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Looking to bolster its bottom line, Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington is mulling the addition of Quarter Horse racing during its off-season, Thoroughbred Daily News reports.
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The track hosted three American Quarter Horse Association Championship Challenge Series races during its recent meet, which concluded Sept. 7. Track President Phil Ziegler said that because those races generated positive handle figures and fan interest, he was asked about adding more Quarter Horse races in 2027.
Ziegler announced the decision to consider more such races during a monthly meeting of the Washington Horse Racing Commission (WHRC).
“I think that’s something we look hard at for next year to see if there’s a market for those Quarter Horse folks to come here and help with the horse population and the product that we put out-definitely something we’re going to pursue,” Ziegler told TDN.
Emerald Downs initially opened its season May 2 with Saturday and Sunday racing before adding Fridays, as scheduled, after Memorial Day. The third weekly day failed to work as hoped and was dropped starting in August.
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The track’s handle and attendance numbers for 2026 were down compared with the previous year, and Ziegler explained the numbers needed to be put in perspective.
“We went from an average [total handle] in 2024 of, like, $888,000 to $1.3 million last year, because when Golden Gate closed down, we got a lot of that time-slot handle and a lot of the horses, [and] we went up almost 50%.
“So I think it’s kind of expected that some of that was going to be kind of ‘given back’ [in 2026], and it was. So we were down 7% compared to last year [in] average handle, but the average is still above almost 40% over 2024,” Ziegler said.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 2:15 PM.