A 29-race stakes schedule featuring the 80th renewal of the $200,000 Longacres Mile (G3), 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 maresSunday, May 10, and ending with a stakes double-header for 2-year-olds on closing day, Sunday, September 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 (G3) on Sunday, August 16. The Grade 3 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 Emerald Downs Vice President Jack Hodge and Director of Racing Bret Anderson, the 2015 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 6-½ furlongs and continuesSunday, 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.

Annually attracting several of the nation’s fastest middle-distance runners, The Mile culminates a tremendous 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, August 8 and 3-year-olds square off in the $65,000 Emerald Downs Derby on Sunday, August 9.

The 2-year-old divisions tilt heavily toward the latter half of the meeting, capped by a closing day doubleheader Sunday, September 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 6-½ 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, September 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 is offered  Monday, May 25, Saturday, July 4, and Monday, September 7.

The stable area, which opened February 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

Sun May 10 $50,000  Hastings Handicap (3&UP F&M) 6F

Sun May 17 $50,000  Governor’s Handicap (3&UP) 6-½ F

Sun May 24 $50,000  Auburn Handicap (3YO C&G) 6-½ F

Sun May 31 $50,000  Seattle Handicap (3YO F) 6-½ F

Sun June 7 $50,000  WA State Legislators Stakes (3&UP F&M) 6-½ F

Sun June 14 $50,000  Budweiser Handicap (3&UP) 1M

Sun June 21 $50,000  Coca-Cola Handicap (3YO C&G) 1M

Sun June 28 $50,000  Irish Day Handicap (3YO F) 1M

Sun July 5 $50,000  Boeing Handicap (3&UP F&M) 1M

Sun July 12 $50,000  Seattle Slew Handicap (3YO C&G) 1-1/16M

Sat July 18 $50,000  Kent Handicap (3YO F) 1-1/16M

Sun July 19 $50,000  Mt. Rainier Handicap (3&UP) 1-1/16M

Sun July 19 $50,000  Emerald Express (2YO C&G) 6F

Sun July 26 $50,000  Angie C Stakes (2YO F) 6F

Sat Aug 8 $65,000  Washington Oaks (3YO F) 1-1/8M

Sun Aug 9 $65,000  Emerald Downs Derby (3YO) 1-1/8M

Sat  Aug 15 $50,000 WTBOA Lads Stakes (2YO C&G) 6-½ F

Sat  Aug 15 $50,000 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes (2YO F) 6-½ F

Sun Aug 16 $65,000  Emerald Distaff (3&UP F&M) 1-1/8M

Sun Aug 16 $200,000  Longacres Mile (G3) (3&UP) 1M

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

WA Cup XIII

Sun Sep 13 $50,000  Northwest Farms Stakes (2YO F WA) 6F

Sun Sep 13 $50,000  Captain Condo Stakes (2YO C&G WA) 6F

Sun Sep 13 $50,000  Comcast SportsNet Stakes (3&UP F&M WA) 6-½ F

Sun Sep 13 $50,000  Chinook Pass Sprint Stakes (3&UP WA) 6-½ F

Sun Sep 13 $50,000  Pegasus Training Center  (3&UP F&M WA) 1-1/16M

Sun Sep 13 $60,000  Muckleshoot Tribal Classic (3&UP WA) 1-1/16M

Sun Sep 27 $65,000  Gottstein Futurity (2YO) 1-1/16M

Sun Sep 27 $50,000 NWSS Cahill Road Stakes (2YO) 6F

*QUARTER HORSE