The 18-day stand which concluded on Sunday in Farmington, New Mexico yielded a staggering 123 percent gain in total handle. Presenting live racing for the first time since 2019, the Northern New Mexico track experienced record growth in their simulcast export operation.

SunRay's racing product appears to have found an entirely new national simulcast audience, finishing up a whopping 137 percent versus a 17 day, 2019 meet. Total handle of better than $7 million reflected an uptick of well over $3 million from previous meet figures.

On-track numbers managed to show impressive resilience while dealing with state imposed Covid-19 attendance restrictions. Despite the limitations placed on patron capacity throughout the property, on track handle still managed to increase by over 15 percent.

Upon conclusion of the meet, General Manager Bradley Boehm said: “We were incredibly pleased and humbled by the tremendous response from both our on and off track patrons. To receive this kind of reaction to our live racing program, after being shuttered for 11 months, is more than we could have ever expected. We look forward to applying this momentum to 2022 and beyond.”

SunRay Park traditionally runs their live race meet from mid-April to early June.

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Newly named Chairman of the New Mexico Racing Commission, Sam Bregman, said: “We are very excited to get live horse racing going again in the state of New Mexico. We look forward to getting the industry back on track starting with the April 23, 2021 opening day at SunRay Park in Farmington, NM.”

The New Mexico Racing Commission intends to make decisions regarding the SunRay Park purse schedule, condition book, post times, racing officials, and wagering format at the upcoming March 18, 2021 regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

At its Feb. 18 meeting, the NMRC officially cancelled the 2020-2021 race meet at Sunland Park just outside El Paso, NM, which never began as scheduled on Dec. 26 because of COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

Ruidoso Downs, The Downs at Albuquerque, and Zia Park all have dates on the calendar for 2021 as well.

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“We are very excited to get live horse racing going again in the state of New Mexico,” said newly-named Chairman of the New Mexico Racing Commission, Sam Bregman. “We look forward to getting the industry back on track.”

The New Mexico Racing Commission intends to make decisions regarding the SunRay Park purse schedule, condition book, post times, racing officials, and wagering format at its upcoming monthly meeting on Mar. 18.

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“I truly believe this is a win-win for the state as a whole,” bill sponsor Rep. Ray Lara, D-Chamberino told the Las Cruces Sun News. “This is going to benefit our young people. This is going to bring jobs. This is going to bring additional revenue to our communities and to our state.”

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham offered up a bill last year which intended to make up for shortages in the Lottery College Fund from the General Fund, but the bill fell short and is being reworked for the 2021 session. Lara said his bill is not in competition with the Governor's, but instead is intended to strengthen it.

State lottery CEO David Barden told the Santa Fe New Mexican that the lottery was not consulted on the bill prior to its announcement.

New Mexico Senator Steve Neville, R-Farmington, one of the bill's five co-sponsors, said he was asked to support the bill by SunRay Park, his hometown racetrack. Neville explained that tying the gaming expansion to the state lottery, and thus the college fund, is a political move to make the bill more palatable to both the public and other lawmakers.

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Stand In The Sun has run 16 times under five different trainers, thrice under Flores' name but primarily (nine times) under the name of Jesus Soto. The mare raced under Soto's name on Feb. 1, 2019, with Soto listed as owner, then next appeared under Flores' name on May 3, 2019, with Julio Islas listed as owner. In her next start, she ran under the name of trainer Raul Vega on Dec. 15, 2019.

Flores is required to pay the $15,000 fine before Jan. 23, and his suspension will run from Jan. 1, 2021 through July 1, 2022. Flores' Quarter Horse training record includes 18 wins from 166 starts, though he has not had a starter since May 10, 2019. He was summarily suspended by the NMRC beginning May 11, 2019, for another Clenbuterol positive in the post-race test of “Bonafide Hero” on April 19, 2019 at Sunray.

Most recently, Stand In The Sun ran under the name of Jesus Soto as both owner and trainer, finishing eighth in an allowance race at Zia Park on Dec. 8, 2020. Soto's training record includes 88 Quarter Horse wins from 595 starts.

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