Phil Ziegler

Emerald Downs will offer Penny Breakage on all wagers Emerald Downs commencing with its 55-day 2024 season that begins on Saturday, May 4. Historically, wagers were rounded down payouts to the nickel or dime which made sense when most wagers were made with cash on track. However, the change was made because of the evolution of account wagering and vouchers on track. Emerald Downs estimates that penny breakage will return approximately $400,000 in additional payouts to bettors. Also starting in 2024, Emerald Downs will offer a "Dynamic Morning Line." The...

A panel about racetrack closures in the prime afternoon time slot on the first day of Tuesday's Global Symposium on Racing hosted by the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) in Tucson had the potential to be a somber and eulogistic affair, but it did yield some interesting back-and-forth when the discussion turned to how the industry might best stem the tide of Thoroughbred venues going dark for good. The topic "Land For Sale. How Will Race Track Closures Impact the Industry's Long-Term Sustainability?" elicited some of the...

Emerald Downs has lowered takeouts on Daily Doubles and Pick 3s to an industry low 10% for its upcoming season, which opens Saturday and continues through Sept. 17. "There are a lot of takeout promotions on Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagers, but those are tough to hit," said Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler. "We wanted to give the players a better chance to win with a 10% takeout on all our Daily Doubles and Pick 3s." The track's win, place, show wagering has a takeout rate of 16.1%, while...

courtesy Emerald Downs Vic Cozzetti, a staple in Washington racing for over five decades, passed away Sunday in a Puyallup assisted living facility at age 93. Cozzetti was a fixture in the press box at Longacres and Emerald Downs--where he was known as "Victor the Predictor"--and involved in every form of racing media--television, radio, newspaper, Internet. His nightly recap on local radio was especially popular with handicappers and horsemen alike, delivering results and racing news in the pre-Internet era of the 1970s and 80s. Cozzetti was more than just a...

Washington's Emerald Downs will increase purses by an additional 10% for the upcoming 2022 meeting. The overnight purse increase is the second 10% boost for the meet, making the total increase a robust 20% from last season, and comes on the heels of several incentive programs. It is also the track's third 10% increase since 2019. "The more people that get tickets, buy food and beverage, and wager on the live races allows us to offer higher purse supplements," said track president Phil Ziegler. "We are excited to welcome back...

Emerald Downs will raise overnight purses by 10% for the 2022 racing season, the second consecutive year for such an increase. After not being able to attend the races in 2020, fans have returned to the Emerald grandstand this year and revenues have exceeded expectations. "Our race fans came out to enjoy the beautiful weather, great racing, and popular promotions," said track president Phil Ziegler. "Revenue from admissions, food & beverages, and wagering were all better than projected. That enables us to put more money towards purses in 2022." The...

Officials at Emerald Downs in Auburn, WA, have announced that the purses for all races are to be increased by 10% for the final three weeks of the 2020 racing season, Oct. 14 through Oct. 29. Through 30 days of live racing, handle is averaging $1,871,799, a 67% increase over last year. "We have been pleased at the increased betting on our races plus the increased wagering by Washington residents through the advanced deposit companies," track president Phil Ziegler said. The purse increase applies to the final seven days of...