The New Mexico Racing Commission held its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Albuquerque on May 12.

New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association executive director Anna Fay Davis gave the commission her race-a-day reports for Sunland Park through April 19, the final day of the track's 77-day meet, and SunRay Park through May 3. Sunland Park ran 438 New Mexico-bred races – 303 for Thoroughbreds and 135 for Quarter Horses. By comparison, Sunland Park carded 426 state-bred races during its 2009-10 meet, 287 for Thoroughbreds and 139 for Quarter Horses.

Also, during Sunland Park's 2010-11 meet, a total of 387 New Mexico-bred Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses ran in open overnight races, of which 104 (27 percent) finished first, second, or third. Of this total, 93 were Quarter Horses and 11 were Thoroughbreds. Bonuses totaling $134,019 were paid to the owners of these horses.

By comparison, a total of 422 state-breds competed in open races during the Sunland's 2009-10 season, of which 103 (25 percent) ran first, second, or third. Of this total, 10 were Thoroughbreds and 93 were Quarter Horses, and bonuses totaling $106,914.40 were paid to the owners of these horses.

During the first eight day of SunRay Park's meet, which began April 23, the track ran 30 New Mexico-bred races, 21 for Thoroughbreds and nine for Quarter Horses. By comparison, SunRay carded 46 state-bred races during the first 12 days of its 2010 season, 33 for Thoroughbreds and 13 for Quarter Horses.

Located in Farmington, SunRay Park's 48-day meet runs through July 12.

Also at the meeting, commissioner Ray Willis of Roswell discussed the highlights of the medication subcommittee meeting, which was held in Albuquerque on Wednesday. One of the topics of discussion was a federal bill proposed by Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) that would create a three-strikes-and-your-out penalty system for anyone found guilty of racing a horse under the influence of a performance-enhancing drug.

Willis said that a task force will be created to discuss the local ramifications of this proposed bill, which would implement the tougher penalties by amending the Interstate Horse Racing Act of 1978, which allows the racing industry to conduct offtrack and Internet wagering across state lines.

“We also talked about how we'd like to see more participation on our committee from veterinarians,” he added.

The medication committee also discussed random testing of horses prior to stakes and trials.

“We haven't decided whether these thorough tests will take place five, seven or 10 days before the race, but at some point they will take place,” Willis added.

Commission chairman Robert Doughty III of Albuquerque announced that applications for New Mexico's sixth and final racino license can be submitted to the commission beginning June 2. Doughty said that applications will be accepted through the close of business on September 2.

During his agency report to the commission, New Mexico Horsemens' Association executive director Jack McGrail said his organization is pleased that the commission will be accepting license applications for the sixth racino.

“We would hope that whoever is selected for the license is held to what they propose in their application,” McGrail added. “For example, if they say they're going to build the barns a certain way, we'd like to see that they actually follow through on that.”

Also, Jockeys' Guild regional manager John Beech told the commission that he attended the opening of SunRay Park's meet during the weekend of April 23-24, and he was pleased with the improvements made to the track's jockeys' quarters.

“The jockeys' room and hot box have been enlarged, and the kitchen in the jocks' room was remodeled,” Beech said. “The riders I talked to told me they're happy with how the meet is going so far.”

The commission also approved the purse schedules for Zia Park's 50-day meet, which runs September 10-December 4, and Sunland Park's 2011-12 meet, which opens in December. The purse schedules include the following revisions to the purse-enhancement allocations for New Mexico-bred overnight races:

*Maiden claiming races – $2,500
*Claiming or optional claiming up to $15,000 – $3,500
*Claiming over $15,000 or optional/allowance over $15,000 – $4,000
*Maiden special weight and all other allowance races – $5,000

Previously, the same amount was allocated to all New Mexico-bred races, regardless of class level.

During the meeting, it was acknowledged that Plum Pretty, the winner of the March 27, $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, won the $1-million Kentucky Oaks (G1) in front of a crowd of 110,122 at Churchill Downs on May 6.

“We were planning to reduce the purse of next year's Sunland Park Oaks to $150,000,” Sunland Park general manager Harold Payne told the commission. “But after Plum Pretty won the Kentucky Oaks, we're going to keep the purse the same. Our goal is to get the race graded.”

Payne also said that, starting with Sunland's 2011-12 meet, the track will schedule more time between trials and finals.

“In the past, it's been 14 days,” he added. “Increasing the time between trials and finals will give horses more time to recover from the trials and be more beneficial to the horses.”

The commission also announced dates for its final five meetings of 2011. All of the meetings will be held at the commission headquarters in Albuquerque on the following dates: Thursday, July 21; Thursday, August 25; Thursday, September 22; Thursday, October 20; and Wednesday, November 30.

The next commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 15, at commission headquarters in Albuquerque. For more information, contact the commission at (505) 222-0700, or visit its website at www.nmrc.state.nm.us.