Raton to break gound on racino

are they working on the new racino?????

Freebird wrote:

are they working on the new racino?????

Fat chance.

I don't blame them for not being in a hurry either. Racetrack in Santa Fe was neglecting their mortgage payments and racetrack in Ruidoso was threatening to close if they didn't get a tax break.

Now is a terrible time to open a gaming facility anywhere in New Mexico, unless the investors can afford to run at a loss for the next couple of years.

Specifically, the Raton economy is in the dumps, much worse than the overall state of New Mexico. That's good and bad for the Racino - good because people may be desperate enough to work for sh*t pay. Bad because few people have extra money to spend going to racetracks.

the racetrack and casino are not expecting large amounts of revenue from the locals. the market for raton's track is a five state area as well as i-25 traffic and folks off of clayton road. pueblo will be a big market as well.
Raton is better positioned than Alb.(indian casinos) farmington (not exactly a destination)
ruidoso (you really have to want to go there) hobbs is hot as well as sunland(big population little competition)

The gambling downturn isn't hitting only New Mexico. Gaming revenues are down all over the country - casinos, racetracks, lotteries... Thousands of casino workers have been laid off.

At least two casinos in Colorado have recently gone bankrupt - I wouldn't count on Colorado people to float Raton. Kansas either; not only is Raton 400 miles from the closest decent-sized Kansas town, but Harrah's just canceled their plans for a new casino/resort there.

Not only do people have less money to flush down the toilet, but they're being more careful with what they do have.

So yeah, I'd be surprised if the Raton racetrack gets started any time soon.

Nm racing commission yesterday the owner was there with financials as well as contractor.he repeated he will run races in 2010.

todays cheftain talks about how well colorado casinos are doing.

it is still to hot in texas & oklahoma as well as kansas.

old timers still hate the drive to cripple creek.

there is no dog racing or simalcast in pueblo.
Ruidoso downs still has few races except for fut. & derby horses!

get your masks at Burns and Records dust will be flying.

Texans like Raton. Raton is closer than Cripple Creek. Oil money has to go somewhere.

bad john wrote:

get your masks at Burns and Records dust will be flying.

Well, I tried. But you know how it is to shop in Raton: Burns didn't have any masks and Record's was closed. Same as always...

Besides, I drove by there multiple times this week and absolutely nothing was happening. It actually looks like no work has been done since the Commission meeting.

Have they even hired construction workers yet? I haven't heard any hiring announcements, and no one I've met has gotten a job there.

Were those piles of dirt and parked tractors there last month? They're a bit north of the staked out area, and I'm not sure if they're part of the Racino project or not.

I don't think its gonna happen. I hope it does but I will believe it when I see it.

the piles of dirt are the top soil that will be reused they are down to shale. this will be dug up and crushed then used as fill. i am sad not much more going on expected a lot of equipment to be in use.

bad john wrote:

Nm racing commission yesterday the owner was there with financials as well as contractor.he repeated he will run races in 2010.
todays cheftain talks about how well colorado casinos are doing.
it is still to hot in texas & oklahoma as well as kansas.
old timers still hate the drive to cripple creek.
there is no dog racing or simalcast in pueblo.
Ruidoso downs still has few races except for fut. & derby horses!

There used to be racing in Pueblo. Colorado Springs too. Guess why there isn't now? Because no one was interested in going there.

Just can't compete with 'real' casinos, which ~are~ doing well (as you pointed out) in Colorado since the gambling limits have been raised.

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Relevant business news from five months ago:

"The Denver Post has reported that greyhound and horse racing operations have seen declining revenues since 2003, dropping from $207 million to $127 million for 2007, the last year with a full schedule of live dog racing at the state's three greyhound tracks.

In Colorado, the only Arapahoe Park horse racing track in Aurora and the Mile-High Greyhound Park in Commerce City are still operating.

In Colorado Springs, the 17-acre Post Time Greyhound Park on North Nevada Avenue was open one day a week for off-track-betting but has been closed since last summer."

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Kansas? The last racetrack in that state closed last year, and it was located near a large city. If Kansans won't drive a few minutes to watch horses run in circles in their own backyard, why do you think they'll drive 400 miles to watch horses here?

There's some sort of scam working behind this entire Racino operation; I can smell it. It started with the city's $1 sale of land (worth $400,000 according to Apache and Mileta). It continued with greased palms at the state level (de-greased somewhat by the Gaming Comission). And will end, best case, with Raton visitors being greeted by a large abandoned half-finished eyesore at the edge of town (comparable to the phony/bankrupt outlet mall near Santa Fe).

