Report: New Mexico racing commission requires more vet checks

In response to orders from New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the state's racing commission implemented a new directive that requires a private veterinarian, a racetrack veterinarian and a state veterinarian to sign off on all horses before they can race.

KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported the measure was in response to a demand from Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, to step up control of the state's horse racing industry.

Daily Racing Form reported Monday that Lujan Grisham sent a letter to commission executives last week, ordering them "to take immediate action" to increase oversight of the industry.

The call for action came in a letter sent to commission executives last week after equine seven fatalities in three days at Ruidoso Downs earlier this month, according to the report. Lujan Grisham called for steps that include pre-race evaluations, blood testing for all horses, preserving medication syringes for testing and requiring horses to be based at the track ahead of leading races.

Ruidoso Downs will host four major quarter-horse stakes Sunday and Monday. They include the All American Derby and All American Oaks on Sunday and the All American Futurity and All American Gold Cup on Monday.

Lujan Grisham said in her letter that of the seven fatalities at Ruidoso Downs from Aug. 11 to 13, only one of the horses underwent a pre-race examination, according to the report. She said there have been 642 horses euthanized at New Mexico tracks from 2014 to 2022, which it cited as the sixth-highest figure in the nation during that span.