6/5/2026

(Auburn, WA) Friday night was the first Fab Friday night of 2026 and this year’s annual shirt was an Emerald Hawaiian shirt. Patrons who wear it on any of the Friday nights for the rest of the season get free admission, except for the July 3rd Fireworks night. Reserved tickets or seats will be needed for July 3rd and the track sells out each year.

The first Friday night card was decent except for the 3rd race where a competitive 5 horse field was reduced to just 3 with 2 scratches.

Slimmed down coverage

For the next couple of weekends our coverage will likely be slimmed down. I will be away on a family vacation in Texas and will be here for tonight’s and tomorrow’s races but be gone Sunday through next Saturday. We will miss Irish Day and the first two days of the Indian Relay races butg will be back on Sunday the 14th for the finals of the relays.

We’ll still have results and a few notes and will lean on Emerald Media Director Vince Bruun to fill in some gaps for us.

Horseshoe Toss

The 1st $1,000 Horseshoe toss contest was held tonight. Three lucky contestants had their shot and the 1k top prize but if they missed the closest walked away with $100. Joe Withee handled the hosting duties.

Friday Night Race Notes

Background returns to the Winner’s Circle

In 2021 Background won the biggest race in the Northwest the Longacres Mile under a heady ride from Rocco Bowen to get up at the wire and catch longshot Windribbon. The winner’s circle exploded with longtime Husky football and basketball play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and his wife Molly as the victorious owners and Mike Puhich a long time NW trainer getting the win.

Since then Background was claimed and was in a few other barns when Puhich found him and bought him back. Puhich since the Mile has had his battles as well and had a Kidney transplant. Puhich is making his return to training this season at Emerald Downs and nearly got his first win back with Background twice where he finished 2nd.

Puhich got his 1st win with Baladi on May 25th but getting to pose with Background again after he dominated the Friday night feature race was a very special moment for Puhich. He was back with his old friend.

More on the race in the re-caps below.

From the Saddle

Adrian Castellanos was a double winner bringing home a “newby” in the 2nd race with Gloriouos Run an off the pace run and a bit of a widning road stretch run win at 5-1 but Castellanos got the win by a neck for trainer Tom Wenzel and owners the Fleur De Lis Stables.

Castellanos then went to the front in the 7th and last race with 3-5 favorite Union Coach and never looked back building a big lead and holding off a late charge for trainer Jesse Velasquez and owners Rancho Viejo and Jerry Carmody.

5 others recorded wins including Blake Nunnally in the opener aboard Rabble with a great comeback win after getting passed in the stretch, came back on Shadowed Thoughts for the win.

Silvio Amador went to front in the 5th and brought home the biggest price of the night triggering another “hogger” in the pick 6 with 10-1 Barrister Proof. Allyssa Morales sat just off the pace and opened up nearing the top of the stretch to win by 9 lengths in the 6th race.

Alex Cruz with a belated Happy Birthday which was on May 31, gotg another interesting win. Cruz has won riding basically bareback at Emerald a few years ago, earlier this season nearly got dropped and stopped at the top of the stretch and still won.

Then Friday night in a 3 horse race of all things, his runner 3-5 odds on Baby Waylon down on the inside veered out at the start and bumped hard with 6-5 Counteract and quickly lost 4 lengths to the duo in front. (See replay below) Cruz stayed patient and and chipped away at the deficit to run past both in deep stretch to get the win.

Choosy Wins

Then there’s Isaias Enriquez with his win aboard Background. He also won it for owner/trainer Mike Puhich which is another great story in itself. But this is a rarity for Enriwquez these days.

Not winning, he does plenty of that but since Septemeber 15, 2024 Enriquez has won for only 4 different trainers no matter where he rode. On that final day of racing in 2024 Enriquez won with Chai for trainer Kay Cooper.

In 2025 he won one race for Susan Dening at Turf Paradise aboard Lotsa Lace on January 24th and on July 19, 2025 Enriquez won on Improbable Bet for trainer Melissa Ledford.

He’s had 44 other wins during this stretch of time and all for Frank Lucarelli. The wily veteran and former Emerald Downs Champion rider is not one to sleep on any time soon.

The Barn Report

Sue and Jim Gilmore doubled-up on Friday night with back-to-back wins in the 5th and 6th races. Sue as the owner and Jim as the trainer saddled both Barrister Proof and Good Focus for their first 2 wins of the season. Jim Gilmore is now 2-4-1 from 13 starts.

