New Mexico to consider applications for final racino license

The New Mexico Racing Commission will conduct three public hearings concerning applications for the state’s sixth and final available license for a racetrack that has a casino.

There are five applicants for the license, according to commission representative Rosemary Garley.

The first hearing is Friday, at the Lordsburg High School gym in Lordsburg, N.M. The meeting will begin with roll call at 1 p.m. Mountain before commissioners and other interested parties travel to visit the proposed site of Hidalgo Downs. Back at the school, the applicant will make a presentation starting at 2 p.m. The commission will then hear comments from the public.

The second hearing is Oct. 4 at the Tucumcari Convention Center in Tucumcari, N.M. The meeting starts with roll call at 11 a.m., then a visit to the proposed site of Coronado Park Racetrack and Casino. The applicant will then make a presentation at the convention center at 1:30 p.m. A public comment period will follow.

The final hearing is Oct. 5 at the Clovis Civic Center in Clovis, N.M. There is a 7:30 a.m. roll call start to the meeting, then site visits to three proposed tracks: La Posada de Llano Horse Racing, Casino & Resorts; Clovis Racetrack & Casino; and Curry Downs Racetrack & Casino. The applicants will make individual presentations starting at 9 a.m., with the public comment period after the last presentation, which is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.

The commission will not take action on the applications at any of the public hearings. The process of obtaining the license also goes through the New Mexico Gaming Control Board.

New Mexico has five tracks with slot machine casinos: the Downs at Albuquerque, Ruidoso Downs, Sunland Park, SunRay Park, and Zia Park. The last racino to open in the state was Zia in September 2005.

◗ Ruidoso Downs closed its 47-date mixed meet for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds on Sept. 3, and reported a significant increase in handle over the corresponding meet in 2017. Ruidoso handled an average $499,981 a card on its races from all sources, up 25 percent. Next year, the track will open about two weeks earlier, on May 10, and race 54 dates through Labor Day.

◗ Ruidoso Downs has announced plans for a Rainbow Oaks for Quarter Horses in 2020. The race will be a division of the Rainbow Derby series, and will be restricted to 3-year-old fillies. Trials for both races will be held at the same time, with eligible fillies to be designated for the Rainbow Derby or Oaks at the time of entry for those trials.