Playfair Clings To Bill Spokane Horse-Racing Track Hopes State Subsidy Passes

The fate of Spokane’s Playfair Race Course hangs on a bill that would give the thoroughbred track a state subsidy of up to $1.8 million over five years.

“That bill is the only way this track will ever open,” said Dan Hillyard, general manager of Playfair Racing Inc., which has leased the track for the past four seasons.

Under the plan, now before state lawmakers, the track would receive an annual subsidy of up to $350,000 through the year 2000. The money would be generated by a one-half percent reduction in the state’s share of the wagering at Emerald Downs, the new King County track scheduled to open this summer in Auburn.

The bill could make Playfair viable for a new renter in 1996, Hillyard said. Without the subsidy, the track’s potential operating losses would discourage anyone from taking a serious look at it, he said.

Playfair Racing president Stan Horton of Spokane said last week he would not operate a meet this year because, even with relief, the track faces losses of at least $400,000.

“That’s the best-case scenario,” said Hillyard, who attributed the problem to a lack of favorable racing dates. When Emerald Downs postponed its opening because of construction delays, its inaugural season was extended through Nov. 4, leaving Playfair with access to the statewide satellite network only in November and December.

In the future, Emerald Downs is expected to race April through September.

This is the fifth year of Playfair Racing’s lease on the property.

“We are done after 1996,” Hillyard said. “There is no question whatsoever of going on. But our priority is to keep live racing intact, have that subsidy in place to kick in to allow someone to come in to lease this.”

Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett supports the bill for the health of the state racing industry.

Playfair provides a farm team for the state’s racing industry.

“We need a minor league to be able to run horses and keep the industry alive,” Hillyard said. “That’s where your young horses and jockeys come up. It’s a training ground, just like your minor league in baseball.”

Including concessions, parimutuel and maintenance help, Playfair employs almost 1,000 people, mostly on a seasonal basis. In addition, several hundred more are occupied as trainers, grooms, riders and other backstretch occupations.

East Side lawmakers support the bill.

“We need to support Playfair. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Rep. Jean Silver, R-Spokane.

But the legislators are caught in a brushfire with backers of the state fairs. More than 70 fairs across the state - large and small - receive a part of their budgets from the racing handle.

In the case of small fairs, such as the Spokane Junior Livestock Show, money from the racing account makes up half the fair’s budget, according to the state Department of Agriculture.

If money is siphoned from the racing account for the Playfair subsidy and other costs covered by the bill, less will be available for fairs.

Backers say the fairs will still receive more money next year than this, even if the bill, HB 2926, passes. That’s because the new track is expected to pour more money into the fair fund.

The fund has been off about 35 percent a year since Longacres, the previous Seattle-area track, closed in 1992, according to Walter Swenson of the agriculture department.

East Side lawmakers say they are are optimistic Playfair can be rescued without hurting the fairs.

“If we don’t do this, there’s a lot of concern the horse-racing industry will go away, and if it does, there’s no state-fair fund at all,” said Rep. Dave Mastin, R-Walla Walla.

, DataTimes