Page 40 - NMHBASummer2019

Datona Doll wins the New Mexico Cup Derby at Zia Park and her winning connections.
NMHBA MAGAZINE: What is it that you like most about the horse racing industry? What changes, if any, would you like to see made?
ANNETTE MCCLOY:
I love the thundering of the hooves. There is nothing more beautiful than a fast horse. We breed them to run, and we love to see our babies running in the pasture and at the track.
NMHBA MAGAZINE:
What changes, if any, would you like
to see made to the New Mexico breeding program?
ANNETTE MCCLOY:
I am satisfied with the program. I think we have made it easier to own a New Mexico-bred by allowing breeders to take their mares back home for most of their pregnancies. I understand that it might hurt some of the breeding farms that also kept mares for out-of-state owners, but maybe it will expand the number of breeders. I was recently watching the (New Mexican Spring Futurity) trials for New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds at Sunland Park, and they had 11 races with full fields of 10 horses in every race. That speaks well for our program, and I see a lot of interest in it.
NMHBA MAGAZINE: We breed and race both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses here in New Mexico. Do you have a preference for one breed over another, and if so, why?
ANNETTE MCCLOY:
I do have a preference. We raise mostly Quarter Horses. Right now, we have 11 weanlings, nine Quarter Horses and two Thoroughbreds. We’ve owned a few Thoroughbreds with friends, but Mark and I both love Quarter Horses. I guess we know that they will have a job with us after their racing careers are over. We recently sent a 3-year-old filly to our granddaughter as a barrel horse, and we sent another horse to our grandson who thought he would make a team-roping horse out of his.
Annette and Mark McCloy and family.
38 New Mexico Horse Breeder