Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Albuquerque opens meet with big fields, new pick 4s
The Downs at Albuquerque has been riding a wave of momentum the last few years and on Friday night will open its 55-date meet with record stakes purses, large fields, and a new starter series that features New Mexico’s longest race for Thoroughbreds.
The Downs at Albuquerque, which races through Sept. 23, also is housing Jessies First Down, the two-time reigning world champion Quarter Horse.
Albuquerque’s racing program began building significant steam in 2014, when the track constructed a new casino. Albuquerque went from 300 slot machines in an 8,000 squarefoot area on the third floor of its grandstand to a separate 30,000-square-foot facility ontrack that now has 640 slot machines, a large simulcast area for horseplayers, and a popular steakhouse.
“We doubled our slot machines, which in turn doubled our horsemen’s purses,” said Don Cook, president of racing for Albuquerque.
Albuquerque will have 23 stakes worth a total of $2.6 million during its meet, chief among them the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on Aug. 4 and the $300,000 Albuquerque Fall Championship, a 440-yard race for Quarter Horses on Sept. 23. The Championship, up in value from $250,000, has been awarded Grade 1 status this year for its fourth running and is expected to draw defending winner Jessies First Down.
Albuquerque will showcase its Championship over a closing weekend of seven stakes. The offerings include the meet’s richest race, the $400,000 New Mexico State Fair Quarter Horse Futurity on Sept. 22; the $200,000 New Mexico State Fair Thoroughbred Futurity for statebreds at six furlongs Sept. 23; and the $25,000 Claiming Stakes at 1 13/16 miles, which is the state’s longest race for Thoroughbreds.
“There’s $1.4 million over those two dates – that’s a lot of coin,” said Cook.
Cook said purses for the meet are projected to average $190,000 to $200,000 a program. The track announced it has drawn an average of 9.6 horses for the 15 Thoroughbred races to be run over the first three dates of the meet. For the same period, the track has averaged 11.4 horses for its 14 races for Quarter Horses.
Cook said that at the request of horseplayers, the wagering menu at this meet will include pick fours, which will have a 50-cent minimum. In other changes, upgrades were made to the track’s racing surface.
“We renovated the racetrack,” Cook said. “It’s always had a reputation as a horsefriendly track, and I think we stepped it up a notch this year.
“There’s a whole new cushion. A lot of sand, a lot of bark.”
Justin Evans, who won last year’s training title, is back for the new season, while Cook said that trainer Miguel Hernandez, who last year was based at Prairie Meadows, has returned with a stable for Judge Lanier Racing, a perennial leading owner in New Mexico.
Evans and Hernandez will square off in Friday night’s $50,000 Duke City Sprint for 3-year-olds over 5 1/2 furlongs. Evans sends out Istillgotit under Jansen Melancon, a new face from Louisiana, and Hernandez will counter with Sphene.
Cook said that Wednesday cards will be for Thoroughbreds only, while Albuquerque will have a mixed format on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. First post is 6:05 p.m. Mountain except Sundays, when the races start at 1:30. There is a special schedule during the state fair, when Albuquerque races 12 straight days from Sept. 5-16.
Mocito Rojo hitting his peak
Mocito Rojo ran the race of his life Saturday night at Evangeline Downs, getting the jump on 2-5 favorite Dazzling Gem in the $100,000 Evangeline Mile and scoring a 1 3/4-length victory. Mocito Rojo was 10-1 and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
“He ran a big one,” said trainer Shane Wilson.
Mocito Rojo won his first stakes in the Evangeline Mile. Earlier in the meet, he captured an optional $30,000 claiming race at the same distance in a sharp 1:37.53. His final time Saturday was 1:37.69.
“He really likes the racetrack at Evangeline,” Wilson said. “He’s run four times on the main track, and he’s won all four times – going 6 1/2, seven, and these two times going a mile. This really was the goal we had for him.”
Wilson said that based on the probable starters, he liked Mocito Rojo’s chances in the Evangeline Mile.
“It looked like the one to beat was the Brad Cox horse, Dazzling Gem,” said Wilson, who trains Mocito Rojo for Wayne T. Davis. “I felt we had as good a mile dirt horse as anybody on the grounds had. Worst-case scenario, we finish second to the Brad Cox horse.”
Mocito Rojo prepped for the Evangeline Mile in a turf allowance, finishing second by a halflength, and he could return to the grass for his next start. Wilson said the options are the $50,000 John Henry at 1 1/16 miles on turf July 7 at Evangeline and the $60,000 Unbridled at the same distance on turf Sept. 2 at Louisiana Downs.
◗ Louisiana Downs will increase overnight purses beginning Saturday, the track announced. There will be increases of $1,500 or $1,000 per race, depending on the class level.