Page 101 - New Mexico Horse Breeder Spring 2018

MEETING TIME
(31 percent) finished first, second, or third. Of this total, nine were Thoroughbreds and four were Quarter Horses. Bonuses totaling $7,600.40 were paid to the owners of these horses.
Ms. Davis added that, during the first 16 days of the Sunland Park meet, the track carded 62 New Mexico-bred overnight races.
“There were 583 New Mexico-breds that were scheduled to participate in these races,” she said. “This is an average of 9.40 New Mexico- breds per race.”
Ms. Davis also invited commissioners and all in attendance at the meeting to attend the NMHBA’s annual business meeting and Zia Awards banquet at the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown Hotel on Thursday, January 25.
In addition, Ms. Davis publicly congratu- lated the connections of Running Dragon, By By JJ Limited Partnership, on the filly being voted AQHA champion 3-year-old filly for 2017.
During his presentation to the NMRC, Jockeys’ Guild regional manager John Beech thanked commission executive director Ismael “Izzy” Trejo for meeting with jockeys at Sunland Park “regarding some issues we were having.”
Mr. Beech also said that the racing surface at Sunland was in good shape.
“Some of the jockeys brought up that the track was a little tight at the start of the meet, but that issue was handled by management,” he added.
During his presentation to the commission, New Mexico Horsemen’s Association (www. newmexicohorsemen.com) executive director Pat Bingham said that the economic impact study commissioned by the NMHA and conducted by the Economics Dept. at the University of New Mexico was completed.
“It was estimated that our industry has an economic impact on our state of $59 mil-
lion, and there are 8,000 jobs associated with our industry,” Mr. Bingham reported. “The economic impact has decreased since 2011, but there are a lot of factors contributing to that,
such as the declining foal crop, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, and the recession of 2008.
“Also, the number of people willing to take the economic risks associated with horse racing has declined during the past few years,” he added. “I think it’s important that we do more to reach out to our owners and encourage more people to get involved in racing. We have to do more to generate positive news because there is a lot of it in our industry.”
Mr. Bingham also told the commission that most of New Mexico’s racehorse owners, about two-thirds, reside outside of the state. He added that the NMHA took out an ad in a recently released New Mexico Dept. of Agriculture publication, an ad which touted the economic impact of the racing industry in the state.
In addition, Mr. Bingham lauded the com- mission for taking action to reduce the number of illegal-drug positive tests in 2017.
“During the 2016 Zia Park meet, there were 50 drug positives in 56 days,” he said. “There was a 42-percent decrease in the number of drug positives at Zia Park during its 2017 season. Also, in the entire state there were 12 Class 1-drug positives in 2016, and only one in 2017. In all categories of drug classifications, we’re seeing declines (in positive tests).”
ALSO AT THE MEETING:
• Ruidoso Downs Racetrack general man- ager Jeff True told the commission that the track would be increasing overnight purses due to the decrease in the number of race days the track will run in 2018.
“We’ve also added some stakes for open (non-New Mexico breds) horses, a sprint for Thoroughbreds and a fillies and mares race for Quarter Horses,” Mr. True said. “We have always had a strong New Mexico-bred racing program, and we’re proud of that. But it is also our interest to have a strong open state program.”
The commission approved Ruidoso Downs’ 2018 stakes schedule and stall application. The track’s 47-day season opens Friday, May 25. Stall
applications are due March 12. Stall allocations will be announced after April 1.
• The commission approved SunRay Park’s condition book and condition book officials. Sean Winsor will once again serve as racing secretary during the SunRay meet, which runs April 21-June 17.
SunRay Park director of racing Lonnie Barber told the commission that the track will be adding 20 percent to the purse of any Thoroughbred overnight race that draws eight or more entries.
“We see an increase in handle in our races with eight or more horses,” he said. “We need to do more to encourage people to enter races, and I think this 20-percent bonus will help. Increased handle benefits the track and horsemen.
• Sunland Park director of racing operations Dustin Dix told the commission that the track will issue mandatory payouts on its Pick-6 wagers on the last Tuesday of the month. Sunland Park’s 72-day season runs through April 17.
The commission also approved Sunland Park’s request to decrease purses by 5 percent. “Our off-track handle is down slightly, but our on-track handle is up 3 percent,” Mr. Dix
said. “Our festival concepts seem to be working in that they are drawing people who normally might not come to the track. Our Tequila and Margarita Festival in January was a success, and we have a Bourbon Festival scheduled for February.”
Mr. Dix added that, through the first 19 days of the Sunland Park meet, field sizes
are averaging 8.52 per race, a decrease of 1.7 percent during the same period of the track’s 2016-17 season, when field sizes averaged 8.66 per race.
• The next New Mexico Racing Commission monthly meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 22, at Sunland Park Racetrack, begin- ning at 9:30 a.m. For more information, visit the commission’s website at http://nmrc.state.nm.us, or call (505) 222-0700.
HORSES FOR SALE FEATURED ON OUR WEBSITE
There are several places to list horses for sale in New Mexico on the Internet, but EquineNow.com has set up a special category for horses that are registered as a New Mexico Bred with the New Mexico Horse Breeders Association.
While NMHBA doesn’t verify registration for these listings, there is a link that can be accessed on our website (nmhorsebreeders.com) that will filter your search on EquineNow.com.
To access the link, visit the NMHBA website and click on “Horses For Sale” at the top of the home page.
www.nmhorsebreeders.com
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