The horses are running at Emerald Downs, but the roar of the crowd is absent amid pandemic
The bugler at Emerald Downs stood in uniform on Wednesday afternoon, ready to signal the start of another racing season. Only this time, he was wearing a face mask. The grandstands, normally packed on opening day, were empty.
The betting booths, empty. No hot dogs, no hamburgers, no beers, no ice cream cones. Just horses, jockeys, horse owners, a small media contingent and a host of staff members in attendance, all wearing masks and social distancing as best they could.
It wasn’t the opening day Emerald Downs president Phil Ziegler likely dreamed of, but it was an opening day nonetheless. The track welcomed back live horse racing, with the first race going off just after 2 p.m. on a warm, overcast day, becoming the first professional sport in the state to have live play this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Standing in front of the track’s entrance just an hour before post time, Ziegler was struck by how quiet it all was.
“This would normally be a very happening spot,” he said, with only the sound from the occasional passing car to break the silence. “There would be people lined up, our shuttle buses bringing people in from the parking lot. There’d be traffic coming down the street. We don’t have any of that because we can’t have spectators here. But we are excited to be the first professional sport to get going in Washington. To that extent, it’s pretty exciting.”
Emerald Downs, which usually opens its season in April and features a weekend schedule, has been patiently waiting. With about 800 horses in the stables and over 100 people who live on site, the track went about putting forth strict safety precautions months ago to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Only essential members are allowed on site. Everyone wears masks. Temperatures are checked daily for every employee. Even the jockeys wear masks until they reach the starting gate, and immediately again after they cross the finish line. Ziegler said the track hasn’t had any positive COVID-19 tests.
“We had safety protocols immediately put into place,” Ziegler said. “They did a great job of staying healthy, social distancing, wearing masks. We had something to go on, because there were a lot of states that didn’t shut down. Racing was the only sport that kept going through the pandemic, with closed grandstands in Florida, Arkansas, and California.
“We had a lot of communication with the governor’s office, racing commission to the point where we got everything approved to where we can safely put on horse racing.”
The track, which usually features a weekend race schedule, is using a Wednesday and Thursday race schedule this season, with the absence of spectators. With major tracks around the country commanding weekend betting attention, a move to weekdays might better find that betting dollar from TVG and other betting sites.
“Running on Wednesdays and Thursdays, we’ll have more of a spotlight on Emerald Downs and hopefully catch the attention of the betting public,” Ziegler said.
On a sunny day at the track, when the visibility is clear enough to offer a spectacular view of Mount Rainier, there are few better places in the area to enjoy a weekend afternoon. For big events — Mother’s Day, Kentucky Derby day, etc. — the race track usually would welcome 7,000 to 10,000 people.
“It won’t be the same without that roar of the crowd as the horses come down the stretch, seeing the smiles on kids’ faces, standing at the rail and eating ice cream — all the things you like about Emerald Downs, we’re not going to have that,” Ziegler said.
There’s still money to be made. Live race streams will be featured on EmeraldDowns.com. Online wagering, of course, is welcome. But everyone involved hopes for a return to normalcy whenever it’s safe to welcome fans back.
“If there’s a point in time we can get folks back in here and enjoy live horse racing, that would be good for a lot of reasons, because that would mean the virus has gotten better to the point where facilities like this can open the doors for folks to enjoy something like professional sports,” Ziegler said. “That would be exciting in a lot of different ways.”
