Safety Derails Playfair Start Workers Racing To Have Track Ready For Dec. 27 Opening

Opening day at Playfair Race Course has been delayed a week to Dec. 27 to ensure that a safety rail is in place and to allow the state racing commission time to inspect it.

“Opening on the 20th was still a possibility, but the 27th is more reasonable,” track publicist Tom Harris said Friday. “Work is going on late into the night. They’ve installed about a fourth of the necessary posts.”

While work goes on, horsemen and track officials await an announcement on 1997 racing dates. The commission’s executive secretary, Bruce Batson, said the commission’s rulings should go out by midweek.

The commission is a party to an appeal filed Tuesday in Spokane Superior Court on behalf of Old Playfair, the group that holds the existing lease on the track through February.

Old Playfair objects to a Nov. 8 ruling in which the commission prohibited the Muckleshoot Tribal Council’s corporation - New Playfair Park - from providing financial support to Old Playfair for the coming season.

The Tribe wants to assume operations at Playfair. The commission’s rejection of its application has been appealed.

“We feel the commission exceeds its authority by telling Old Playfair who they can take money from,” said attorney Martin Gales of Spokane.

“The second prong of the appeal is that we’re pursuing a conflict-of-interest issue,” Gales said.

Old Playfair alleges the commission’s contingent right to purchase Emerald Downs represents a conflict of interest.

“Specifically, we’re looking at certain situations since about March of ‘95 when contracts were signed - actions that were detrimental to Playfair and promotional toward Emerald Downs,” Gales said.

, DataTimes