Tucumcari in race for sixth race track and casino in New Mexico
The major player and majority stock holder in Tucumcari’s bid for a race track
and casino is Rio Rancho businessman and car dealer Don Chalmers.
Chalmers and principals of a management team that plan to put together an
application to the state gaming and horse racing agencies spoke to about 200
people at the Tucumcari Convention Center.
“This is a No. 1 prospect ... If we get a license, there will be $40 million in
capital expenditures in Quay County to build what needs to be built,” said
Chalmers, who described himself as a car dealer and developer of businesses.
Chalmers said he was investing in the proposed casino and race track, sometimes
called a “racino,” to get a return on his investment and for Quay County. “I
know we’ll be successful in those goals,” he said.
Chalmers said he has established Coronado Partners, a New Mexico limited
liability corporation, to own and operate the race track and casino.
Other players are:
David Vance, president of the Vance Group, from Oklahoma City, Okla., who would
manage the racetrack operations. He is the former vice president of racing
operations at Louisiana Downs and Remington Park in Oklahoma.
Larry D. Woolf, president of the Navegante Group of Las Vegas, Nev., would
manage the casino operation. Earlier this year, he was approved to operate eight
casinos in Nevada by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Brad Friedmutter is founder and CEO of the Friedmutter Group of Las Vegas, which
specializes in casino, restaurant and entertainment venues. The Friedmutter
Group is the project’s architect.
Tucumcari is about 110 miles from Amarillo on I-40. Its planned gaming
operations are expected to draw from nearby Texas urban areas and the traffic
along I-40.
In addition to Tucumcari, there are three other groups vying for the license,
according to news reports. They are Horse Racing at Raton, the Pojoaque Pueblo
in Santa Fe.