Page 22 - July 2017

The MonTh in review
by Jennifer K. Hancock
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Albuquerque Downs Meet begins
Albuquerque Downs opened its 2017 meet June 24. The track will pay an estimated $11 million in purses during the meet. According to Don Cook, who is the Albuquerque Downs director of racing, the track projects to pay an average of approximately $190,000 per day. The track’s record 20-race, $2.5-million stakes schedule includes 12 races for Thoroughbreds worth approximately $1.1 million and eight races for Quarter Horses worth approximately $1.4 million.
Albuquerque Downs’ Quarter Horse stakes schedule will be headlined by the third running of the 440-yard, $250,000 Albuquerque Fall Championship on closing day, September 24. For the first time this year, the Albuquerque Fall Championship will offer its winner a starting berth in the 440-yard $750,000 Champion of Champions-G1 at Los Alamitos in December, Quarter Horse racing’s richest race for older horses.
The Albuquerque Fall Championship is one of only four races outside of California that will offer Champion of Champions berths to their winners.
The inaugural running of the Albuquerque Fall Championship in 2015 was won by JRC Callas First, the American Quarter Horse Association’s 2014 World Champion.
Albuquerque Downs will offers live racing on a Wednesday and Friday-through-Sunday schedule
through September 3. Post time is 6:05 p.m. (MDT) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 1:30 p.m. on Sundays. The schedule will change during the last three weeks of the season, which includes the New Mexico State Fair portion of the meet.
In addition to the traditional wagers, fans on track will be able to participate in a new “odd-even” wager on five designated races per day. Placing a bet on the “even” number in a race will result in a winning ticket if a horse with an even program number (i.e., 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) wins that race. Betting on the “odd” number will cash a ticket if a horse with an odd program number (i.e., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) wins the race.
The “odd-even” wager is a $1 minimum bet and is designed to appeal to newcomers. For newcomers and serious fans alike, Albuquerque Downs will also offer handicapping seminars every Saturday. The seminars will be hosted by track racing analyst and handicapper Jim Collins and will take place before the live races begin.
New this season, on-track fans will be able to wager on their mobile devices by downloading an app and opening a mobile-wagering account.
The Downs at Albuquerque Racetrack and Casino is located in the heart of Albuquerque at Expo New Mexico, the home of the New Mexico State Fair, and offers free general admission and parking. Visit www. abqdowns.com and click on the “Racetrack” link at the top of the homepage for more information.
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SPEEDHORSE, July 2017
Track chaTTer