Howie Gibson got a win in the first race with Rabble giving him 7 wins so far in 2026. That ties Gibson with Tim McCanna for the lead in the trainer standings.

Veteran conditioner Tom Wenzel got his 5th win of the year and is now 5-0-5. And Rigoberto “Jesse” Velasquez took the finale with Union Coach for his 3rd win and is now 3-1-6 from 18 starts for 2026.

The Betting Window

After 9 straight days of no single winner in the 10-cent Jackpot Pick 6 it goes back-to-back. Last Sunday a single winner took home more than $13,000. Friday night, supercharged with 10-1 Barrister Proof opened the door for a shot at a single winner and that’s exactaly what happened.

The Friday night single winner collected $2,653.79.

The 5th race winner Barrister Proof had the high $2 win pay of $22.90.

There were 2 scratches in the 3rd race, #1 Aloha Chrome and #2 Elder Mack, making it just a 3 horse field so there was no show or superfecta wagering. There was also a scratch in the 1st race, #1 Chokechery Shari, #3 Cause for Divorce in the 6th and #4 Shanghai Barbie in the 7th.

Be sure to check your tickets for refunds or in the case of Shanghai Barbie in the 7th you get the betting favorite in the pick 3, 4, 5 and 6 and the betting favorite did win plus a consolation daily double pay.

4th Race Feature Race Muckleshoot

By Vince Bruun

Background took the lead turning for home and drew away for a 5 ½-length victory in Friday’s $20,000 Muckleshoot Casino Resort Purse under the lights at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Isaias Enriquez, the 2021 Longacres Mile winner covered the mile in 1:36.78, returning $8.44 for a $2 win ticket. Mike Puhich, assisted by Jason Orman, is the winning owner and trainer.

A 9-year-old son of Khozan, Background has raced in fine form at the current meet with a win and two seconds from three starts, all around two turns. The Florida-bred gelding has an overall record of 9-7-8 from 50 starts with earnings of $585,675.

Background’s biggest triumph was Aug. 15, 2021, when the then 4-year-old tagged Windribbon late to capture the 86th running of the Longacres Mile. He subsequently won races at Oaklawn Park, Ellis Park, and Churchill Downs, returning to the Pacific Northwest for the 2026 season.

Seas of Normandy, the 4 to 5 favorite, held second while Elegant Boy, Afjan, and The Black Strat rounded out the order of finish.

• $1.00 EXACTA 2-1 $7.72
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 2-1-3 $10.70
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 2-1-3-4 $2.44
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 3-2 $11.39
• $0.50 PICK 3 6-2,3-2 $45.57
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 3-6-1,2,3-2 $111.03

Race Replay

The rest of Friday Night

1st Race

What a run from 6-5 2nd favorite Rabble. Jockey Blake Nunnally went to the front with 12-1 Drewry and Silvio Amador as the battled on the front end while 4-5 top choice Shadowed Thoughts and Kevin Krigger waited to about the quarter pole to make their move. Rabble took over the clear lead but was quickly engaged with Shadowed Thoughts. S-T and Krigger took the lead inside the 16th pole but Nunnally asked Rabble for more and got it getting up on the wire for the nose win. 8-1 Daddy’s Nina was a clear 3rd with Adrian Castellanos.

Rabble races for Kevin Chavarrria and trained by Howie Gibson. Rabble ran the 6 furlongs in 1:11.53.

• $1.00 EXACTA 3-6 $3.87
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 3-6-4 $3.45
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 3-6-4-2 $0.87

Race Replay

2nd Race

A field of 7 maidens went 5 1/2 furlongs on the wet-fast track with Cozmic Brownie and Silvio Amador set some sizzling fractions of 21.71 and 44.90. This set up the come from behinders with 5-1 Glorious Run getting 1st run going wide. Adrian Castellanos had to keep Glorious Run together as he was still running green. 4-1 Three Putt and Kevin Orozco cut the corner and came up the inside of G-R but after getting straightened away Glorious Run finished the job in a final time of 1:03.99. Glorious Run is owned by the Fleur De Lis Stable and trained by Tom Wenzel.

Three Putt was 2nd, Cosmic Brownie held 3rd and Oregonian the 7-5 favorite under Kevin Krigger completed the superfecta.

