This Sunday marks the 77th running of the Longacres Mile horse race, and for some 30 years a mother-daughter team has supplied the flowers that set off the occasion. It is the 17th running of the race at Emerald Downs.

Part and parcel to any large horse-racing event is the pageantry. It’s in the arrangements that have adorned the facilities at the former Longacres racetrack in Renton and since 1996 at Emerald Downs in Auburn. It’s also in the traditional blanket of flowers that covers the winners of the top races.

Responsible for creating those pieces are Roxanne Hanson and her mother Toni Nelson.

The two started creating floral designs for Longacres in the late 1970s until it closed in 1992. Even when betting moved to the off-track facilities in Tukwila when Longacres closed, Hanson and Nelson were still there to make it pretty, supplying flowers.

When Emerald Downs opened in 1996, officials got permission from the Alhadeff family to continue the tradition of the Mile horse race. The Alhadeff family includes grandsons of Joe Gottstein, who started and owned Longacres until his death. Michael and Kenny Alhadeff, who are both still involved in racing as owners and breeders, wanted to see the tradition of the Mile carried on.

Hanson and Nelson followed suit and have outfitted the Mile, Triple Crown races and other occasions with their designs.

“Because of Longacres being in Renton forever, Longacres has always been a part of us,” said Hanson.

She remembers being about 25 years old when she started helping her mother with the project.

Nelson worked at and later managed Renton Flower Shop for 43 years until she sold it in 2001. She and Hanson opened up a shop again in downtown Renton last April. But, they continuously worked on projects for the Mile.

Nelson said her involvement with Longacres started when the track and City of Renton worked together to promote the running of the Mile.

“It had been going on for many years, but there wasn’t a lot of promotion, only among the racetrack people,” Nelson said. “So, I was very involved in those days in downtown. I was involved in the downtown celebrations.”

Nelson got to know more of the people at the track and soon became involved in doing the flowers for the Mile. She used to hand-sew the flowers to the blanket pattern for the winners. It was a long and arduous task. Now as technology has come along, Nelson uses special glue. It still takes between two and half and three hours to complete the blankets.

Approximately 500 carnations are used to create the blankets: 300 white and 200 red. Those are the colors chosen by Emerald Downs for the Mile.

“We’ve tried several different types of flowers throughout the years and the carnations have just ended up being the most . . .” said Hanson.

“. . . Favorable flower,” said Nelson. “It holds up the best.”

Two dozen roses also go across the winning jockey’s lap and the owner receives an arm bouquet of red roses.

The blankets used to be all red roses too before flowers got so expensive, said Hanson.

The last year they did a blanket of red roses was 2005.

This year Hanson is thinking of a green and white color scheme for her arrangements for the Mile race day. She is responsible for the displays on each floor, the Widmer Brothers Club or Turf Club and on the owner’s tables.

“Dramatic is what I do and that’s why it’s fun for me to do the Longacres Mile,” Hanson said. “I like to be part of it. And, it just make the Mile special when people walk in and there’s flowers. It just helps with the vibe.”

She is also responsible for the flowers on Media Day, the day jockeys learn their post positions. Those floral designs are always in the colors of the silks of last year’s winning team.

The 2011 Mile winner was Awesome Gem with jockey David Flores in black and gold silks. Hanson will use gold Dahlias with black ribbon trim for a small blanket to adorn a display as people arrive for Media Day.

She’ll use yellow begonias and Boston ferns around the stage. In previous years, she’s used Pink Mink Protea, ginger, Birds of Paradise, assorted pods, orchids and even willows.

“Coming up it has always been a time for me to be able to create,” said Hanson. “And it’s just fun to be able to do large arrangements. They give me full reign of what I want to do on the arrangements normally.”