Page 74 - New Mexico Horse Breeders 2019 Stallion Register

A Special Effort foal in utero sold for $65,000 at the New Mexico Bred Foal In-Utero sale.
Nothing generates smiles and a string
of back-slapping better than a list of solid numbers, and the Friday, June 29 - Sunday, July 1 was the perfect example. A total of $857,874 was wagered on live races at Albuquerque during those three opening days, compared to $625,429 in 2017. Off-track wagering on the live program skyrocketed to $526,288. That was a 44-percent increase over last year’s $408,090. At the same time, $271,586 was bet on track, for a 25-percent increase over 2017’s $217,339.
The response from both on-track and off- track patrons during opening weekend was more than gratifying, and proves what well-thought- out change can produce. Increased wagering and increased, overall participation in the dynamics of the sport of racing is a direct outcome of increased excitement and enthusiasm. And, at the root of that enthusiastic excitement, is the competitive racing offered at Albuquerque. Across the board quality, which usually speaks best through the competition of well-matched talent, is not easy to produce. The fact that it’s now available in New Mexico is a clear testament to the sport’s upward mobility in the state.
The State Fair is a predictably big deal in New Mexico and at no time more so than 2018 at Albuquerque.
The 2018 Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse race meet included an 11-day State Fair portion that turned into a bona fide rock star with a 24-percent total wagering handle.
How does that percentage translate into numbers?
Phenomenally well!
There were 104 live races at The Downs from Sept. 6 through 16. Patrons enthusiastically laid down $3,010,221 on the 104 strong, competitive fields. By comparison, 103 live races during the 2017 State Fair portion of the meet generated $2,427,891.
On-track handle rose seven-percent to $637,030, compared to $595,655 in 2017. Off- track handle increased 24-percent to $2,373,191 over the $1,832,236 a year ago.
Albuquerque was a rousing success story from beginning to end in 2018. Closing weekend for the TB/QH meet was Sept. 22-23, and a track-record $1.595-million was handed out in purses. It was a 6-percent increase over last year’s $1,507,730 and it’s a 26-percent increase over 2016’s $1,266,609.
Albuquerque first turned on the lights for night racing in 2016. It was an expensive step but it paid off handsomely. That year, the opening day handle jumped $335,668 which was a 45-percent increase from 2015. Opening day on-track handle of $125,795 was an unbelievable 107-percent increase. The track has continued building on this momentum and, according to 2018 stats, it looks as if that won’t stop.
What’s happening at Albuquerque hasn’t gone unnoticed. Proof is AQHA tapping Albuquerque to host the 2019 Bank of America Challenge Championships. It’s the first time the track has received the coveted invitation and
it’s a concrete indication that Albuquerque has stepped into the upper echelon.
Sunland Park also spent time in the 2018 limelight on March 25.
The day was defined by the 16,000 people who filled the seats to watch, and to bet, a local horse named Runaway Ghost. He was listed on the program page for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby. The resulting handle was $4.2-million, the most ever bet on one card in the history of New Mexico racing.
The Derby alone handled $1.8-million, setting a new standard for the most money ever wagered on a single race in the state.
Was Sunland’s success story due to all the positive changes and heroic efforts made to improve New Mexico racing? No one can say....for sure. But it’s probably safe to say that success story would not have happened, at least not to that degree, if those efforts and those changes were not in place.
So, here’s the deal, people. There is no way to deny that New Mexico is on the upswing, with horses and people following the arc that’s looking like a double rainbow.
The Year Of The Sales
No one will argue with the declaration that 2018 was the “Year of the Sale” at Ruidoso.
The face-splitting grins began with the New Mexico Bred venue, followed by more celebrating after the Ruidoso Select.
New Mexico administers an outstanding “breed” program, and how those individuals do in the sale rings each year is extremely important. 2018 was fantastic.
The two-day presentation began Aug.
17 with the Thoroughbred portion. Rumors preceded the event; sending gossip along
the airwaves that new buyers with money in their pockets were looking at catalogs. In the past, such rumors have sadly turned out to be just that....rumors....empty words stringing together false hopes.
This year, consignors listened to the grapevine chatter but they kept all bets off the table. That made it even sweeter when the gossip suddenly began gaining substance in the ring.
The Thoroughbreds averaged $12,561
for a $4,393 or 54-percent increase over last year. Two elements stood out from the TB contingent. First, all three of the top-selling yearlings were from Fred Alexander’s A & A Ranch consignment. Second, all three of those top sellers were by the Crystal Springs’-owned Attila’s Storm, who stands at Alexander’s.
The top three rungs were filled by Hip 46 for $62,000; Hip 49 for $50,000 and Hip 96 for $45,000. Two of those were fillies.
The Thoroughbred people were happy but the Quarter Horse folks were....well....it’s safe to say they were ecstatic. People such as W.L Mooring didn’t know which direction to smile, so he just turned on a 100-watter and held it!
The Quarter Horse yearlings brought down the gavel at a $16,936 average, for a 49-percent increase over 2017. That means the 2018 yearling average was up $5,559. There were 169 head catalogued and 145 sold. The total gross sales came in at $2,407,400.
W.L. Mooring’s Double LL Farms was the top consignor, responsible for approximately one-third of the New Mexico-bred Quarter Horse yearlings led into the ring. He had a total of 51 head to prep and collected total sales of $914,900. His average missed $18,000 by just a few dollars.
Second on the high-dollar consignor list
was Mac and Janis Murray’s MJ Farms, with 39 stamped hips that sold for a total of $821,600. Their impressive average cashed out at $21,066.
Three of the six top sellers were sired by MJ stallions – Big Daddy Cartel, Jesse James Jr and Woodbridge. Two more of the top six were sired by Double LL stallions First Moonflash and
Jess A Chicks. Chicks Regard, standing at Bar Y Equine, accounted for the other member of the top six.
There were also some “breeds” among the Select venue.
The Select Sale, overall, certainly disappointed no one. For the first time since 2014, the gross numbers sailed past the $15-million mark to $15,032,000. It was a 14-percent gain over
last year. The $46,539 average accounted for a 7-percent gain over 2017.
There were 32 top-quality New Mexico-bred yearlings included in the Select sale. A total of 24 of those sold, for an aggregate revenue of $707,500 and a $29,479 average.
Mac Murray and Janis Spencer Murray’s MJ Farms consigned 18 of the 24. Lazy A sent four
to the Select ring, with Double LL and Mountain States handling the other two. And this is noteworthy because....? Because not very long ago, it was unheard of to consign a New Mexico-bred to the Select venue. That was a time when the “breeds” just didn’t measure up. That concept has fallen by the wayside, however, with the New Mexico-breds now holding their own on the racetrack and in the sale ring against open competition.
There were three stand-out New Mexico stallions. There were 13 of Big Daddy Cartel’s offspring waiting for the gavel to slam down for a $31,192 average. Next in line was Jesse James Jr with six head and a $30,750 average.
72 New Mexico Horse Breeder