Retama Park shut down due to "unsafe conditions"

The Texas Racing Commission has shut down Retama Park near San Antonio for “unsafe conditions” and violations of state racing regulations, the commission said late Wednesday.

The shut-down order affects the five live racing dates for Retama’s ongoing Quarter Horse meet scheduled through July 14, according to the racing commission. Retama opened its 23-day Quarter Horse meet on June 29, running through Aug. 19.

According to the commission, after a power outage resulted in the cancellation of live racing on June 29, the commission sent Retama’s management a “notice of unsafe condition and a list of matters to address” prior to live racing resuming. Retama had not replied to that notice by Wednesday night, the commission said.

“Unfortunately, today, I had to take the extraordinary step of initiating an enforcement action against Retama Park for failing to address numerous deficiencies noting where the track was not in compliance with the Racing Act and Rules of Racing in Texas,” said Amy Cook, executive director of the Texas Racing Commission.

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