5/22/2026
(Auburn, WA) Memorial Day weekend is the first 3-day race week of the year at Emerald Downs with racing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day). Post time for all 3 days is 1:50pm.
Claiming Daily Double Series
On Memorial Day a new event to help the lower claiming ranks will be run in the 4th and 6th races with a $3,500 tag. These will be the Chuck Potter Memorial Daily Double. $12,000 in additional purse money is being added with $6,000 to each race. The 4th race is for older fillies and mares and drew 8 runners and will go 5 1/2-furlongs. The boys will get the 6th race also at 5 1/2-furlongs at the $3,500 claiming price. 9 runners have signed up for the 6th race.
The $12,000 is being added by Horse owner Jody Peetz. Peetz wanted to do something for a great friend and in fact her fiance`, Chuck Potter who worked at Emerald Downs as the simulcast director. Chuck passed suddenly from a heart attack in 2007 stunning all his family and friends. Peetz wanted to honor Chuck in a way he would have appreciated.
Peetz says Chuck would be thrilled with this special series. He knew that the heart and soul of racing are what he called the “blue collar” horses that fill 90% of the race cards. He knows what it’s like for the small trainer with 4 or 5 horses trying to scratch out a living. He was also a good handicapper and would love calling this the Daily Double series.
Peetz has put up her own money in the past with a claiming series that was very popular a few years ago. She is a huge supporter of Northwest racing and wants to help anyway she can. Peetz says, “we in this business are blessed to have the Muckleshoot tribe takeover what so many horses enthusiasts did back in 1996 under Ron Crockett’s NW Racing Associates. This is my way of contributing to this industry.”
Peetz said, “the Muckleshoots and Phil Ziegler and the great staff at Emerald Downs have battled to keep our industry viable and I just feel the best way to thank them is to help where I and where we all can. NW Racing is truly a family and I’m honored to be part of it.”
The $6,000 additional money adds to the usual $9,000 dollar purse for a $15,000 total purse. This is a 67% increase for these two races.
The rest of Monday’s card has a total of 8 races with 58 starters entered for an average of 7.25, the best entry level of the season as more and more horses are ready to race.
Monday’s Feature
The feature race outside of the Chuck Potter Daily Double will be the 3rd race. Just a field of 5 but the 5 1/2-furlong allowance sprint will feature all stakes winners.
Emerald Downs Horse of the Year winner last season, Aloha Breeze, is in this race for owner George Todaro and trainer Tom Wenzel. Aloha Breeze wrapped up her Horse of the Meet honors winning the Muckleshoot Tribal Distaff on closing day. Aloha Breeze has 7 Stakes win to her credit. The speedy daughter of The Factor has 12 wins from 19 starts and has earned nearly 320k. Regular rider Carlos Montalvo will again be in the saddle.
The 2024 Horse of the Year and multiple stakes winner Precise Timing is making her 2026 debut for the Pabst Blue Ribbon #23 barn and trainer Kay Cooper. Kevin Orozco gets the call in the famous Pabst Blue ribbon silks. Precise Timing won horse of the year for sweeping all 3 of her 2-year-old stakes races and going 3-0. She won the Angie C, the Lassies and the Juvenile Filly stakes. She struggled in her sophomore season witih no wins but finished 3rd last October in the Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita at huge odds of 71-1.
Last year’s Seattle Stakes Champ Saleen GT is coming off 3 big runs at Turf Paradise winning 2 allowance races and placing 2nd in her most recent on May 1st. Saleen GT races for REV Racing and trained by Frank Lucarelli. The Washington bred by Barkley has 6 wins from 10 starts and top 3 finishes in 9 of those races and has earned more than $116,000. Isaias Enriquez gets the call.
Conditioner Charlie Essex is sending out Stay Sassy who won the Emerald Distaff last year at big odds of 17-1 for owner David Olson last year. Kevin Krigger was up for that longshot win. Stay Sassy began with a promising run with several wins and placings at the high claiming and allowance levels. She tried her first stakes in late 2024 taking 4th in the Wa Cup filly and mare stake. In 2025 she competed at the claiming level winning one before surprising the field in the Distaff.
