Washington State Racing Commission

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...

Robert Lopez, the Chairman of the Washington State Horse Racing Commission, was elected the new Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International at Monday's online annual Board of Directors election. Lopez replaces Tom Sage of Nebraska whose term expired. A graduate of the FBI's National Academy, Lopez is a longtime law enforcement professional who was a member of the Washington State Patrol before retiring as Assistant Chief in 2001. In 2002, Lopez joined the staff of the racing commission and later became its executive secretary. In 2015, he was...