Playfair, Horsemen Reach ‘Tacit Agreement’ Track Making Plans To Open 47-Day Meet Saturday Night

Playfair Race Course and the horsemen’s bargaining unit have a “tacit agreement” on a contract, an important step in assuring that thoroughbred racing will go on in Spokane as scheduled.

Playfair officials plan to open Saturday night.

Although the contract has yet to be signed, “There are no financial issues left open,” the track’s chief executive officer, Don Johnson, said Monday.

“We’re just cleaning up old contract language.”

Yet to be spelled out, however, is the continued commitment of the Muckleshoot Tribe, the sole shareholder in New Playfair Park Inc. The Tribe, through its New Playfair corporation, leases the track from owner Jack Pring and sub-leases it for horse racing to Playfair Racing Inc.

Playfair Racing Inc., known as Old Playfair, holds the state license to operate the track.

The state racing commission on Nov. 8 awarded Playfair its race dates last winter contingent on the track having no financial ties with the Tribe. When it was revealed at the commission’s July meeting that the Tribe is, in effect, the landlord, the commission said it would investigate whether the arrangement violates the Nov. 8 directive.

The commission stipulated then that Playfair “utilize its own assets and not any guarantees, loans or other forms of financing from New Playfair Park, its affiliates or shareholders.”

Tribal Council vice chair Virginia Cross has asked Gov. Gary Locke for assurance that Playfair be allowed to operate and generate simulcast revenue at least through April, according to a story in Sunday’s Daily Racing Form.

The request was apparently prompted by the threat of possible commission action against Playfair based on results of its investigation.

Cross’ letter also seems to reflect a concern by the Tribe that the commission would allow a live meet to run, but shut down simulcasting.

The issue is “in the hands of attorneys who are trying to find language suitable to both sides,” Playfair’s Johnson said. “We’re going forward as planned on the 16th.”

The racing commission’s legal advisor, Meredith Morton, on Monday said the commission “continues to consider the highest priority to be the opening and running of Playfair’s 1997 race meet. The commission agrees that enforcement action, if any, against Playfair would not occur until after April 29.”

Any delay in the Saturday night opening would lie with Playfair, not the racing commission, Morton said.

It may take revenue from simulcasting through April to recover anticipated losses from purse overpayments during Playfair’s 47-day live meet. Simulcasting in the short off-season wasn’t enough to fund purses this year, Johnson said.

“They haven’t been simulcasting long enough,” said Johnson, who took over as CEO on July 25. “Ideally, we would like to be simulcasting seven or eight months out, building a purse fund for a four-month live meet. We’re finding ourselves in a position where we have to fund this year’s purses and earn them back in the off-season (by simulcasting).

“That’s part of this business with the commission, just reaching an understanding that after the race meet we will have an overpayment on purses. That’s what we’re projecting. It would be beautiful if we didn’t have to, but it looks like we’ll need until April 30 to recover expected overpayment on the purses,” Johnson added.

Playfair for the first time can export races out of state.

The track hopes to send its signal to Illinois, including Arlington Park near Chicago, but the director of simulcasting at Arlington said no agreement with Playfair is in effect.

Any signal that would go to Arlington after 6:30 p.m. CDT is handled by Sportsman’s Park harness racing. The director of simulcasting at Sportsman, Jim Hannan, was unavailable Monday, but a spokesperson at Sportsman’s Park said Playfair wasn’t on their weekend schedule.

State law prohibits Playfair from simulcasting to any site within a 60-mile radius of a live meet - the summer meet at Emerald Downs is ongoing - but Playfair will get into the Seattle-Tacoma market at two Native American casinos, the Muckelshoot Casino in Auburn, 8 miles from Emerald, and the Emerald Queen in Puyallup.

The Seven Cedars (Sequim), Swinomish (Anacortes) and the Lummi (Bellingham) are also on line to carry Playfair’s races, Phil Ziegler of the Muckleshoot Casino said.

, DataTimes