HOBBS, NM—SEPTEMBER 7, 2017—Zia Park Racetrack will open its 56-day Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet with a nine-race program on Saturday. Post time for the first race is set for 12 p.m. (MDT).

Located in Hobbs, New Mexico, Zia Park will offer horsemen a 32-race stakes schedule, 19 for Thoroughbreds and 13 for Quarter Horses. The track's annual Land of Enchantment Day, which will be held on Wednesday, November 22.

Of the nine stakes scheduled for Land of Enchantment Day, three are for Quarter Horses, topped by the 440-yard, $150,000 Zia Park Championship (G1), which last year was won by eventual AQHA world champion Jessies First Down.

New Mexico Cup Day, Sunday, October 29, features 11 state-bred stakes, seven for Thoroughbreds and four for Quarter Horses. Total purses for New Mexico Cup Day are expected to exceed $2 million, making it the richest state- or province-bred day of racing in North America.

Other Quarter Horse stakes highlights include the 440-yard, $200,000-est. Hobbs America Derby (G3) and 400-yard, $300,000-est. Hobbs America Futurity (G2), both of which will be run on October 8, and the 440-yard, $200,000 Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) on December 3.

Zia Park will offer live racing on a Saturday-through-Tuesday schedule through December 12. The only exception to this schedule will be Thanksgiving week, when live racing will take place on Wednesday, November 22, instead of the previous Tuesday.

For more information on the Zia Park meet, visit ziaparkcasino.com.