping, offering selections in the Valley Daily News, along with pre-race seminars and a weekly newsletter. He also sold equine insurance, tabulated program standings, assisted in the TV department, and maintained a racing website Predictorsays.com.

“Victor's accomplishments and contributions to Washington racing will never be matched,” said Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler. “He took on so many challenges throughout his career. The people at Longacres and Emerald Downs were part of his family, and he was part of ours.”

Born in Niagara Falls, NY, Cozzetti grew up in Spokane, starring in baseball at Gonzaga Prep High School and later playing semi-pro ball in Montana. He eventually settled in in Tacoma, where he worked in insurance and umpired baseball and officiated football and basketball.

Cozzetti is survived by a son, Michael of Yelm, Washington, a daughter Deborah of Lakeland, Florida, and a stepson, Jeff of San Diego, California.

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“The more people that get tickets, buy food and beverage, and wager on the live races allows us to offer higher purse supplements,” said track president Phil Ziegler. “We are excited to welcome back families for a day of exciting horse racing plus the fun promotions we have with Corgi races, 3rd of July fireworks, and Indian relay races, just to name a few.”

Emerald Downs, owned and operated by the Muckleshoot Tribe, receives approximately 20% of all purses as a supplement from the Tribe. Opening day for the 52-day meet is Sunday, May 15.

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Beginning with opening day May 15, 2022, all 3-year-olds and older that ran in any claiming race at least once at any track—including Emerald Downs—since Jan. 1, 2021, receive a $1,000 bonus ($750 to the horse owner, $250 to the trainer) in the horse's first start in any claiming race at Emerald Downs which must occur before July 1, 2022.

“It's important to extend bonuses to all horses,” track president Phil Ziegler said. “We appreciate shippers, of course, but we also recognize that some of our owners and trainers race exclusively at Emerald Downs. This bonus money helps offset their off-season expenses. For the horses that go out of state in the off season, this helps with the expense of bringing them back to Emerald Downs.”

Emerald Downs recently announced a 10 percent purse increase for the 2022 meeting—the track's second 10 percent increase since 2019.

Emerald Downs also announced other incentives for 2022:

• Initial stall bedding will be provided for all horses arriving prior to starting day.

• All hot walkers will be free throughout the season.

• Participation money on any race that has eight or more starters increased to $300 (horses finishing sixth through last).

“We recognize the economic demands of owners and trainers,” Ziegler said. “Thoroughbred racing is exhilarating and exciting, but the cost of doing business is a difficult obstacle. Higher purses and less expenses are extremely important.”

Opening day for Emerald Downs' 52-day meeting is Sunday, May 15. The stable area opens in March. The stakes schedule, featuring the 87th running of the Longacres Mile (G3), will be released in December.

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All 52 race days are scheduled on weekends, composed of 19 Sundays, 18 Saturdays, and 15 Fridays. Post times are 2:15 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 7 p.m. Fridays. The traditional Fireworks Spectacular, Sunday, July 3, features a 5 p.m. post.

Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler said the emphasis on weekend racing is for fans and horsemen alike.

“We're excited to return to our more traditional schedule with Friday nights and Saturday afternoons,” Ziegler said. “This will be great for the fans.”

Emerald Downs offers 15 consecutive Friday cards beginning June 3, marking the first time the track has offered Friday racing since 2019. Opening week features a lone card on Sunday, May 15, followed by Saturday/Sunday weekends on May 21/22 and May 28/29. Closing weekend also is a two-day race week on Sept. 21/22.

The 2022 season—the 27th at Emerald Downs—will feature a new horsemen incentive program, to be announced next week. The stakes schedule, featuring the 87th running of the Longacres Mile (G3), will be released in December.

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After not being able to attend the races in 2020, fans have returned to the Emerald grandstand this year and revenues have exceeded expectations.

“Our race fans came out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great racing, and popular promotions,” said track president Phil Ziegler. “Revenue from admissions, food & beverages, and wagering were all better than projected. That enables us to put more money towards purses in 2022.”

The announcement comes on the heels of a meeting between track officials and representatives from both horsemen and breeders' groups. The purse for the track's marquee event, the GIII Longacres Mile S., will be bumped to $150,000, a $50,000 increase from its two most recent runnings. The shipping bonus will also return.

The Emerald backstretch is scheduled to open at the beginning of March. More details on the 2022 season and stall applications will be available later this fall.

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The 2021 season marked the return of fans after running in front of an empty grandstand in 2020.

Track President Phil Ziegler was pleased to have the fans back: “Our race fans came out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great racing, and popular promotions. Revenue from admissions, food & beverages, and wagering were all better than projected. That enables us to put more money towards purses in 2022.”

Each season the track receives a purse supplement from the Muckleshoot Tribe, who own and operate Emerald Downs.

The purse increase announcement comes after the track met with representatives from both the horsemen and breeders' group. Incentive programs including the popular shipping bonus will return. The 2022 Longacres Mile (G3) will have a purse of $150,000, a $50,000 increase from the past two years.

Emerald Downs' stable area is scheduled to open at the beginning of March. Details of the 2022 season along with stall applications will be available later this Fall.

For more information on Emerald Downs visit www.emeralddowns.com or call 253-288-7000.

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The stable area opens for horsemen on Monday, March 1, with training beginning Friday, March 5.

Stall Application

The 2021 stakes schedule will be announced next month.

The post Emerald Downs Announces 50-Day Live Race Meet For 2021 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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