Page 43 - New Mexico Horse Breeder, Fall

at Ruidoso was ready to work shoulder-to- shoulder with Trejo and his commissioners to put Ruidoso into the top echelons of racing.
No one expected the process to be easy
but neither did anyone anticipate an award recognizing New Mexico’s influential, nationwide contributions to returning racing in the state to unprecedented levels of integrity.
Evaluating the First Season
Remember how some people reading the Internet post about Trejo took the time to comment? And remember, most of them were negative in nature?
There were also comments about True’s appointment but they delivered more sunshine than those commenting about Trejo.
“So deserving (of this job),” some said. “Please, please make NM racing something to be proud of, again.” And, “...This could wind up being the Quarter Horse game’s last chance to right itself. I applaud the owners for taking this challenge to save their sport.”
So, how has it worked out so far?
The first season of new management at Ruidoso Downs came to a close on Labor Day after the running of the Grade I All American Futurity and the accompanying day’s racing.
Can True put any quantitative measurements on what happed during the 2018 meeting?
The guidelines True uses are about as
simple and straightforward as Trejo’s “follow the rules and everyone will be happy” theory.
“I’m saying it was a very successful first season,” remarked True. “That’s the only interpretation anyone can give when you look
at reports and numbers telling you there was an increase in handle and a decrease in positive drug tests. We had more than 7,500 post race samples, which is quite a bit more than most other tracks.
“The next question is what kind of interpretation can we put on those results? Once again, I’m going to keep it short and simple. To me, the interpretation is that we’ve tightened our testing procedures and that, in turn, means we’re weeding out more and more cheaters.
“Because we’re coming down harder on the cheaters, the betting public is willing to push more and more $2 bets through the windows. That means our handle is up. And what is a racetrack about if it’s not handle? We can’t exist without it.”
Neither can a track improve without it since it’s the lifeblood of any racing plant.
“I think it’s becoming obvious that all the hard work and perseverance are starting to pay off and move us in the right direction,” said
“Everyone here feels good about what we’ve accomplished but we also know there’s so much more to do. We know the reality. We know there’s no Nirvana in this game. We’ll never reach perfection because there will always be something else to do.”
True. “Integrity is the cornerstone of our product. Without it, we may as well lock the gates.
“People like me do it for the love of the sport. This industry has fed me and my family for a very long time. Coming to work every day and fighting to help make things better is a way to say ‘thank you.’”
Interestingly, Trejo assumed a like-minded stance. He spent his summers as a boy at The Downs of Santa Fe and the New Mexico State Fair. He worked summer jobs at Santa Fe while in college. He’s the son of a TB trainer and his roots are well-buried in the Land of Enchantment. He, too, is saying ‘thank you.’
What’s really impressive about True and Trejo is that neither one has a “you owe me attitude.” Instead, it’s the opposite; an “I owe you” approach, which is precisely why their efforts are producing so much fruit.
There’s more proof of True’s pronouncement that the first season under new management was a success.
Remember those 16,000 fans who turned out at Sunland Park for the Grade III, $800,000 Sunland Derby and the resulting, record-breaking $4.2-million handle?
Dustin Dix, longtime Director of Racing for Sunland, said, “The $4-million handle has been a goal of Sunland for the last few years. We exceeded our expectations.”
“That was definitely a bright spot for New Mexico racing,” said True, “and there have been a lot of others. Everything is a product of everyone’s dedicated hard work.
“We had excellent feedback during this first season and we had some outstanding simulcast partners. All that is factored into the season’s success.
“There’s a pervasive bad element in every sport, not just racing. I don’t know if we have more but I do know we’re held to a higher standard because, for one thing, we’re dealing with animals. They’re the stars. Racing is heavily regulated and, even with that, we still come under heavy scrutiny. We certainly don’t see the government investigating the NFL!
“I think, especially at Ruidoso, we’re focused on several elements. For one thing,
we know this is the most iconic track in New Mexico. We all want to protect its legacy and its history. That’s critically important to us, and it’s a concern that sets us apart from other industries.” Correct. How often do we see a CEO on Wall Street laboring to protect the history and the legacy of his company?
“Our handle is significantly better and
I attribute that to a better product. We’re offering more competitive as well as safer racing. I also want operational excellence. That includes sending races off on time, with no shenanigans at the gate. The public responds positively to all of that and it shows in the handle.
“Everyone here feels good about what we’ve accomplished, but we also know there’s so much more to do. We know the reality.
We know there’s no Nirvana in this game. We’ll never reach perfection because there will always be something else to do.”
Trejo agrees. There will never be a final battle because that’s just not the way this game works. Every steward who gets out of bed and heads for the track knows he’ll face a battle, or two, before he returns home.
One of our biggest problem sources is money. We deal with lots of it. We’re talking about huge purses; enough money to transform a poor man into a prince. The unfortunate truth is that a pile of money is so very, very capable of breeding catastrophe. Call it greed. Call it dishonesty. Or, maybe, call it the desire for a better material life.
It really doesn’t matter what you call it. The cause and the effects are the same.
Both Trejo and True know the sport will never reach Nirvana, but that won’t stop either man from continuing steadfastly expressing his gratitude to the industry that’s been good to them for so many years.
They know there will always be something else to do and that’s okay. They can see the progress and there’s no way they’ll quit or even slow down.
They are determined to never again see a headline shouting –
“Mangled Horses, Maimed Jockeys: Death and Disarray at America’s Racetracks.”
FALL 2018 41