COVER 1 - NMHBA SUMMER 2017 low res
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Report from March <strong>2017</strong> NM Racing<br />
Commission Meeting<br />
The New Mexico Racing Commission<br />
held its monthly meeting at its headquarters<br />
in Albuquerque on Thursday, March 16.<br />
New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association<br />
executive director Anna Fay Davis gave<br />
the commission the race-a-day report for<br />
the first 48 days of the Sunland Park meet,<br />
which opened December 16. During this<br />
period, the track carded 205 New Mexicobred<br />
races, 159 for Thoroughbreds and 46<br />
for Quarter Horses. By comparison, Sunland<br />
Park carded 203 state-bred races -- 152 for<br />
Thoroughbreds and 51 for Quarter Horses,<br />
during the first 48 days of its 2015-16 meet.<br />
An average of 4.27 New Mexico-bred<br />
races per day have been run during the first<br />
48 days of the Sunland Park meet, a slight<br />
increase over the 4.23 state-bred races per day<br />
during the first 48 days of its 2015-16 season.<br />
Also, during the first 36 days of the Sunland<br />
Park season, a total of 205 New Mexico-breds<br />
have competed in open overnight<br />
races, of which 56 (27 percent) finished<br />
first, second, or third. Of this total, 41<br />
were Thoroughbreds and 15 were Quarter<br />
Horses. Bonuses totaling $42,781.10 were<br />
paid to the owners of these horses.<br />
Ms. Davis added that, during the first<br />
48 days of its 2016-17 season, Sunland<br />
Park has carded 185 New Mexico-bred<br />
overnight races.<br />
“There were 1,729 New Mexico-breds<br />
that were scheduled to participate in these<br />
races,” she reported. “This is an average of<br />
9.35 New Mexico-breds per race.”<br />
Sunland Park’s 72-day meet runs<br />
through April 18.<br />
• Commissioner Jerry Cosper of<br />
Belen reported on the commission’s<br />
medication committee meeting, which<br />
was held on March 15.<br />
“The primary discussions revolved<br />
around setting up guidelines on hair<br />
testing,” Dr. Cosper said. “We’re just<br />
getting off the ground on this, but it<br />
was a good start.<br />
“We also looked at the possibility of<br />
al<strong>low</strong>ing racing secretaries to write races<br />
that have medication <strong>res</strong>trictions,” he<br />
added. “We tabled this issue and will<br />
look at it again in the future.”<br />
• New Mexico Horsemen’s Association<br />
(www.newmexicohorsemen.com)<br />
executive director Pat Bingham said that<br />
the NMHA is in preliminary discussions<br />
with Sunland Park Racetrack for an<br />
owners’ outreach celebration.<br />
“We think it would be beneficial to<br />
our existing owners, and we’re hopeful<br />
that it would help us attract new<br />
owners,” Mr. Bingham said. “As we all<br />
know, it’s the owners that help keep our<br />
industry going.”<br />
Mr. Bingham also reported that,<br />
effective April 21, beginning with drug<br />
tests performed on horses, the NMHA<br />
will no longer pay for any splits or<br />
associated costs that are requested by<br />
an owner or trainer. Anyone requesting<br />
a split test will be required to call the<br />
NMHA office in Albuquerque at (505)<br />
266-7056. If the split that is sent to<br />
the referee lab comes back negative, the<br />
owner or trainer paying for the split test<br />
will be reimbursed for the cost of the<br />
split test by the NMHA.<br />
• Commission executive director<br />
Ismael “Izzy” Trejo reported that the<br />
commission is currently advertising for<br />
stewards positions at SunRay Park, The<br />
Downs at Albuquerque, and the New<br />
Mexico State Fair meets.<br />
Also at the meeting:<br />
• The commission approved SunRay<br />
Park’s condition book for its 36-day<br />
season, which runs April 21-June 19.<br />
“Once our revenue starts to pick<br />
up, we’ll add some money to our<br />
bottom-level claiming purses,” said<br />
SunRay Park director of racing Lonnie<br />
Barber. “We are aware that our bottom-level<br />
races make our race cards go,<br />
but we also realize a need to improve<br />
the quality of our races toward the top<br />
of the class ladder.”<br />
• The commission approved the condition<br />
book and condition book officials,<br />
stakes schedule, stall application, and<br />
purse structure for The Downs at<br />
Albuquerque meet, which runs June<br />
24-September 24.<br />
Gerald Richards will serve as the<br />
track’s racing secretary, replacing Jim<br />
Collins. In addition, the track has<br />
increased its bottom-level claiming price<br />
from $5,000 to $6,250, has added a<br />
$20,000 claiming level to its condition<br />
book, and director of racing Don Cook<br />
announced that the winner of this year’s<br />
440-yard, $250,000 Downs Fall Quarter<br />
Horse Championship on September<br />
24 will earn a starting berth in the 440-<br />
yard, $750,000 Champion of Champions<br />
(G1) at Los Alamitos in December,<br />
Quarter Horse racing’s richest and most<br />
p<strong>res</strong>tigious race for older horses.<br />
“We think this will help us draw the<br />
best horses in the world for our signature<br />
Quarter Horse race, and we’re<br />
excited about that,” Mr. Cook said.<br />
• Sunland Park director of racing Dustin<br />
Dix reported that overall handle at his<br />
track is up 20 percent over last year,<br />
when an EHV-1 outbreak at the track<br />
and several nearby training centers<br />
impacted its 2015-16 meet.<br />
“Our average field size is also up over last<br />
year,” Mr. Dix added. “All indications are<br />
that we were having a successful meet.”<br />
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