The New Mexico Horsemen’s Association, which represents thousands of racehorse owners has filed an ethics complaint against the Racing Commission and Gaming Control Board.
The association claims that members of the two boards are attempting to muzzle criticism during a battle of who should control purse money and racetrack winnings.
The association accuses racino operators of diverting purse money to help pay track expenses such as liability insurance for jockeys and exercise riders.
Two years ago the association appealed to a district judge to halt this practice. They claim they have lost more than $8 million in purse money.
The Racing Commission last year made a change that allowed racetrack-casino operators to collect, manage and pay out purse money—taking this away from the association. The judge stepped in the way, but the association says it is still owned $300,000.
An attorney for the association commented, “What we have here are two state agencies that are refusing to obey a court order and refusing to follow the recommendation of its own hearing officer,” Mitchell said. “You can’t have state agencies that ignore.”
Racing Commission Executive Director Izzy Trejo shot back, “The New Mexico Horsemen’s Association has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar by wrongfully taking money from purses and calling it member dues. The New Mexico Racing Commission will always follow state statute, and that is exactly what we are doing.”
The ethics complaint by the association notes that it successfully collected and disbursed purse money for two decades without complaint.
New Mexico’s tribal state gaming compacts stipulate that 20 percent of slot revenue be set aside for horse racing purses.
