Another exciting season of live quarter horse and thoroughbred racing will soon begin at SunRay Park and Casino.
The 36-day racing season, which begins Fri., April 21 will run through June 19 and will feature more than a dozen stakes races for some of the top horses in the state and the southwest.
Tune in to FOX AM1340/93.9FM each raceday for best bets, news and more from SunRay Park and Casino. Weekday selections will be featured on First Sports, airing live from 9am to noon (ET) with more selections and analysis during The Fast Track, weekends at 10am ET. You can also listen live by downloading the I Heart Radio app through our station's website.
We'll also post selections and more from SunRay on our Facebook and Twitter fan pages.
Leading thoroughbred trainer Justin Evans will be back to defend his title, as will Alfredo Juarez, Jr., who not only will be returning to the Four Corners to defend his jockey title, but may well find himself in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby next month aboard Steve Asmussen-trained Hence, winner of the Sunland Derby last month.
Evans, coming off another dominating season as the leading trainer at SunRay last summer, finished the meet with 44 winners from nearly 100 starters, well ahead of another trio of trainers set to return this season, namely Bart Hone, Greg Green and Todd Fincher.
Juarez, who missed the first week of the 2016 SunRay season recovering from an injury, dominated the thoroughbred jockey standings, recording 42 wins from more than 130 mounts, nearly two dozen more than his nearest rival Ry Eikleberry.
Among the biggest headline races of the upcoming season will be the $100,000-estimated New Mexico Breeders' Futurity, which will be held on May 14 as well as the $80,000-estimated Four Corners Futurity, which will be held on June 18 as part of closing weekend action.
The highlight of the thoroughbred calendar will be the $50,000 San Juan County Commissioners Handicap, the annual closing day stakes race featuring some of the top older horses in the southwest racing 1 1/8 miles.
Racing will be held on a Friday through Monday schedule, with local weekday post times at 3 p.m. and weekends beginning at 1:15 p.m.