Sunshine Predicted At Playfair Emerald Downs’ Top Jock Will Ride Favorite In Inaugural
Sunshine Scholar, a triple winner at Emerald Downs for Spokane owners Jim Egger and Todd Havens, is the high-weighted favorite in Saturday night’s Inaugural Handicap at Playfair Race Course.
Trained by Kim and Dale Wright, the 5-year-old gelding twice won claiming races for $16,000 at Emerald before shipping to Playfair for the first race meet here in three years.
Gallyn Mitchell, leading rider at Emerald Downs this summer, will be aboard Sunshine Scholar in the six-furlong, $5,000 Inaugural.
Others entered are Slew Design, trained by Mel White and ridden by Lane Rennaker; Lighted, Judy Miller and Juan Gutierrez; El Bon, Tim McCanna and Lorenzo Lopez; Follow That Road, Vince Gibson and Lino Burgos; and London Moon, Theresa Wagner and Rowdy Luark.
Notes
The racing office has processed papers on 600 horses, with about 750 on the grounds … . Ten fans will be selected on opening week to share ownership in a race horse for 60 days. The 10 will become known as Millenium Stables and will share any winnings the horse generates. Although the horse has yet to be selected, it’ll probably be an older shipper from Emerald Downs that is fit and ready to run. Four names will be chosen Saturday night, three Sunday and the final three on Wednesday night. Although each winner pays $30 - $15 for a state license and $15 for their share of Labor & Industry coverage - there is no other expense. A Millenium Stables blanket has been prepared, so that a photograph of the 10 owners can be taken with their horse in case they don’t get to the winner’s circle. … General admission each night is $2. Seniors 60 and over are free. … Gates open at 4 p.m… . The state racing commission will meet Monday at 10 a.m. at the Spokane Convention Center. Items on the agenda include simulcasting, satellite locations, race officials and workout policies at Playfair. … Fans can sign up this week for a computer-selected fantasy stable at no cost. Six horses on the grounds will be randomly selected. The six form a fantasy stable. The fantasy stable with the highest earnings at the end of the meet wins a Turf Club membership for next season, among other prizes. … Daily Racing Forms should be available today at six locations - Playfair, downtown at PM Jacoys, Sam & Dom’s near the track on Sprague, the Texaco stations on East Francis and East Sprague and at HiCo Village.