Community Spotlight - Emerald Downs Opening Night

Thousands stood outside in the wind and rain to watch live horse racing return to Emerald Downs Friday night.

Jockey Juan Gutierrez, the defending jockey title holder started right where he left off with two wins. He rode My Mans No Lady and Legendary Heart to victories, pushing his total wins to 997. The 43-year-old jockey needs just three wins to join Gallyn Mitchell in the track’s 1,000 win club. Gutierrez is scheduled to ride eight of Saturday’s 10 races.

Trainer Jeff Metz, meanwhile, also got off to a hot start, saddling two winners in his first day here. One of the top trainers at Turf Paradise, Metz has a large string of runners this year at Emerald Downs, and wasted no time locating the Winner’s Circle. Legendary Heart ($7.60) in the third race and Just Meteor in the sixth both were victorious for the Metz barn.

“The horses ran well, and even the ones that didn’t win ran third and fourth and were coming on,” Metz said. “My impressions (of Emerald Downs) were good. Even with the wet weather, the fans came out and there was a buzz in the air.”

Racing continues on Saturday and Sunday, first post at 2 p.m.

**Additional information for this story was provided by Emerald Downs Media Relations.**