Zia Park will conduct a 54-day meeting of Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races in Hobbs, N.M., from Sept. 8 to Dec. 4, hosting more than 30 stakes. Race days are Saturday through Tuesday.
The meet is highlighted by the Oct. 28 New Mexico Cup Day, one of the richest cards for state-breds in the nation with purses totaling approximately $2 million for 11 stakes. The track also will hold one of the year’s final major Derbys, the $150,000 Zia Park Derby on Dec. 1.
There will be a new announcer at Zia Park this season. Jonathan Horowitz, 27, began announcing when he was 14 and became the youngest person ever to call a horse race in the United States at California’s Los Alamitos Race Course in 1999. In addition to announcing at Zia Park, Horowitz will write articles for the racetrack’s program and conduct handicapping classes.