For the Reporter

Eighteen of the best Indian Relay teams in the country have entered the three-day Muckleshoot Gold Cup with $50,000 in purses June 10-12 at Emerald Downs.

Tribes from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington will be represented.

All relay races will be broadcast live as part of the Emerald Downs live program on Comcast SportsNet NW, which is an affiliate of the NBC Sports Group. Live programming airs from 6-10 p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12.

“We know there are a lot of viewers who have never seen Indian Relay Racing and I’m sure there will be a lot of new fans of the sport after they see how exciting it is,” said Emerald Downs President Phil Ziegler.

There are also plans to package the races and behind the scenes interviews and highlights into a one-hour special program. In addition to the broadcast on Comcast SportsNet, all the races will be shown live on the track’s website, www.emeralddowns.com and each race will be posted to the track’s You Tube channel.

Indian Relay is the nation’s oldest sport with a history that goes back 500 years by many accounts. Teams will race twice around the Emerald Downs one-mile track and exchange horses every half-mile. Each team’s rider must leap from one galloping horse to another in their assigned exchange box while other team members assist in handling the horses.

The Muckleshoot Tribe will host the event as the owners and operators of Emerald Downs and the Muckleshoot Casino is sponsoring the competition.

Admission is just $7 for adults and ages 17 and under is free. Box seats can be purchased in advance by calling 253-288-7711.