And the 5th Stakes winner is a Hastings import and under the care of trainer Mike Puhich for owner Jeffrey Sengara. Somebody Lady has racked up an impressive record up north running in 9 stakes races and never finishing worse than 3rd and winner the Glen Todd Fantasy Stakes the Sadie Diamond Futurity and the most recent last July the Supernaturel Stakes. Alex Cruz will get the ride.
Sub-Stakes
The 7th race would likely be the feature race on most days. A field of 7 $25,000 claimers will go 6-furlongs. The older runners have several familiar names heading this race with the always reliable Dirt Road Red, Adios Jojo has already won a race here this season, speedster Dynamic Secret and Fantastic Day. Canadian invader Counteract along with Golden River and Baladi will complete the line-up.
Saturday’s Card
7 races are set to go to get the holiday weekend underway. The feature race looks to be a solid set of allowance runners in the 4th race. The heavy morning line favorite is 3-5 He’s Not Talking with Kevin Krigger aboard for the Q Stables and trainer Doug McPhee. Atmospheric River is the 2nd choice at 7-2 with Silvio Amador from the Charlie Essex barn and 9-2 Knightline with Karlo Lopez from trainer Howie Gibson.
Gibson also has Little to No Money in with Adrian Castellanos and completing the field is 10-1 Now Cato with Frank Alvarado riding for trainer Sergio Perez.
Sunday’s Races
8 races on the card for Sunday with a great feature race and nice sub feature.
Feature Event
In the 7th race, six 3-year-old fillies will break from the gates going 5 1/2-furlongs.
The 2-1 morning line favorite is 2-1 Too Sassy for trainer Sam Scolamieri. The Southern Cal shipper won a MSW and the Generous Portion Stakes at Del Mar last Fall. But has since run in 3 straight stakes races at Santa Anita and has failed to hit the board. Scolamieri is hoping a change of scenery will get Too Sassy back on track. Windy Ridge Stables own Too Sassy and Silvio Amador gets the call.
5-2 2nd favorite Storm Harbor will make her 2nd career start after blowing away the competition on May 9th 2 weeks ago here at Emerald winning by 7+ lengths in a 5 furlong sprint. Trainer Steve Bullock had Storm ready to fire in her debut but will face another level of class in her 2nd start for owners Gold Coast Racing IV. Karlo Lopez is back to ride.
Bewitching Joy is the 7-2 3rd choice on the morning line. Isaias Enriquez won the Lassies and Juvenile fillies Stakes last year. This will be her first start of her 3-year-old season and has earned more than 70k. Frank Lucarelli sends our Bewitching Joy for owners Cinco Vino Stables.
Lucarelli will also send out Code of Valor for owner Josh McKee. Code of Valor 2nd in the Angie C and 3rd in the Juvenile fillies. She has had a race this year at Turf Paradise with a solid 2nd in an optional claimer. Alex Cruz gets the leg up on the 5-1 shot.
Another Emerald stakes winner from Tom Wenzel and George Todaro will see the 2026 debut of Falling Leaves who blazed in the Angie C before coming up short with 3rd and 4th place finishes in the Lassies and Juvenile fillies. Carlos Montalvo gets the ride on the speedy 6-1 shot.
The longshot in the race is #6 South Bay for trainer Jorge Rosales. South Bay, owned by Steve Haarh. South Bay broke her maiden last fall at Del Mar in her 1xst career start. Since then she has raced in 2 allowance races and 2 stakes in So Cal and not finished better than 6th. The connections are looking to turn around South Bay in Auburn and Adrian Castellanos will get the ride.
