True outlines track and casino improvements for Rotary members
New owners of Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Billy the Kid Casino are committed to horse racing and the community that supports it, general manager says
- Stricter rules in place to assure the integrity of the races
Ruidoso Downs Race Track’s General Manager Jeff True addressed the lunch meeting of the Ruidoso Rotary Club Tuesday, updating members on the track’s progress in preparation for the upcoming season that opens May 25.
True pointed to the infrastructure improvements that are being done right now, including the most expensive project, an entire new roof on the complex.
“We’ve taken over an accomplished, established business but there are obviously many infrastructure issues that must be addressed,” he said. "The roof is a seven-figure project.”
Another major improvement that promises to enhance the customer experience this summer is the addition of 100 new slot machines inside the Billy the Kid Casino.
“We’ve also done a lot of improvement to the ventilation system, and we’re adding a new slot machine accounting system that allows us to continue rewarding our customers who play with us.” True said.
During his speech, the general manager spent the most time talking about enhanced security measures to upgrade the integrity of the sport of horse racing. One item mentioned is that the track is constructing a new perimeter fence around the barn area, plus a new receiving barn has been created where all race horses must report in advance of being taken to the saddle paddock.
"This gives us an additional twenty minutes of surveillance for every horse before the race,” True explained. “The track owners, horse owners, and trainers all want the same thing, and that is to race horses on a level playing field without benefitting cheaters.”
Another example of how things are going to be different this summer is that all horse trainers must sign an “acknowledgement form,” before they are granted stall space for the summer. The form gives race track officials the opportunity to test randomly for any banned substances, both for horses and humans, at any time during the summer meet.
“These owners have driven me to make sure that (those) who race here clean up their act,” True said. “That’s why our ownership has already denied stalls to the winning trainer of last year’s All American. You can be confident that we are on a good legal standing, and that we’re doing this for all the right reasons.”
True concluded by stating the track’s vision of the future and telling Rotarians how much the track wants to keep participating in the community.
“We want to be here for the community, and we hope you’ll support us by being a patron of the horse races and our casino,” True said. “We believe that the race track is the core component to this community during the summer season and we’re going to continue to keep working on our facility as a leader in entertainment and integrity.”