Suckers...

just me i think you are wrong.
check out the developer's other projects,

bad john wrote:

just me i think you are wrong.
check out the developer's other projects,

I don't think that the scam is being perpetrated by the foreign developer; I think he and his money are the target. Politicians will line their pockets with his money, the venture will inevitably fail, and the citizens of Raton will be stuck in the middle.

And when the Canadian is down to his last two dollars, he'll be told about the $2 Leaving Town Tax.(Got that from The Simpsons)

Yeah, he's a successful developer back home. But he has no experience with casinos, appears to be oblivious to current track trends and the economy, and knows nothing about Raton or the people here. He'd be just as well off testing his Developer's Luck on the Rez or in Africa.

Obviously he's a bright guy, but I think he's being played.

Maybe he's bright enough to be catching on, thus the construction foot-dragging.

nah get informed the guy has top notch people in both gaming and racing -best to do your research
he got the top guy that rebuilds racetracks into top properties top guy is big in casino machine ibndustry-top trackman for racing. we went over plans with him a while back-he has the top landscape designer in canada working on an infield to match the spectacular background.

bad john wrote:

the piles of dirt are the top soil that will be reused they are down to shale. this will be dug up and crushed then used as fill. i am sad not much more going on expected a lot of equipment to be in use.

Drove by tonight, curious since there was a related letter the editor in the Range.

The two tractors that were parked by the piles of dirt are gone now. Probably moved to a real job site.

I hope to heck the city collected a construction insurance bond from the Canadian, at least enough to restore the grassland that he ruined.

The Raton Range doesn't archive anything online, so in a couple of days the Letter to the Editor will not be available. Thought it would be helpful to post it here:

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'Racino' doomsday approaches

Editor:

What's the deal with the "Racino?" It seems that after moths of endless hoopla and fanfare, all we have is two piles of dirt, one semi-trailer, and a bewildered prairie dog colony to show for it all. January 1, 2010 looms large on the horizon like some relentlessly approaching doomsday.

Could it be (and my hands tremble and my breath shortens as I?write this) that Raton has once again been given "the business?"

********
Raton

INTERNATIONAL RACING DIGEST ARTICLE
The Business Of Horse Racing - Michael Moldenhauer
Month Published: July/August, 2009
By: Larry Simpson
Look out Louisville, Raton, New Mexico could soon be breathing down your neck as horse racing capital of the U.S. Yes, that’s right, Raton, population 8,000, best known as the birthplace of one Chip Woolley, popular trainer of this years Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, or perhaps as the former home of La Mesa Park, a racetrack that operated there from 1946 until 1992.
But enter Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer, who has designs on changing racing history in Raton. Michael, who is President of a Mississauga-based company Moldenhauer Lifestyles Inc., a large builder of commercial and residential properties, mostly in the greater Toronto area. He is going full speed ahead in Raton with a $50 million casino and racetrack, a project that to many seemed only a dream several months ago, but became reality with an official groundbreaking ceremony on June 24th.
But why Raton, especially with the shuttering of La Mesa Park in 1992 hanging over the town like a dark cloud?
“Actually location for one”, says Michael,“and the fact that racing and casinos went through an evolution of sorts. New Mexico did not have the gaming/slots side of things in place so La Mesa was forced to close its doors a little prematurely. This was quite unfortunate because in subsequent years, when gaming did get introduced to New Mexico, La Mesa missed its opportunity because it was not operational. Actually, I can show you pictures from the 1970’s that would just amaze you of the amount of attendance at La Mesa. But as I said earlier, as racetracks went through an evolution of sorts, they needed to rely on the assistance of slots, and when the slots were introduced, they revitalized the tracks, not only in New Mexico, but pretty much every other state where they were introduced, even here in Canada. Raton is in the perfect location, its proximity to five different states of which to draw from, and it has a deep-rooted history of horse racing. And it continues to build on this history with the successes of Chip Woolley in the Triple Crown races.”
Michael says that the ‘build’ will be in a phased process, the first being an interim casino to house about 200 slots, which he hopes to be completed before the end of the year.“We are looking at a six month build”, he says “with the intention to get the gaming live as quick as we can so that we can start to build up the purses for our first race meet. And then simultaneously to that, we will move the building process down the road for the racetrack and stables, so that we will be ready for our first race meet in May, 2010, a 60 day meeting.” Michael adds that he expects temporary bleachers and grandstand for the initial race season, with construction on a more permanent facility to begin soon after the meet’s completion. He adds that a final phase will follow and will include a travel center, truck stop, and hotels, possibly up to three, with two of them attaching to the permanent grandstand and casino. As well, an equestrian center remains part of the plan too.
In this racing climate, a new $50 million racetrack and casino could be considered a bold move for this Toronto native, especially with so many existing racetracks having problems filling race cards because of a horse shortage. Where does Raton expect to draw their horse population from?
“ New Mexico is pretty unique in that the tracks that are currently racing in the state are over capacity as far as horse population is concerned. The horsemen’s association and breeders group are extremely frustrated with the lack of racing opportunities that currently exist in the state, and are continually putting pressure on race meets to offer more racing opportunities which we will be able to provide,” says Michael, adding that race cards will be made up of both Thoroughbred and Quarter horses.

