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New Mexico Horsemen Frustrated As Zia Park Fails To Open For Training As Scheduled

According to a contract with the New Mexico Horsemen's Association, Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M. was to have opened for training on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Instead, horsemen were turned away from the racetrack due to the lack of a staffed ambulance on-site.

NMHA President Roy Manfredi told the Paulick Report that the horsemen's attorney contacted Zia Park's attorney, who relayed that the county's only EMT had been pulled away by a family emergency, thus the track was unable to provide an EMT for morning training.

Racing at Zia Park is scheduled to begin on Sept. 26, but video posted on social media showing the track's backstretch appears to demonstrate a lack of preparedness for the meet. Manure is still piled up, and large weeds have taken over much of the backstretch area.

“When you see the condition of the backside, it doesn't appear they planned on running,” Manfredi said.

The contract between Zia and the NMHA dictates that trainers be allowed onto the backstretch on Sept. 9 to begin preparing their stalls, and that horses be allowed to ship in on Sept. 12 while training was to begin on Sept. 15. Now, the latest information indicates that it may not be until Saturday that the track is open for training.

In addition to the lack of an EMT, no outriders have arrived at the track to oversee safety during training hours. Both deficits are in direct violation of New Mexico Racing Commission rules.

However, the racing commission and the horsemen's association are engaged in an ongoing legal battle, with the horsemen charging the regulatory body with depriving racehorse owners and trainers of their civil rights and other violations, and thus no direct contact between the parties is allowed.

“It's my contention that this is a racing commission problem, because they're in violation of racing commission rules,” said Manfredi. “We have had our attorney send a letter to the racing commission's attorney, asking them to step in, and we're waiting to hear back.”

Another issue brought forward by Zia Park, according to Manfredi, is the rise of COVID-19 cases in New Mexico. Governor Michelle Grisham is expected to announce new mandates on Thursday, Sept. 16, and Manfredi said the NMHA will issue directives to its members to follow those mandates.

If Zia Park continues to fail to meet the directives stipulated in its contract with the horsemen, the NMHA has the option to pull the simulcast signal from the track.

“We're not there yet,” Manfredi said.

Images showing the backstretch of Zia Park on Wednesday, Sept. 15

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New Mexico Horsemen’s Association Holding ‘Racing Summit’ July 24 At Ruidoso Downs

The New Mexico Horsemen's Association is holding a racing summit at Ruidoso Downs with industry stakeholders on Saturday, July 24, at the racetrack chapel from 9:30-11:30 a.m. MT. All interested parties, including horseplayers and racing fans, are welcome to attend. A question and answer period will be conducted after the presentations.

A variety of speakers have been scheduled, including opening remarks on “The Importance of Horseracing to the New Mexico Economy” from state Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell. Gary C. Mitchell, P.C., attorney for the horsemen's association, will give a legal update, and a history of the NMHA will be reviewed by NMHA president Roy Manfredi and NMHA board member Larry Strain (both horse owners).

Benevolent functions of the NMHA will be outlined by Terri Montoya, NMHA administrative assistant. Montoya will also discuss “purse funds vs. owner funds” with trainer Lynette Baldwin, a horse trainer and NMHA member.

For any question, contact NMHA executive director Richard Erhard at nmhastate1@aol.com.

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Zia Park Fall Meeting In Question Due To Pandemic’s Shutdown Of Casinos

Due to the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the fall meet at Zia Park, scheduled to run 54 days beginning Sept. 21 and running through Dec. 22, is uncertain.

New Mexico Horsemen's Association Executive Director Richard Erhard met via telecom with Chris McErlean, Vice President of racing at Penn National, and Bill Belcher, the general manager of Zia Park, on August 6 to discuss the status of the upcoming meet.

During the meeting, the main points established included that Penn National will continue to wait for confirmation from the New Mexico Governor's office stating that racetrack casinos will be allowed to open prior to making a final decision to hold a race meet.

Second, after that confirmation is made, it will take Zia Park five weeks of preparation to open, with racing to begin on the sixth week.

Given this timeline, Penn National does not see it as being advantageous for anyone to open Zia Park for a 2020 meet if confirmation to open casinos does not come until September 30 or later.

The NMHA hosted an open Zoom video conference on August 10, with more than 50 people in virtual attendance. This included horsemen and representatives from NMHA and other New Mexico racetracks.

“It was a very productive meeting, as far as I'm concerned,” Erhard said. “We're all in this together, and that's why I reached out to all stakeholders.”

Despite their casinos being closed, both Ruidoso Downs and The Downs at Albuquerque have opened their race meets under strict health guidelines.

Ruidoso opened its meet on May 22 and will run through Labor Day. It offers live viewing and wagering of the races, as well as a local drive-through betting service.

The Downs at Albuquerque opened its delayed meet on August 8, and will run through September 20. It is also scheduled to host the Bank of America Challenge Championships on October 24.

New Mexico House of Representatives member Candy Spence Ezzell is a horseman with a close understanding of racing in the state.

“First off, I have to applaud Ruidoso Downs, its owners and management, for going up and promoting our industry, giving the horses the opportunity to race,” she said. “They have gone above and beyond to accommodate the horsemen.”

As far as Zia Park goes, she said, there are contracts in place and if they refused to run dates, they could potentially be violating state statutes.

Horse racing is an important industry in New Mexico, she says, as it is the third largest in the state. Racing creates significant amounts of jobs within the industry itself, as well as being a high tourism driver when people attend the races, funding the hospitality, food and travel industries.

“The impact of COVID-19 on racing in New Mexico has just been disastrous, and I think everybody is realizing we're in this together and we need to work on this together,” Erhard said. “If we stay in silos and don't work with each other, I don't have much hope. If we work together and everyone's up front and put everything on the table, I think we can come up with a solution.”

The shut down has been extremely difficult for the racetracks, as well as horsemen, with a loss of revenue from the casinos and from customers. If Zia and Sunland casinos were to stay shuttered, it would also directly affect Ruidoso, as they have a lease agreement in place for slot machines that result in Ruidoso getting purse and track revenue generation through the lease agreements.

Jeff True, general manager at Ruidoso Downs and a member of the AQHA Racing Council, says that while racetracks are feeling it, the impact on horsemen is a big concern.

“We're going to finish our meet Labor Day weekend, as bad as it was revenue wise, and kind of shut down for the winter. Zia Park not opening means the horses that would normally go from here to Zia are not going to be able to do that; they're not going to have a place to go. So the impact on Ruidoso is less than it is on the horsemen.”

There are discussions ongoing about potential solutions, including moving race dates. True said that while Ruidoso is open to discussion, there is a great deal of work, including finding funding, that would need to be done to make that happen.

“We need everyone's input, we need everyone's brain power, and we need to find some solutions,” Erhard said. “We don't have a lot of time to fool around.

“Bottom line is, we want to race,” he added. “Horsemen need to race. We need a place to continue training. We need a place to go with our stock. This can't just stop.”

This story originally appeared on the American Quarter Horse Association website, and was reprinted by the Paulick Report with permission.

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