Sub Feature Slew’s Tiz Whiz is back
In the 4th race a field of 5 older horses will go 5 1/2-furlongs and all eyes will be on crowd favorite Slew’s Tiz Whiz. The 8-year-old Longacres Mile Champion has been a fixture at Emerald Downs since he burst on the scene in his 2nd career start on June 3, 2021 winning a 6-furlong sprint by nearly 9 lengths at 20-1. Slew has been under the care of Tom Wenzel from day 1 and Wenzel knows Slew would like a longer distance but he has shown that he can win the sprints despite like coming from well off the pace.
Frank Alvarado will get the mount for the 1st time on Slew the 2-1 2nd choice. Slew’s Tiz Whiz has won 7 stakes races including the 2022 Longacres Mile and now 4 straight Governors Handicaps. He has earned original owner and breeder Karl Kreig and new owners since Kreig’s passing, “Slew’s Racing Crew” more than 400K. He is 12-6-4 from 29 starts.
Slew will have his work cut out for him with Si That Tiger, the 8-5 morning line choice. Silvio Amador again gets the ride for trainer Blaine Wright. Si That Tiger has made his presence known for owners John and Janene Maryanski and Gerald and Gail Schneider. Si That Tiger is an all or nothing stalker with 5 wins from 8 starts and the other 3 no better than 4th. Si That Tiger will get first run if he doesn’t have the early lead and has to his credit 3 stakes wins including the Lads, the Auburn and Irish Day Stakes.
Wright will also send out 3rd choice 4-1 Executive Chef for the same ownership group. Kevin Krigger will get the call to pilot Chef. Executive Chef has credentials of his own with a 9-7-2 record from 25 starts. Chef has won one stakes race, the Auburn stakes back in 2022. But he has only run in 3 stakes races racing mostly at the allowance level.
Owner/Trainer Steve Henson has Rondelito in after building a 5 for 10 win clip at Hastings including 4 Stakes wins last season. Rondelito has earned just shy of $120,000 in his career and Carlos Montalvo will get the ride.
The longshot will be the ever consistent Jin Tong for trainer Joe Toye and owners Wayne Williams and Terra Firma Farms. Since Toye got Jin Tong back in 2023 he has raced in just 2 stakes races with a 3rd place finish. Jin Tong is a trifecta horse with 5 wins but 13 2nds and 6 shows from 39 starts. He has mostly raced in allowance and or optional claiming races. J-T is the 6-1 longshot in this match-up.
Family Days
All weekend the Emerald Promotion crew will host Family Fun days in the Park. The free events for kids include bounce houses, pony rides and other games. on Sunday, there is a kids race on track. Kids can go out on the track and run a race and get a free ice cream.
Also look for the food trucks out in the park area for a wide selection of different foods and drinks.
Pick 6
The 10-cent Jackpot Pick 6 has had multiple winners each of the first five racing days which means there is a carry-over each day. Only a single winning ticket will take the whole pot. Those with 6 wins split a portion of the pool with the rest carrying over. The carry-over going into Saturday is $4,478.
The consolation pay-outs have been pretty good considering these are 10-cent bets. On day one, a 1-1, odds-on, 2-1 , odds-on, 9-5 and 5-1 with 4 of the 6 as betting favorites and that returned $75. Day two it paid $365, Day three returned $330, Day four $185 and day five $630.
This is going to be fun to see how big this carry-over will build up but at the same time you can see these shared winnings are paying off decently.
Pick 3, 4 and 5’s
A reminder the Pick 3’s have just a 12% take-out and some of these pick 3’s are paying pretty good returns. The key is if you have at least one runner you want to load up on around you can turn some of these favorites into decent returns.
The Pick 4’s you can surprised how much more you can get from 2 or 3 favorites winning back-to-back with that one extra race. You get 3 chances to bet the pick 4’s daily. The pick 5 remains the big dog and although it’s been on the short side with 40%+ favorites winning the big pick 5’s have been on the skinny side. But on May 9 the pick 5 roared paying just short of $2,000. This is going to continue to be the bet that is most likely to pay big throughout the season.
Information
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