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Wagering And Purse Records Fall At Zia Park’s 2023 Meet

The 19th season of horse racing at Zia Park was a record setting one on several fronts with new standards set for average daily handle, purses and safety during the 30-day mixed Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred meet, the PENN Entertainment-owned track said in a release Thursday afternoon.

An average daily handle of $830,371 was up 72% from the 48-date meet in 2022 to set a new track record and was the highest daily handle recorded by a racetrack in the state of New Mexico since 2010. Live handle was up an equally impressive 47% from 2022. Five of the tracks ten all-time highest daily handles were recorded in 2023, all coming in the last 15 days of the meet.

Purses were a big reason in driving the average Thoroughbred field size to nearly nine horses per race (8.91) versus last year's 7.45 per race figure. Average daily overnight purses totaled $344,067, both a track and New Mexico record. Total average daily purses, including stakes, was $432,767.

Racing safety also set records with only two racing catastrophic injuries the entire meet resulting in a rate of 0.74 per 1000 starters–the lowest ever recorded for Zia Park and nearly 50% lower than the national average for dirt races as published by The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database. There was one catastrophic injury during training which began Oct. 1.

“From all metrics the meet was a great success–records set for wagering, purses and in safety as well,” said Lauren Barrows, Vice President and General Manager. “We thank all our guests, horsemen and racing participants and team members for having a part in delivering those impressive numbers.”

Todd Fincher won his third straight training title, while jockey Luis Fuentes secured his second straight leading rider title. The leading Thoroughbred owners were J. Kirk and Judy Robison.

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Record Purses for ’23 Zia Park Meet

Purses for the upcoming race meet at Zia Park will be the richest in the track's 24 years, with overnight purses expected to average $360,000 per day for the 30-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet.

“With the realignment of the 2023 New Mexico racing calendar, this is a tremendous opportunity to showcase New Mexico horse racing,” said Christopher McErlean, Vice President of Racing for PENN Entertainment, parent company of Zia Park. “There will be racing opportunities for all categories–New Mexico-breds and open horses, wide ranges of allowance classes and plenty of spots for different claiming levels–and the purses will be unlike anything seen in this region of the country. If horsemen don't have Zia Park on their radar yet, they should take notice and make plans to participate.”

Maiden special weight races at the meet will have a $45,000 base purse, with New Mexico-bred exclusive races offering a $55,000 purse. Open allowance categories will range from $52,500 up to $65,000, while New Mexico-bred allowance races will get an added $12,000 per race. Claiming race purses will range from $24,000 to $46,500 (plus $7,000 to $8,000 added for New Mexico-bred races), with claiming categories from $7,500 to $25,000.

The 2023 Zia Park stakes schedule will be highlighted by back-to-back-to-back million-dollar stakes days. Seven New Mexico-bred stake races totaling over $1.2 million in purses will be in the spotlight Nov. 26. The day is headed by the $350,000 (est.) New Mexico Classic Cup Futurity and the $225,000 (est.) New Mexico Classic Cup Derby.

On Nov. 27, New Mexico-bred Thoroughbreds will face off in eight New Mexico Classic Cup championship races worth over $1.2 million, including the $200,000 Peppers Pride S. for older fillies and mares going one mile and the $200,000 Rocky Gulch S. for older male horses going one mile and seventy yards.

The trifecta of million-dollar stakes days concludes Nov. 28 with the Land of Enchantment Stakes Day featuring seven stakes worth over $1.1 million, including the $300,000 Zia Park Derby and the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks, both at one mile and one sixteenth.

The Zia Park meet begins Nov. 3, with Quarter Horse racing every Saturday and Sunday (plus Nov. 3) and Thoroughbred racing every Monday and Tuesday (plus Dec. 20).

Stall applications for the 2023 Zia Park race meet are due Aug. 15 and can be found at https://www.ziaparkcasino.com/racing. The stable area is expected to open the week of Sept. 25.

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Betmakers Adds Penn To Fixed Odds Lineup

BetMakers Technology Group will add racing content from Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course to the growing slate available for fixed odds betting on MonmouthBets, the organization said in a release early on Wednesday morning.

Through an exclusive license, the agreement between Penn National's parent company PENN Entertainment and BetMakers facilitates the delivery of content for fixed odds betting from Hollywood Casino and anticipates the addition of other PENN Entertainment racetracks in the coming months pending required horsemen and racing commission approvals.

“We are very happy to work with BetMakers to offer New Jersey's racing fans an opportunity to bet fixed odds on Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course,” said Chris McErlean, Vice President of Racing for PENN Entertainment. “We are interested in the reaction to our product in the New Jersey fixed odds wagering marketplace and hope that it will provide positive returns for not only Penn National but the wider racing industry.”

With the addition of the Penn National content, New Jersey bettors now have the opportunity to place fixed odds wagers on racing from 16 racetracks across the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and South America.

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Pettigrew Returning to Sam Houston, Retama

Horse racing veteran Bryan Pettigrew will return to Texas and oversee horse racing operations at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston and at Retama Park in Selma, PENN Entertainment announced Tuesday. Pettigrew previously was head of marketing at Sam Houston Race Park in the mid-1990s before joining the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and later the Breeders' Cup in Lexington, where he was the Chief Marketing Officer until 2019.

“I was excited when I got the call to join the PENN Entertainment team and head up their Texas operations,” Pettigrew said. “When I was previously at Sam Houston, I was able to grow handle and attendance, while educating businesses and a newer fan base about the fun, excitement, and economic impact of horse racing in Texas. I'm hoping to bring many of those same principles back and work with our talented management teams to grow our racing businesses in the Lone Star state,” he added.

Dwight Berube served as Vice President and General Manager of the property and its subsidiaries since 2017 and will be retiring in early June. Pettigrew will officially join PENN Entertainment on Jun. 5, pending customary regulatory approvals.

“I'm thrilled to have Bryan leading our Texas racing properties,” Christopher McErlean, Vice President of Racing for PENN Entertainment, said. “Horse racing in Texas has plenty of challenges but Bryan has a strong understanding of the horse racing business with his previous high-profile marketing and sponsorship roles within the industry and has maintained strong connections to many Texas racing stakeholders. He also brings a wide array of experience from outside of racing in professional sports management and special events which should positively impact our properties.

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