For the Reporter

A 29-race stakes schedule featuring the 80th renewal of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (Grade 3), three stakes double-headers and Washington Cup XIII has been announced for the 2015 season at Emerald Downs.

Beginning with the $50,000 Hastings Handicap for older fillies and mares Sunday, May 10, and ending with a stakes double-header for 2-year-olds on closing day, Sunday, Sept. 27, a total of $1,620,000 is offered in stakes money this season.

Twenty-five stakes are scheduled on Sundays including the $200,000 Longacres Mile on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Mile — among the Northwest’s most enduring and iconic sporting events — anchors a stakes double-header featuring the $65,000 Emerald Distaff for older fillies and mares at 1-1/8 miles.

According to Jack Hodge, Emerald Downs vice president and Bret Anderson, director of racing, the stakes schedule allows ample opportunities for all divisions of horses, and designed for horses to peak for the bigger races in August and September.

The schedule features 12 stakes events for older horses, eight races for 3-year-olds, eight events for 2-year-olds and one race for Quarter Horses.

The road to the Longacres Mile begins Sunday, May 17 with the $50,000 Governor’s Handicap for 3-year-olds and-up at 6½ furlongs and continues Sunday, June 14 with the $50,000 Budweiser Handicap at one mile. The $50,000 Mt. Rainer Handicap on Sunday, July 19 serves as the final local prep, and 2014 Horse of the Meeting Stryker Phd D used the 1-1/16-mile event as a perfect tune-up for his brilliant victory in the Longacres Mile.

The Mile culminates a two-week stretch that features championship events in four categories. In addition to The Mile and Emerald Distaff, 3-year-old fillies meet in the $65,000 Washington Oaks on Saturday, Aug. 8 and 3-year-olds square off in the $65,000 Emerald Downs Derby on Sunday, Aug. 9.

The 2-year-old divisions tilt heavily toward the latter half of the meeting, capped by a closing day doubleheader Sunday, Sept. 27 featuring the $65,000 Gottstein Futurity at 1 1/16 miles and the $50,000 Cahill Road Stakes at six furlongs.

Washington Cup XIII — six races exclusively for Washington-breds worth an aggregate $310,000 — is Sunday, September 13 with the $60,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic for older horses anchoring the daylong stakes extravaganza. A pair of 6½-furlong events —the $50,000 Comcast SportsNet Stakes for older fillies & mares and the $50,000 Chinook Pass Sprint Stakes for older males — provides older horses of both sexes the option of either sprinting or routing on WA Cup day.

Quarter Horses are featured Sunday, Sept. 6, with the fifth running of the $60,000 Bank of American Emerald Downs Championship Challenge at 440 yards.

The 70-day season, the 20th at Emerald Downs, begins Saturday, April 18. Live racing is offered every Saturday and Sunday through April, with Fridays added to the schedule beginning May 1. Post time is 6:45 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. weekends. Exceptions are 1 p.m., Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday, May 2, and 4:30 p.m. for the Fireworks Spectacular, Friday, July 3.

Holiday racing will be held Monday, May 25, Saturday, July 4, and Monday, September 7.

The stable area, which opened Feb. 1, already houses 573 horses, an increase of 69 horses from the same day last year.

Scat Daddybaby and Disruption, who both ran in the 2014 Longacres Mile, each worked three furlongs Monday while 2014 Horse of the Meeting Stryker Phd is expected to defend his Longacres Mile title in 2015.

2015 EMERALD DOWNS STAKES SCHEDULE

29 Races: $1,620,000 Purses

DATE, PURSE, STAKES

Sunday, May 10, $50,000, Hastings Handicap (3&UP F&M) 6 Furlongs
Sunday, May 17, $50,000, Governor’s Handicap (3&UP) 6½ F
Sunday, May 24, $50,000, Auburn Handicap (3YO C&G) 6½ F
Sunday, May 31, $50,000, Seattle Handicap (3YO F) 6½ F

Sunday, June 7, $50,000, WA State Legislators Stakes (3&UP F&M) 6½ F
Sunday, June 14, $50,000, Budweiser Handicap (3&UP) 1M
Sunday, June 21, $50,000, Coca-Cola Handicap (3YO C&G) 1M
Sunday, June 28, $50,000, Irish Day Handicap (3YO F) 1M

Sunday, July 5, $50,000, Boeing Handicap (3&UP F&M) 1M
Sunday, July 12, $50,000, Seattle Slew Handicap (3YO C&G) 1 1/16M
Sunday, July 18, $50,000, Kent Handicap (3YO F) 1 1/16M
Sunday, July 19, $50,000, Mt. Rainier Handicap (3&UP) 1 1/16M
Sunday, July 19, $50,000, Emerald Express (2YO C&G) 6F
Sunday, July 26, $50,000, Angie C Stakes (2YO F) 6F

Saturday, Aug. 8, $65,000, Washington Oaks (3YO F) 1 1/8M
Sunday, Aug. 9, $65,000, Emerald Downs Derby (3YO) 1 1/8M
Saturday, Aug. 15, $50,000, WTBOA Lads Stakes (2YO C&G) 6½ F
Saturday, Aug. 15, $50,000, Barbara Shinpoch Stakes (2YO F) 6½ F
Sunday, Aug. 16, $65,000, Emerald Distaff (3&UP F&M) 1 1/8M
Sunday, Aug. 16, $200,000, Longacres Mile (G3) (3&UP) 1M

Sun Sept. 6 $60,000 Bank of America Chmp Challenge* (3&UP) 440 Yards

WA Cup XIII

Sunday, Sept. 13, $50,000, Northwest Farms Stakes (2YO F WA) 6F
Sunday, Sept. 13, $50,000, Captain Condo Stakes (2YO C&G WA) 6F
Sunday, Sept. 13, $50,000, Comcast SportsNet Stakes (3&UP F&M WA) 6½ F
Sunday, Sept. 13, $50,000, Chinook Pass Sprint Stakes (3&UP WA) 6½ F
Sunday, Sept. 13, $50,000, Pegasus Training Center (3&UP F&M WA) 1 1/16M
Sunday, Sept. 13, $60,000, Muckleshoot Tribal Classic (3&UP WA) 1 1/16M
Sunday, Sept. 27, $65,000, Gottstein Futurity (2YO) 1 1/16M
Sunday, Sept. 27, $50,000, NWSS Cahill Road Stakes (2YO) 6F

*Quarter horse