Report from August NM Racing Commission Meeting in Albuquerque

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

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The New Mexico Racing Commission held its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Albuquerque on Monday.

New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association executive director Anna Fay Davis gave the commission her race-a-day reports for Ruidoso Downs through August 8. During the first 44 days of the meet, which opened on May 28, the track ran 185 New Mexico-bred races – 113 for Thoroughbreds and 72 for Quarter Horses. By comparison, Ruidoso carded 203 state-bred races during the first 51 days of its 2009 meet, 124 for Thoroughbreds and 79 for Quarter Horses.

However, Ruidoso has run an average of 4.21 New Mexico-bred races during its first 44 days, which is an increase of 5.8 percent over the average of 3.98 state-bred races during the first 51 days of its ’09 season.

Also, during the first 40 days of the Ruidoso meet a total of 291 New Mexico-bred Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses ran in open overnight races, of which 94 (33 percent) finished first, second, or third. Of this total, 48 were Quarter Horses and 46 were Thoroughbreds. Bonuses totaling $42,806 were paid to the owners of these horses.

Commissioner Larry Delgado discussed the commission’s walk-through and safety meeting at The Downs at Albuquerque, which opened its 59-day meet last Saturday.

“The horsemen and trainers we met with said they were satisfied with the condition of the track,” Delgado said. “We did a walk through on the backside, and the restrooms were nice and clean. Also, the jockeys ‘ room on the frontside was cleaned up.”

“I’ve done many walk throughs at Albuquerque over the past few years, and this was one of the best,” added commissioner Arnold Rael. “For most part, things were in good order.”

Delgado said that another walk-through and safety inspection at The Downs at Albuquerque would take place in late September or early October. The Albuquerque meet runs through November 14.

Also, the commission heard from New Mexico Horsemen’s Association executive director Pat Bingham and Jockeys’ Guild representatives John Beech and Mindy Coleman regarding the impasse on jockey mount fees. Bingham said that the NMHA and Guild have been unable to come to an agreement on an increase in losing mount fees, saying that the NMHA proposal calls for a 20-percent increase in fees, while the Guild is asking for a 33-percent increase.

“When horseshoers rates went from $50 to $110 to shoe a horse, nobody said a word,” said commission vice chairman Thomas “Eddie” Fowler. “Trainers’ day rates went from $25 to about $50, and owners are paying that, but when the jockeys ask for a 33-percent raise for doing a dangerous job, that’s a problem?

“The owners I talk to say I don’t have any problem with giving the jockeys a raise, because they appreciate what they do for them,” he added. “They realize it’s a hazardous job. The jockeys in our state haven’t had an increase in about 20 years, and the reason we’re talking about a 33-percent increase today is because we haven’t dealt with this issue in a long time.”

Jockeys’ Guild board member G.R. Carter Jr. told the commission that New Mexico riders have received one $5 increase in the last 25 years.

“The base mount fee in Oklahoma, which is also a racino state, is $75,” Carter said. “We don’t feel like we’ve gotten anywhere in our negotiations with the horsemen in New Mexico. This issue isn’t about the riders who make the 10% of the purse (with winning mounts), it’s about the riders who don’t. It’s about trying to get the base-mount fees raised, which we were able to accomplish in about 20 states.

“These negotiations have been going on for two years, and I think this issue needs to be resolved before the start of the next race meet,” he added.

If an agreement between the NMHA and Guild can’t be reached, assistant attorney general Tania Maestas said she would check to see if the commission has the authority to set jockey mount fees.
Also, the commission voted to adopt changes to the following rules:

15.2.6.9(G) and (H) (NMAC: out of competition testing)
15.2.6.10 (NMAC: testing-reporting to the test barn)
15.2.6.12(C) (NMAC: post-mortem examination)
15.2.5.13 (A) (NMAC: running of the race [equipment])
15.2.5.13 (C) (NMAC: running of the race, jockey requirements [weighing out])
15.2.5.13 (E) (NMAC: post to finish [weighing in ])

For more information on these rule changes, contact the commission at (505) 222-0700.

Don Cook, general manager of The Downs at Albuquerque, reported that the track drew about 7,000 fans during the first two days of its 2010 meet. He said that the barn area is expecting an influx of about 300 horses from Arapahoe Park near Denver, once that track ends its 39-day meet on August 22.

And finally, the commission voted to reinstate Stolis Winner as the winner of the 2008 All American Futurity (G1) at Ruidoso Downs, after it accepted the recommendation of a three-member hearing officer panel in the case.

The recommendation was accepted by a 4-0 vote. One commission member, Ray Willis of Roswell, abstained. Willis was a co-owner of Calif Fugitive, who finished fourth in the race.

Stolis Winner had been disqualified on a caffeine positive in a stewards’ decision that was appealed by his owner, Jerry Windham of College Station, Texas, and his trainer, Heath Taylor. From there, the case went before the hearing officers, and in a 21-page report they recommended that the rulings against the horse and his trainer, who was hit with a six-month suspension and $1,500 fine, be dismissed.

A homebred, Stolis Winner was the AQHA world champion in 2008. The now 4-year-old gelding by champion Stoli has lifetime earnings of $2,097,731, ranking him second on the sport’s all-time earnings list. He needs just $28,579 to surpass two-time world champion Refrigerator as the leading earner.

The next monthly commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 23, at the commission headquarters at 4900 Alameda NE in Albuquerque. The public session will begin at 10:30 a.m.

For more information on commission meetings, including approved minutes, visit the commission’s website at http://nmrc.state.nm.us/index.html.

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