NEWS
Downs at Albuquerque to move to Moriarty
Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:50 PM
by Joe Nevills
The New Mexico Racing Commission voted Tuesday to approve the relocation of The Downs at Albuquerque Racetrack and Casino to Moriarty.
The Downs, currently located at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, the state fairgrounds, will move about 35 miles east to a 500-acre lot in the central New Mexico city.
Plans for the $65-million complex include a travel center, a hotel with more than 100 rooms, and a sales barn. The new racino also will include 715 slot machines, an increase from the current facility’s 330.
General Manager Don Cook said he expects ground to be broken on the new track in August, aiming for an inaugural meet in the summer of 2010. However, Cook was uncertain if the casino portion of the project would be finished in time for the opening meet.
“We’d like to have one big opening, but of course money comes into question,” Cook said. “You’ve got to have money to run the race meet. We’re going to end the 2009 race meet [in Albuquerque] in November and we’ve got to come back and start the 2010 meet in July. We want to build as much purse money as possible.”
New Mexico racing Commission Chairman Arnold Rael said the move was long overdue, citing the track’s dilapidated grandstand area as a major reason for relocating.
“The present facility is a terrible place to go see racing,” he said. “We need to get the heck out of there.”
Opponents of the track’s relocation feared the track’s new site off Interstate 40 would be too far away from the state’s major cities to be successful. However, Moriarty City Council member Steve Anaya said the location would work to the track’s advantage.
“Obviously, being off I-40, we get a lot of the tourist traffic,” Anaya said. “With agriculture in the [Estancia] Valley, we think this facility will bring the tourist and agriculture together.”
The Downs at Albuquerque features Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, with the 42-day 2008 meet scheduled to begin August 16.
The facility also hosts the 17-day New Mexico State Fair meet in mid-September. Because Expo New Mexico currently holds a racing license, the State Fair meet could still be held on the grounds after The Downs at Albuquerque moves to its new location.
Joe Nevills is a Thoroughbred Times editorial intern
