Blaine Wright

AUBURN, Wash.--The headline in the local edition of The Seattle Times on Wednesday, June 19, 1996 was full of elan as it fired off a bold prediction the day before the opening, "Racetrack Will Help Put Auburn On The Map." The building of Emerald Downs, which replaced the venerable and beloved oval at Longacres, was set to anchor development in the region and usher in a new era for the city which the paper said would attract "gamblers, shoppers and spectators." Some folks quoted were optimistic about the wiping away...

On Monday, the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) board voted unanimously (with one abstention) to rescind a proposed Golden State Racing meet spanning the first half of next year, essentially leaving Northern California without Thoroughbred racing in 2025 outside of the annual suite of summer fair meets. This means that the Northern Californian horsemen and women have had little time to respond and adapt to a proposal by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) and 1/ST Racing and Gaming--a business entity under The Stronach Group (TSG) umbrella--to maintain a...

With just 26 named foals in his first crop, 'TDN Rising Star' Straight Fire (Dominus - Tricky Indy, by A.P. Indy) is reeling off some impressive statistics as his young stock are making waves in California. Last year, the son of Dominus based at Legacy Ranch produced 10 winners from 13 runners with his first crop of 2-year-olds. So far in 2022, he has had six winners from 10 runners including dual stakes winner Straight Up G and also a pair of sophomores that swept the California-bred stakes on the...