Morrow's Musings
- By Jeff Morrow
509-582-1507
Posted April 5, 2000
Sun Downs keeps horse racing on track
The state of horse racing in the Pacific Northwest has been on a gradual decline over the last 10 years.
Yakima shut down a few years ago. Spokane's Playfair, idle for a number of years, just got going again last year. But the track lost a lot of money - some estimates are close to $800,000.
But at Sun Downs in Kennewick, things seem to keep getting better and better.
One year after holding just a spring meet - the fall meet was eliminated - the Tri-City Horse Racing Association is optimistic once again for another good year.
It all begins Saturday with the first post at 1:30 p.m., and the meet runs every Saturday and Sunday for five weekends through May 6. Post time each day is 1:30 p.m.
The TCHRA elected not to run a fall meet last year for a couple of reasons. First, the TCHRA wanted to help Playfair get back on its feet - thus helping the entire state of horse racing. Second, there just aren't enough horses to fill the race cards for both tracks at the same time.
Finally, it's long been agreed that the biggest reason there ever was a fall meet was to showcase the $100,000 Evergreen Derby. To do that, there had to be a meet surrounding the race. And while the race was popular, the meet has never been a big moneymaker - thus cutting into the spring meet revenues.
There won't be a fall meet again this year. The Evergreen Derby has been moved to Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho, for the time being.
By merging its meets to one, Sun Downs has gotten stronger. And the TCHRA, in its 15th year of running the races, is optimistic about this season.
Cliff Schellinger, a longtime member of the TCHRA, said the track was awarded a division race for the Fillies and Mares Challenge Race by the American Quarter Horse Association.
"It'll be the third weekend for the Trials, and the finals will be on the final weekend," Schellinger said. "The winner advances to Los Alamitos for the finals against other division winners."
The other big spring race will be the $50,000 Pot 'O Gold Futurity and its trial races. The Pot 'O Gold, Schellinger reports, also earned back its graded-race status.
"It's a Grade Three race, and that's a big deal for us," Schellinger said. "It means a lot for your stallions and mares. To win or even qualify, it means something (for their resume)."
Forty-two horses are entered for the trials.
The TCHRA made recent upgrades to its facilities, including the race office getting a major overhaul.
"The barns are all full. There are 300 head of horses on the grounds. And we expect 70 haul-ins," Schellinger said.
Whether it's baseball, football or horse racing, there's nothing like Opening Day.
* * *
That Toughman contest in the Yakima SunDome a few months back will be shown at 10 p.m. today on fX television.
Sunnyside's Frank Salcedo defeated Kennewick's Lance Craig in the heavyweight final. Both, however, have qualified for the national finals.
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OK, I'm not much of a bowler, but I do know who Dave Husted and Ernie Schlegel are.
So do most serious bowling fans. They're both scheduled to be in Pasco starting today for the Tri-City Motor Sales PBA tournament at Go Bowl.
Vancouver's Rohn Morton is the defending champion. This will be the season's second event for the Northwest Region of the PBA, and a full field of 60 bowlers are registered to compete.
Rob Rice from Sunnyside won his second PBA title last weekend in Grants Pass.
Activity begins with a three-game sweeper for anyone who wants to enter at 4 p.m. today. There is a Pro-Am at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, the pros begin warmups at 8 a.m., with the tournament proper starting around 9 a.m. Another Pro-Am begins at 6:30 p.m.
Match play starts Sunday morning, with the stepladder finals beginning around 1 p.m.
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The Twin-City Titans are looking for a business to be a major sponsor for their organization this summer.
Who are the Twin-City Titans, you ask. They are the former Richland Knights and Kennewick Dusters senior American Legion baseball teams.
Titans president Steve May said tryouts for the team will be held at 1 p.m. April 22 at Richland High, then again at 1 p.m. April 29 at LaPierre Field.
The team's home games will be held at both Richland High and LaPierre Field, with two big Northwest tournaments - one June 30-July 4, the other July 19-22.
The team's co-coaches will be Steve Farrington and Pete Marquez.
Farrington was a former Dusters coach who also managed Washington State University's baseball team. Marquez has been Sunnyside High's coach and the Lower Valley Royals senior legion team manager in the past, as well as the Knights coach last summer.
While the junior teams for the Kennewick Dusters and the Richland Knights will still play separately, the consolidation of the two senior teams will cut the Central Washington League's lineup by one.
- Jeff Morrow can be reached at 582-1507 or via e-mail at jmorrow@tri-cityherald.com
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