Man who saved horse racing in Washington stepping away from sport

The man many credit with keeping horse racing alive in Washington is stepping away from the track after 20 years, handing the reins of Emerald Downs over to the Muckleshoot Tribe.

Ron Crockett brought horse racing back to Western Washington with the launch of Emerald Downs in 1996, four years after Longacres shuttered. Even though he’s said it wasn’t a moneymaker, he was invested in keeping the industry alive in the Pacific Northwest.

But after two decades, Crockett tells KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that it just seemed like the right time to move on.

“There comes a point with everyone that is doing something gainfully in our society that an exit strategy comes about. If you’re working for a company, it’s called retirement,” he said.

Crockett recently celebrated his 75th birthday and looks forward to spending more time on other parts of his life.

“My life is as follows, standing on Capitol Hill right now looking out my window. I’ve got a very lovely wife and we have a great time together. Two miles away are three grandchildren and a daughter and a son-in-law that we spend a huge amount of time with.”

His Seattle Golf Club membership, over the last two years, has only been used twice. He said they have a place in Semiahmoo that his wife gets to use, but that he only sees about two days a year.

“Anyway, I think it’s time to maybe redirect my life somewhat,” he said.

Stepping away from Emerald Downs leaves him with mixed emotions. He said sometimes he’s pleased about the decision, but he also said he enjoys going to work there every day.

There has been a lot of speculation about what the new Muckleshoot ownership will bring. Many think slots and gaming will be brought in as an addition to the horse racing attraction.

Some people don’t like the idea of additional gaming on site, but Crockett said it’s hard to get bigger purses without additional sources of revenue.

“If you’re a purist, you have a very difficult time raising purses because you’re pretty much stagnant as far as growth goes with competition in this state.”

The Muckleshoot Tribe, which purchased the land the track sits on in 2002, has actually been contributing to the purses for years, Crockett said. So it’s nothing new to have the horse races at Emerald Downs backed by gaming.

“If they gave x numbers of dollars last year to the purses, what’s the difference that there’s a slot machine sitting there that created those dollars?” Crockett said. “It’s kind of the same.”

Crockett will stay on as a consultant during the transition. While it may be sad to go, he said it’s been 20 years of fun and he’s ready for his next chapter.