New wagers, purse bonuses as SunRay meet opens

SunRay Park will introduce notable changes to its racing and wagering formats on Friday, when the Farmington, N.M., track opens for a 36-date mixed meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. The meet will run through Sept. 1.

SunRay will put on Thoroughbred-only cards on Saturdays and Tuesdays, while the track will again feature Quarter Horse-only cards on Fridays beginning July 10, according to track official Steve Fedunak. There will be a new Friday first post of 3 p.m. Mountain. The Sunday programs will be comprised of races for both breeds. In another racing format change, SunRay is putting up a 10 percent purse bonus in races with nine or more starters, according to Fedunak.

The wagering format will now include a pentafecta, or Super High Five jackpot. The 50-cent-minimum wager challenges patrons to pick the top five finishers in the final race each day, or the pool carries over. Also new is the SunRay Pick Ex, a $1 minimum bet that requires patrons to correctly select winning exactas in two consecutive races, according to Fedunak. If there are no successful tickets, there will be a carryover. SunRay will again offer a pair of pick fours on Tuesdays that feature guaranteed pools of $2,500.

SunRay is looking to build upon a strong 2014 meet that experienced a huge gain in all-sources handle. SunRay handled an average of $140,000 a day on its races from all sources last year, compared with $95,000 a day during the corresponding meet in 2013. The track, which last year opened in the spring, is launching its meet later this year to dovetail with racing at The Downs at Albuquerque.

SunRay’s purses are projected to average $125,000 per program, up from $121,000 in 2014 and $116,000 in 2013. The stakes schedule includes the $35,000 SunRay Park and Casino Handicap for 3-year-olds at a mile July 18, the $50,000 Totah for 2-year-old New Mexico-breds on Aug. 18, and the $75,000 San Juan County Commissioners Handicap at 1 1/8 miles Sept. 1.

The feature Friday is the $35,000 Inaugural for 3-year-olds and up around 6 1/2 furlongs, which is a two-turn race at SunRay. Unfettered, the winner of the $100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial on the Sunland Park Derby undercard March 22, is the 123-pound highweight. Enrique Gomez has the mount for trainer Henry Dominguez. The field also includes defending champion Warren’s Knockout.