There are a host of new faces in place for the Zia Park meet that launches Saturday in Hobbs, N.M. The track has brought on a new racing secretary, announcer, and track superintendent, while the stable area has drawn new outfits from Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas. Zia conducts a mixed meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. The track will race 56 days through Dec. 12. The calendar highlights are the Land of Enchantment program, which features the $300,000 Zia Park Oaks and $200,000 Zia Park Derby on Nov. 22, and the New Mexico Cup card of divisional statebred stakes on Oct. 29. Matt Crawford has been named manager of racing operations and racing secretary for Zia, while John McGary will assume his position as the track’s new voice on Sept. 16. He is calling the Super Derby on Saturday at Louisiana Downs. Tony Martinez Jr. is the new track superintendent, a position he also holds at Sunland Park. Crawford, a 60-year-old native of West Virginia, comes to Zia from Penn National Gaming sister track Sam Houston, where he also serves as racing secretary. He said new stables on hand for the meet include Karl Broberg, the leading Thoroughbred trainer in wins in North America, and Brad Bolen, who is a regular in Texas. “We’ve also got a few new barns from Arapahoe Park,” said Crawford. :: Like this article? Get access to all premium articles, real-time coverage, special reports, and charts. Unlock access with DRF Plus. Justin Evans, who has won the last five training titles at Zia, is back for the new meet, while other trainers in town include Henry Dominguez, Todd Fincher, Wes Giles, Michael Joiner, and Joel Marr. Ry Eikleberry, Tracy Hebert, and Alfredo Juarez Jr. are among the jockeys in the Zia riding colony. Purses at the meet are projected to average $200,000 a program, said Crawford. The track’s stakes program comprises 32 races worth a cumulative $3.8 million. One of Crawford’s priorities will be recruiting horses for the $1.2 million Land of Enchantment program of nine stakes. There are six for Thoroughbreds – led by the meet’s richest race, the Zia Park Oaks - and three for Quarter Horses. “We hope to attract horses from different parts of the country,” Crawford said. “I know we get a lot of California interest, and I’ll do my best to recruit some nice horses for that day.” Zia will race on a Saturday-through-Tuesday basis, with a first post of 12:10 p.m. Mountain. Crawford said the track would race Quarter Horses on Saturdays, have races for both breeds on Sundays, and run Thoroughbreds on Mondays and Tuesdays. Entries were strong for the nine-race opener on Saturday. “We’re running all Quarter Horse races and it was something like 9.7 horses per race, so it was really high,” said Crawford. The first race drew Bayakoa – a 2-year-old filly who shares a name with the Thoroughbred mare in the Hall of Fame.