A group of horsemen in New Mexico have issued a written plea to the state's Racing Commission, Gaming Control Board and Sunland Park racetrack management to help resolve what they call an “emergency and life-threatening situation that requires immediate action.”
“There are 1,000 horses and 634 people under direct threat,” the Sunland Park Horsemen's Committee wrote in a two-page letter dated Dec. 10 in response to news that Sunland Park's race meet has been postponed from late December until Jan. 26, 2021.
Racing is currently under way at Penn National Gaming's Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., through Dec. 23. The track was reopened Dec. 2 after being shut down in mid-November by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham when a spike in COVID-19 positives hit the state. Racetrack casinos have been unable to open to generate revenue during the pandemic.
The stable area at Zia Park is scheduled to close on Dec. 31 and horsemen have not been told when Sunland Park on the New Mexico side of the Texas border near El Paso will open for training. Sunland claims horsemen owe the track for keeping the stable area open for training earlier in the year when the pandemic forced racing to be cancelled. Sunland Park is owned by My Way Holdings LLC, which received a PPP loan totaling $2.22 million after Congress passed emergency legislation.
“Horses will not have a place to live and train if Sunland Park is not open for training,” the horsemen wrote. “Owners of these horses cannot survive another shutdown. People are literally sacrificing care for themselves so that they can feed their horses.
“Training is essential for the safety and welfare of racehorses,” the letter continued. “It is inhumane to deny racehorses the ability to train and to train properly. Life-threatening injuries may result when racehorses cannot leave their stall or train in a safe manner. Stall injuries and episodes of spontaneous colic as well as self-inflicted fractures and lacerations occur when horses are not properly conditioned and exercised. …
“The New Mexico Racing Commission has blatantly failed to protect the welfare of the horse. They have disregarded their own mission statement which inclues 'to provide regulation in an equitable manner … which promotes a climate of economic prosperity for horsemen, horse owners, and racetrack management.'”
The Horsemen's Committee consists of Paul Jenson, DVM, MS, DACVS; Dick Cappellucci; Jarett Rogers; Bart Hone; Wes Giles; Gerald Marr; and Maurcenia Cross.
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