Tribe Continues Hammering Out Playfair Details

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s announced plan to “save, preserve and help horse racing grow in Eastern Washington” is in the “due diligence” stage, the off-track betting manager at the tribe’s Auburn, Wash., casino said.

Phil Ziegler said much remains to be done before the tribe operates Playfair Race Course.

By due diligence, Ziegler said he means the process of negotiation for a lease, the application for a license to operate the track and receiving race dates.

“There’s a lot to do in a short period of time,” he said. “Other than the letter of intent (to lease Playfair, announced on March 21) there’s nothing else in writing right now, but we’re encouraged by the support we’ve received in Spokane.”

Attorneys for the nine-member Muckleshoot Tribal Council are negotiating terms of a lease with Playfair owner Jack Pring.

An agreement is subject to state horse racing commission approval.

Ziegler refused to speculate on how potential changes in state legislation dealing with simulcast wagering might affect the Spokane track.

“This is a save Playfair deal,” he said Thursday, after meeting with State Sen. Jim West, racing commission member Jim Seabeck of Spokane and Playfair general manager Kim Rich.

Rich has replaced Dan Hillyard, who resigned last week.

“You can speculate all you want on the future, but right now this track will close if somebody doesn’t step in and preserve live racing in Eastern Washington,” said Ziegler, who works out of the tribe’s casino in Auburn.

“Our perception is that the horsemen here were depressed when it looked like there would be no racing in ‘96. Now they’re a little bit hopeful that there might be racing. This is their race track and their industry. We’re looking at them, hopefully, to support it.

Horsemen or fans of racing can show their support, Ziegler added, by writing the state horse racing commission.

The tribe hopes to operate the track from Sept. 5 to Oct. 25 - overlapping with Emerald Downs - and Nov. 7 through Jan. 26 with statewide simulcasting. The intention is to run three days a week in January, Ziegler said.

Winter dates are a one-year proposition.

“You don’t want to run in late December and January every year,” Ziegler said. “We have to seek to try to do it this year.”

Speculation is that the tribal casino in Auburn - located eight miles from Emerald Downs - may one day serve as the King County outlet for Playfair apart from the state’s simulcast network.

The state restricts simulcasting to in-state locations from one Washington track at a time. Emerald Downs goes state-wide through its 100-day season. Playfair’s so-called traditional dates with simulcast wagering have been re-defined as mid-September through November, although that changes this year with the delayed debut of Emerald Downs.

“This is not a casino deal,” Ziegler said. “We’re not looking to undercut Emerald Downs by trying to bring in additional product to the casino. We’re going to play by the rules everyone else has played by.”

The tribe has expressed interest in retaining Rich, racing secretary Ted Martin and promotions manager Hugh Mellon, who is working for race track interests in Virginia, while maintaining residence in Spokane and San Diego.

“The tribe is going to want (its) management (presence) over here (as well) but that’s their decision,” Ziegler said.

, DataTimes