Page 88 - January 2016 Speedhorse

I really enjoy working for the New Mexico Horse Breeders and the different facets of racing - horsemen, owners, racetracks, racing commissioners and staff, along with the New Mexico Legislature.
by John Moorehouse
The horse racing industry is big business in New Mexico. The breeding and racing industries pump $400 million into the state’s economy each year. In fact, horse racing is the number one spectator sport in the “Land of Enchantment.” There are 12,000 horses in New Mexico involved in the industry, which creates approximately 10,000 jobs statewide.
The prominence of horse racing in the state means a perpetually busy docket for Anna Fay Davis, the executive director of the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association (NMHBA). But, she couldn’t imagine being involved in any other industry. Under her direction, the NMHBA has actively promoted racing and breeding in the state to the levels we see today.
Davis has been involved in the horse industry since she was a young girl, spending much of her childhood on horseback and competing in junior rodeos. She
was one of the first students in the new University
of Arizona Race Track Industry Program in 1975, a move that opened her eyes to other opportunities in the racing industry. After graduation, she changed directions from her original plan to become a trainer to the path that she is on today.
She began her career as assistant to The Downs
at Santa Fe general manager Bill Humphreys and
racing secretary Charlie Iles and was quickly promoted
to paymaster of purses. In 1989, she became the
first woman appointed deputy director of the New Mexico Racing Commission. In 1991, she became an administrative assistant at the NMHBA, briefly served
as the interim director, and was then voted permanent executive director. Davis also serves on the New Mexico Racing Commission’s Rules and Medication committees.
We get to know more about Anna Fay Davis in our latest edition of our Lighter Side feature.
Q: Where were you born?
A: Roswell, New Mexico.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of horse racing?
A: I like to go on day road trips to visit points of interest in New Mexico. For example, historic sites in Gran Cuervo, Mountaineer, Magdalena and Cimarron.
Q: What is your favorite movie, and why?
A: I don’t have much time, but like to watch the Hallmark movies on TV since they are about two hours and have family values.
Q: Give an interesting fact about your family.
A: They encouraged us to get an education so we could get a job that we liked, not just one that paid the bills. We all worked in various areas of agriculture.
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about?
A: When working in the racing office at the Downs at Santa Fe, racing secretary Charlie Iles said, “If I like you, I will give you a nickname.” I’m known as Anna Fay from Santa Fe.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have ever seen in a horse?
A: Girlofmydreams, as a two year old, hated to be hauled in a horse trailer. She would fight all the way, but if you loaded her on a horse van, she rode perfect all the way to her destination.
Q: If you were not in the horse racing business, what job would you like to have? A: I can’t think of one. I really enjoy working for
the New Mexico Horse Breeders and the different facets of racing - horsemen, owners, racetracks, racing
ANNA FAY DAVIS
86 SPEEDHORSE, January 2016
THE LIGHTER SIDE