Location | Sunland Park, New Mexico |
---|---|
Owned by | Stanley E. Fulton |
Date opened | 1959 |
Race type | Thoroughbred and quarter horse |
[[1] Official website] |
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is a racino located in Sunland Park, New Mexico, a suburb of El Paso, Texas.
It's a question I hear on a regular basis when I'm out in public, 'When will the Sunland Park Casino reopen? ' The short answer is, 'Not for a while. 'Many of New Mexico's tribal casinos. Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino: Hours, Address, Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino Reviews: 3/5. 1200 Futurity Dr, Sunland Park, NM.
Opened in 1959 as a Thoroughbred racing track, Sunland Park was the only legalized gambling venue in the region for many years. In 1999, at a time when horse racing was experiencing a decline as casinos and lotteries became commonplace, New Mexico legislators allowed slot machines at the track. Now with over 700 machines in play, racing at Sunland has benefited greatly, with purses increasing from a $35,000 daily average in the early 1990s to nearly a quarter million per day today.[1]
Fulton Family Foundation was endowed by the long-time owner of Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, the late Stanley E. The gift will go to the All Together NM Fund, which will oversee the distribution of the gift to local charities and food banks in the areas hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis. Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino, Sunland Park, New Mexico. 38,793 likes 99 talking about this 144,599 were here. Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is New Mexico’s premier gaming destination.
Sunland Park was the track where jockeysJerry Bailey, Pat Valenzuela, and Cash Asmussen got their starts. Bill Shoemaker, who hails from the area, also rode at Sunland.[1]
The casino, open 112 hours a week, also offers many electronic table games including roulette, blackjack and Texas Hold 'Em.[2]
The 2018 racing season, which features both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, runs from December 28 through May 5. Live racing is traditionally offered four days each week on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Year-round Simulcast wagering is also available on racetracks across the country.
The live racing season is highlighted by the Sunland Derby, run at 1⅛ miles for three-year-olds in late March of each year. The race was granted a Grade 3 status for the 2010 running and now is an important preparatory race for the Kentucky Derby. The race is now included in the Road to the Kentucky Derby; awarding 50 points to the winner, 20 to second, 10 to third, and 5 to forth. The 50 points awarded the winner effectively guarantees entrance into the Kentucky Derby.
Other notable races include the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, 1-1/16 miles Kentucky Oaks prep for fillies; the $100,000 Harry W. Henson Handicap for fillies and mares at one mile; the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby, 6½ furlongs for three-year-olds; the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby, 1 1/16-mile prep for the Sunland Derby; and the $150,000 Sunland Park Handicap for three-year-olds and up at 1⅛ miles.
The following Graded events were held at Sunland Park in 2019.
Grade III
Sunlands top quarter horse race is the $350,000 Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park, run late each December at 440 yards.[3] The $140,000 added New Mexican Spring Futurity at 300 yards is run in April.[4]
Coordinates: 31°48′23″N106°33′32″W / 31.806394°N 106.558971°W