Latino Horseracing Proposed for Island Grove Regional Park

Greeley, CO - May 23, 2011 - City leaders are contemplating bringing Mexican horse racing to Island Grove Regional Park as a way to bring in more revenue.

Island Grove has long been the site of Greeley’s largest celebration, the Greeley Stampede, and has in recent years become renowned for its facilities for dog shows, with national specialties increasingly choosing Greeley for their annual events.

Greeley businessman Alberto Loya has proposed running a new business at the park to satisfy year-round appetites for horse racing, making it the next big attraction.

Though he did not return calls for comment, Loya has presented his plan for Carril 7 Leguas to the Weld County commissioners and the Island Grove Regional Park Advisory Board.

“C7L will be northern Colorado’s premiere horse track. … It will be an inexpensive outing that the entire family can enjoy in a safe environment,” according to an executive summary of the plan.

The plan would have a quarter-mile track parallel to the railroad tracks on the south side of the park in the overflow parking area usually used for the Greeley Stampede. The concept is two horses, one-on-one, racing down a track before crowds of hundreds or even thousands, according to the executive summary.

Loya would rent the park, as well as bleachers and fencing for the events, which would run 20-30 weekends a year during times the park is not otherwise being used. There would be no gambling and no alcohol allowed.

Tom Welch, Island Grove Park manager, said the idea has merit, especially when it comes to how it can help the park be self-sustaining.

“Island Grove is subsidized heavily by both the county and city, and we do what we can to reduce that,” Welch said. “This looks like it has the potential to bring in quite a bit of income.”

The city of Greeley, alone, pumps in $540,000 a year to manage and maintain the park, even with the park bringing in $885,000 a year in revenue, said Bob Adams, Leisure Services director for the city.

Welch explained that Island Grove collects $1.50 per entrance fee if the fee is over $6. Even after building the track, Loya would continue to rent bleachers for the events, which would help cut that subsidy, at least somewhat.

Discussions so far have centered on crowd-gathering possibilities, as this form of horse racing is popular in the Latino culture.

Such an idea also could lessen the amount of illegal horse racing going on throughout the county, said Weld County Commissioners Bill Garcia and Doug Rademacher, who often hear of such activities in varying spots throughout the county attracting hundreds of spectators. The problem is, by the time they hear about it — which is a clear violation when gambling and alcohol enter the mix — they’ve moved on to different locations.

“When it grows to a point where 200-500 people show up for an event and the neighbors get upset,” Rademacher said..” They might be totally legit, true property owners. When they start betting, (bringing) alcohol and all the impacts, that’s when it becomes an issue.”

Garcia, who sits on the Island Grove Park Advisory Board, and Rademacher agreed that having permanent location for such a track could reduce the instances of illegal racing in the county.

“From what we’ve seen, there’s a definite interest in the populace to have somewhere to go (for such racing),” Garcia said. “I’d like to see something done right, that is appropriate for the land and the neighbors and is done in a legal manner.”

Sarah MacQuiddy, president of the Greeley Chamber of Commerce, said she knows little about the plan or horse racing in general, but she lauded the idea of bringing more audiences to Greeley, as visitors typically eat at local restaurants and patronize businesses while they’re here.

The track itself would likely eat up 200-250 parking spaces that would normally be used during the Stampede. Welch said the city recently purchased a lot across 11th Avenue and has plans to transfer it to the park.

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