Racetrack with ‘moving grandstand’ proposed in New Mexico
A Las Vegas casino executive is proposing a new racetrack and casino in eastern New Mexico with a “moving grandstand” that will allow an audience to travel alongside running horses.
Daniel Lee, president and CEO of the Nevada-based Full House Resorts, is vying for New Mexico’s sixth racetrack/casino license and hopes his $200 million resort and racetrack with the shifting grandstand will set him apart.
Full House Resorts said the moving grandstand would circle the track, traveling at the same speed as the racehorses.
“In a typical race, spectators in the grandstand only see two brief moments of a race – its start and the closing seconds at the finish line,” Lee said in a statement. “Our moving grandstand changes that, allowing spectators to race side-by-side with the horses for every dramatic second of the race.”
In addition to the racetrack, the proposed “La Posada del Llano” includes a casino, luxury hotel, 18-hole golf course, water park, and other amenities near the New Mexico-Texas border in Clovis, New Mexico.
The development will also feature a premium RV park, a water park located in the track’s infield, and 5 miles (8 kilometers) of recreational riding trails, according to the company’s proposal.
La Posada is one of five groups in intense competition to win the New Mexico racetrack/casino license.
New Mexico Racing Commission Executive Director Izzy Trejo said 11 groups submitted letters of intent earlier this month, but five tied to Raton, New Mexico, and one from Las Vegas, New Mexico, failed to submit formal applications by Friday’s deadline.
Three applications from Clovis, New Mexico, one from Tucumcari and one from Lordsburg near the southern Arizona border remain.
The New Mexico Racing Commission will hold public hearings on the applications and is expected to decide by the end of the year.
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