Racing Commission Rebuffs Playfair Plea
The Washington Horse Racing Commission refused Tuesday to alter the racing dates it assigned last December despite complaints from horse owners and breeders from Spokane’s Playfair race track.
About 100 people attended the meeting at Yakima Meadows, including nearly 50 horse owners, breeders and trainers from Spokane who wanted the commission to extend the scheduled 1995 season that restricts them to 50 racing days from Sept. 6 through Nov. 27.
Last year, Playfair raced on 73 of its 79 allotted dates.
“We’ve got 450 horsemen that are adamant that they’re not going to be able to do that winter meet,” said Dan Hillyard, general manager of Playfair Racing Inc. “Sixty-six percent of the horses we have, the only place they run is at Spokane. It takes 90 days training to get a horse ready to race, and they reduced 73 days of racing to 50 days. These people will tell me that they can’t afford to race at Spokane.”
Emerald Racing Association, which held races at Longacres in Renton through 1993 and now shares Yakima Meadows with Apple Tree Turf Association, was allotted 100 days from April 13-Sept. 4.
Spokane horse interests, represented by Organization for the Preservation of Horse Racing in the Northwest, had asked for three racing days a week in August, two with statewide wagering.
The Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Washington Division of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, their bargaining unit statewide, told the commission they were against changing the racing schedule on Playfair’s request.
Emerald Racing urged the commission to stick to its original plan and not to reward the “poor conduct” exhibited by Spokane interests.
“Emerald has subsidized Playfair long enough,” the letter said.
Commission Chairwoman Barbara Shinpoch admonished Emerald Racing for suggesting in its letter that changing the dates would be unfair.
“We clearly have the legal authority to grant rights (to dates) and come back and change our minds. I know it’s expensive and inconvenient, but we’re within legal rights,” Shinpoch said.
She then announced the commission’s decision to stick to its original dates. But she promised that the commission would look for a solution to Playfair’s financial problems stemming from an exodus of horses to out-of-state tracks as well as the loss of gamblers to several casinos on nearby Indian reservations and a dog track across the border in Idaho.
In other business, the commission:
Allowed Emerald Racing to switch its Wednesday races to Mondays instead.
Approved four new satellite wagering locations: The Old Alcohol Plant in Port Hadlock, Jefferson County; The Sports Keg, Burlington, Skagit County; Sunset Cafe, Cle Elum, Kittitas County; and Bob’s Tavern, Shelton, Mason County.
Approved signs referring those with gambling problems to get help.