For the Reporter

Emerald Down honors its Latino workers and the Hispanic community with Fiesta Premio Esmeralda on Sunday, July 24.

Families can enjoy an afternoon of live Thoroughbred racing, mariachi music, authentic Mexican food, a horse show and activities for children.

The event, now in its ninth year, attracted more than 12,000 people last July.

“Here at Emerald Downs we have a strong relationship with the Latino community, as a huge number of our workers is of Hispanic descent,” said Phil Ziegler, CEO of Emerald Downs. “This event has tremendous significance for all of us here at Emerald Downs, so we really go all out to make sure the Latino community has an awesome and culturally relevant experience.

“It is very important to us that everyone enjoys this event as together we share the love for the horse culture and equestrian sports.”

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Commemorative T-shirts will be given away. The “Charros de Washington” present its Mexican Equestrian Show at noon with dancing horses, including Martin Morales with his horse El Mariachi, Don Ramón Mejía (from Rancho Alegre) with his horse El Peter and José Gutiérrez (“el 7 Veredas”) with his horse Mil Amores.

“Our horses are taught to dance by following a series of rules and educating them properly,” Morales said. “This year we will be accompanied by the Mariachi Ayutla from and the fabulous Banda Vagos.”

Among free activities for kids are jumping castles, giant slides, face painting and pony rides.

First post time for live Thoroughbred racing is 2 p.m.

The adult ticket price is $7; entry is free for those 17 and younger. Parking is free. Kids younger than 13 should be accompanied by a parent or representative; and only those older than 18 years old can place bets on the races.

Visit www.fiestapremioesmeralda.com or FiestaPremioEsmeralda on Facebook for more information.