INTERNATIONAL RACING DIGEST
The Business Of Horse Racing - Michael Moldenhauer
Month Published:
July/August, 2009
By:
Larry Simpson
Look out Louisville, Raton, New Mexico could soon be breathing down your neck as horse racing capital of the U.S. Yes, that’s right, Raton, population 8,000, best known as the birthplace of one Chip Woolley, popular trainer of this years Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, or perhaps as the former home of La Mesa Park, a racetrack that operated there from 1946 until 1992.
But enter Canadian developer Michael Moldenhauer, who has designs on changing racing history in Raton. Michael, who is President of a Mississauga-based company Moldenhauer Lifestyles Inc., a large builder of commercial and residential properties, mostly in the greater Toronto area. He is going full speed ahead in Raton with a $50 million casino and racetrack, a project that to many seemed only a dream several months ago, but became reality with an official groundbreaking ceremony on June 24th.
But why Raton, especially with the shuttering of La Mesa Park in 1992 hanging over the town like a dark cloud?
“Actually location for one”, says Michael,“and the fact that racing and casinos went through an evolution of sorts. New Mexico did not have the gaming/slots side of things in place so La Mesa was forced to close its doors a little prematurely. This was quite unfortunate because in subsequent years, when gaming did get introduced to New Mexico, La Mesa missed its opportunity because it was not operational. Actually, I can show you pictures from the 1970’s that would just amaze you of the amount of attendance at La Mesa. But as I said earlier, as racetracks went through an evolution of sorts, they needed to rely on the assistance of slots, and when the slots were introduced, they revitalized the tracks, not only in New Mexico, but pretty much every other state where they were introduced, even here in Canada. Raton is in the perfect location, its proximity to five different states of which to draw from, and it has a deep-rooted history of horse racing. And it continues to build on this history with the successes of Chip Woolley in the Triple Crown races.”

Michael says that the ‘build’ will be in a phased process, the first being an interim casino to house about 200 slots, which he hopes to be completed before the end of the year.“We are looking at a six month build”, he says “with the intention to get the gaming live as quick as we can so that we can start to build up the purses for our first race meet. And then simultaneously to that, we will move the building process down the road for the racetrack and stables, so that we will be ready for our first race meet in May, 2010, a 60 day meeting.” Michael adds that he expects temporary bleachers and grandstand for the initial race season, with construction on a more permanent facility to begin soon after the meet’s completion. He adds that a final phase will follow and will include a travel center, truck stop, and hotels, possibly up to three, with two of them attaching to the permanent grandstand and casino. As well, an equestrian center remains part of the plan too.
In this racing climate, a new $50 million racetrack and casino could be considered a bold move for this Toronto native, especially with so many existing racetracks having problems filling race cards because of a horse shortage. Where does Raton expect to draw their horse population from?
“ New Mexico is pretty unique in that the tracks that are currently racing in the state are over capacity as far as horse population is concerned. The horsemen’s association and breeders group are extremely frustrated with the lack of racing opportunities that currently exist in the state, and are continually putting pressure on race meets to offer more racing opportunities which we will be able to provide,” says Michael, adding that race cards will be made up of both Thoroughbred and
Although Michael Moldenhauer insists that his venture into racing and gaming was purely a business venture, he and his company seem to be acquiring an appetite for the industry, with a recent application for an exclusive license for the city of Baltimore to build a casino with 3,750 slot machines.

I HEARD THAT RICK HENSON MAY COME IN TO HELP ERIC WITH BUILD OUT.
Rick is a long time well respected manager. has managed Woodlands as well as los alimitos .
his father was the great race caller Harry Henson.
looking forward to his getting here.