Affidavit: Illegal NM track raked in $75,000 at gate

A couple running a rural racetrack outside Los Lunas that attracted as many as 1,000 people at a time and once earned $140,000 for a horse owner have been arrested for commercial gambling. Susan Renova, 54, and her husband, Anselmo Renova, 56, both of San Clemente, were arrested Nov. 20 after an investigation that included confidential informants and undercover officers going to the track in April and May, after a report on KRQE about illegal racetracks. An arrest warrant affidavit describes a well-outfitted, well-maintained “fortified compound” at 25 Emilia Lane, where horse races were hosted about twice a month. A tire barrier five-feet high and four-feet thick surrounded a set of starting gates and graded area of loose soil that simulated the racing surfaces of professional horse racing facilities, the affidavit says. Entrance fees to the track varied, from $30 per vehicle to $10 to $30 a person. Undercover officers observed that the majority of the hundreds of people at the property were there to gamble on the horse races. The affidavit describes various similarities to sanctioned events: Horses wore the colors of their owners; the jockeys wore colored uniforms, helmets and torso protection; finish-line photos documented the winner; and family and friends could join the horse and rider for trophy photographs. The affidavit says law enforcement began investigating after KRQE aired footage showing, in addition to gambling, performance-enhancing drugs given to horses, drinking, drug exchanges, violence and a 9-year-old jockey...more