• $1.00 EXACTA 6-2 $43.74
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 6-2-3 $92.03
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 6-2-3-7 $37.85
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 3-6 $26.89

Race Replay

3rd Race

After two late scratches, the 3rd was reduced to just 3 runners and 3-5 favorite Baby Waylon broke slowly and was quickly 4 or 5 lengths behind 6-5 Counteract and 9-2 Rhodium Runner. Veteran pilot Alex Cruz didn’t panic and stayed within touch as the duo out front went 22.05 and 45.05. That was just fast enough to set up Baby Waylon who swung to the middle of the track and ran by the match race in front of him winning clear in a time of 1:03.75.

Counteract with Karlo Lopez held 2nd and Rhodium Runner under Blake Nunnally was 3rd. Baby Waylon races for Hat Trick Racing and trained by Francisco Rodriguez.

With just 3 runners there was no show wagering or superfecta.

• $1.00 EXACTA 3-4 $1.95
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 3-4-5 $0.96
• – SUPERFECTA Refund $1.00
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 6-3 $16.68
• $0.50 PICK 3 3-6-2,3 $24.76

Race Replay

5th Race

The field of going 6 furlongs saw 10-1 Barrister Proof get-away down the backstretch as Silvio Amador let him settle in while setting brisk fractions of 21.84 and 44.26. Barrister Proof didn’t stop and held off Hawker and Isaias Enriquez in his first Emerald start. 13-1 A Skip in the Park closed well for Frank Alvarado to get up for 3rd after getting bumped in the stretch. Peso and Carlos Montalvo completed the top 4.

Barrister Proof stopped the clock in a fast 1:09.58 and races for Sue Gilmour and trained by James Gilmour.

• $1.00 EXACTA 8-5 $42.91
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 8-5-7 $176.71
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 8-5-7-1 $195.69
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 2-8 $39.34
• $0.50 PICK 3 1,2,3-2-8 $43.52
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 6-1,2,3-2-8 $347.59

Race Replay

6th Race

There was a late scratch in the 6th but still a nice field of 9 went 6 furlongs. 4-1 Good Focus broke well from the far outside 9 post as the inside speed went to the lead. A View From Above the 5-2 moderate favorite set blistering fractions of 21.66 and 44.36. Good Focus ranged up on the outside and shot past the tiring View and rolled to a big 4 length win in a final time of 1:09.03. The Gilmour’s won back-to-back with Sue the owner and James the trainer.

Fordy G and Karlo Lopez ran a hard earned 2nd, Blazing Peme with Blake Nunnally  also closed well to snap 3rd from Olympic Legend and Adrian Castellanos.

• $1.00 EXACTA 10-5 $27.64
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 10-5-6 $51.40
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 10-5-6-8 $53.94
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 8-10 $71.25
• $0.50 PICK 3 2-8-10 $146.31

Race Replay

7th Race

In the Wednesday finale a late scratch dropped the field to 5 and oddfs-on choice Union Coach went wire-to-wire from the 6-furlong gate and built up a big 4+ length lead before having to hold off a fast closing Roses R Blue with Blake Nunnally to win by a length in a final time of 1:10.80. Union Coach is owned by Rancho Viejo and Jerry Carmody and trained by Jesse Velasquez.

Roses R Blue ended up 2nd, Ginger in Charge with Karlo Lopez was 3rd, taking 4th was Solo Un Besa and Jose Rodriguez with In Without Knockin and Silvio Amador capped the Super Hi 5.

• $1.00 EXACTA 2-6 $4.14
• $0.50 TRIFECTA 2-6-5 $6.35
• $0.10 SUPERFECTA 2-6-5-3 $3.44
• $0.50 SUPERHIGHFIVE 2-6-5-3-1 $30.67
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 10-2 $10.03
• $1.00 DAILY DOUBLE 10-4 $4.87
• $0.50 PICK 3 8-10-2,4 $61.13
• $0.50 PICK 4 4 OF 4 2-8-10-2,4 $204.71
• $0.50 PICK 5 5 OF 5 1,2,3-2-8-10-2,4 $367.14
• $0.10 PICK 6 6 OF 6 6-1,2,3-2-8-10-2,4 $2,653.79

Race Replay

Photo Gallery

www.elisportsnetwork.com