Thursday, April 24, 2014

Report from April 2014 NM Racing Commission Meeting--issue of compounding preparations at racetrack was tabled for further discussion

The New Mexico Racing Commission held its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Albuquerque on Thursday, April 17.
New Mexico Horse Breeders’ Association executive director Anna Fay Davis gave the commission her race-a-day report for Sunland Park, which opened its 76-day season on December 6. During the first 72 days of the meet, the track ran 354 New Mexico-bred races -- 247 for Thoroughbreds and 107 for Quarter Horses. By comparison, Sunland Park carded 348 state-bred races -- 245 for Thoroughbreds and 103 for Quarter Horses -- during the first 72 days of its 2012-13 season.
An average of 4.92 New Mexico-bred races per day were run during the first 72 days of the Sunland Park meet, an increase of 1.7 percent over the 4,84 state-bred races per day contested during the first 72 days of the track’s 2012-13 season.
Also, during the first 63 days of the 2013-14 Sunland Park meet, a total of 484 New Mexico-breds competed in open overnight races, of which 126 (26 percent) finished first, second, or third. Of this total, 49 were Thoroughbreds and 77 were Quarter Horses. Bonuses totaling $98,916.10 were paid to the owners of these horses.
By comparison, 468 state-breds raced in open overnight races during the first 63 days of the 2012-13 Sunland meet, of which 96 (21 percent) finished first, second or third.
Also at the meeting, commissioner Ray Willis of Roswell, chairman of the NMRC medication committee, reported on the committee’s meeting on April 16. Willis said that the main topic of discussion was the acceptable levels of corticosteroids recently established by the Association of Racing Commissioners International.
“The RCI set standards of corticosteroids that might be acceptable for Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, but at the meeting several veterinarians suggested we do our own studies on levels for Quarter Horses, which are a big part of our industry in New Mexico,” Willis said. “We’re going to have another meeting as soon as possible, before our next regular commission meeting in May, and kick around some ideas what what we can do.”
The issue of compounding agencies at racetracks was tabled for further discussion.
“This was the best-attended medication meeting I’ve ever been to, and it was a very productive meeting,” Willis said. “Hopefully, we can build on what was discusssed.”
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