Indians Will Run Playfair West Side Tribe Reveals Plan To Lease Spokane Racetrack

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe signed a letter of intent Thursday to pursue the lease of Playfair Race Course.

Wasting no time at a meeting of the Washington Horse Racing Commission in Auburn, tribal representatives said it’s their intention to rename the Spokane racetrack Playfair Park, and provide “entertainment, playground equipment and a family atmosphere to encourage live race-track attendance.”

The tribe operates a casino in Auburn that includes table games and off-track betting under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

A tribal spokesperson said negotiations and potential operations at Playfair do not fall under IRGA jurisdiction, meaning the intent is not to turn the track into a casino.

Playfair is owned by Jack Pring and leased to Spokane businessman Stan Horton, head of Playfair Racing, Inc.

Horton has declined to run a race meet in 1996, although his lease runs through February.

The tribe in a press release Thursday said it hopes to provide racing in Spokane this year.

“The issue is local horses,” Leo LaCair, a tribal officer, told the Valley Daily News in Kent. “We have an off-track betting parlor that depends on local horses. We just want them running.”

Sonny Bargala of the Muckleshoot Gaming Commission said the tribe is aware of projected ‘96 losses estimated to reach $500,000. That’s because of a shortened season of statewide simulcasting brought on by the later-than-anticipated inaugural season at Emerald Downs.

“The Muckleshoot tribe is not the Easter Bunny,” he said. “We’re looking at this thing in the long term - five years - to get a return on investment.”

What was not made clear at Thursday’s meeting was what role Horton and Playfair Racing, Inc., would play if the Muckleshoot bid is approved.

Also left open to debate Thursday was whether the Muckleshoot casino - the second-largest off-track betting site in the state - would serve as Playfair’s outlet to King County while Emerald Downs was in operation.

Leasing a track would move the Muckleshoots from observers to participants in an industry undergoing substantial change.

Racing commission chair Barbara Shinpoch said race dates for Spokane, tentatively requested earlier, would be preserved. That’s a 58-day season from Aug. 16 through Dec. 29.

Since Emerald Downs, the new track in Auburn, will be in operation until Nov. 4, only race days in Spokane after Nov. 4 would be simulcast. That’s if the state holds to its practice of granting simulcasting exclusivity with no overlap.

News of Muckleshoot interest was greeted with enthusiasm here.

“We have turned to what perhaps is the most successful gaming resource in the state, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe,” said Dan Hillyard, track general manager during Horton’s four seasons. “Muckleshoot is willing to provide the kind of financial support we need immediately.”

, DataTimes