Race fans were frantic Saturday when power went out in the building where bets were being placed just eight minutes before the Kentucky Derby was set to go off via simulcast at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Sonoita. A wildfire in the Mustang Mountains east of Sonoita burned a number of power poles on the Sulphur Springs Electrical Cooperative line to Sonoita, causing the outage.

Jeannies Hurricane, ridden by Daniel Gutierrez, inside, leads Little Grey Lady, ridden by Michael Ybarra, by a nose coming out of the last turn during the fourth race Saturday at the 94th running of the Sonoita Horse Races at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Power restored

Power was restored but Sonoita Fairgrounds officials had to plead with fire officials not to cut it for repairs until the Kentucky Derby Race was over, said Dean Fish, Agricultural Extension Agent for the University of Arizona.

They agreed, so the Derby was broadcast, along with the fourth live race in Sonoita.

The power was then cut for an hour, and the fifth and sixth races were held, but the final two races were run on Sunday due to darkness.

Fourth race

The winner of the fourth race was Jeannies Hurricane, ridden by Daniel Gutierrez and owned by Ramon Bazurto of Tucson. “This is the first year we’ve raced her. She broke her maiden in Pennsylvania, and she came back here and this is the fourth time I’ve run her here. This mare was bred and sold in Tucson,” Bazurto said.

Crowd

The crowd at the races was estimated at 3,000, including one lucky winner of $20,000 on the Derby �” the biggest payoff Sonoita has had, Fish said. “It’s a big event down here for our little fairgrounds. It’s a deal we count on every year, especially Kentucky Derby day,” race chairman Scott McDaniel said.

It’s a real boost for Sonoita’s economy, McDaniel said. “We enjoy all the people coming down.”

The crowds are the same, with the economy, but the handle isn’t as much, McDaniel said. “People aren’t betting as much. They’re sitting here, watching it, but not a lot of people are betting.”

Sponsors

Sponsors are part of the success of the Sonoita Races, McDaniel said. “It’s just a great time. We have a lot of fun out here, and a lot of great sponsors. It’s well-sponsored by the local people and people from the surrounding areas. There’s nobody who’s paid here. It’s all volunteers who put this event on.”

Stony Surrat from Sonoita has been coming to the Races for 35 years. He’s one of the vendors who makes the event a success. Surrat sells his own leather-craft, hats, T-shirts and some jewelry to race fans. Business is good, Surrat said. “It’s almost equal to last year. The races are great.” Surrat works out of his home in Sonoita.

State funding was cut back this year, making for smaller purses, McDaniel said. “They’re 30 percent off, but Sonoita’s still a great place to race. People have a good time here. Sonoita is tradition.”

The races

While their Kentucky Derby picks didn’t win, Matt and Diane Osborn of Tucson said they enjoyed the races. “The crowd is nice. The weather is nice, but it’s a little bit windy. So far, I haven’t won any money, but I’m expecting to win the big trifecta here,” Diane Osborn said.

The Osborns come every year, and have a collection of mint julep glasses from Sonoita. “We have about 40 of them now. We come each year and get about four of them. We love Sonoita. We also come down for the wine in Elgin.”

Brenda Cody from Wetstone is also a regular on Derby Day, she said. “It’s a good race. My horse did not come in. He got third place, but that’s OK. I’ll be back next year. I should have played win, place or show, but I didn’t. The racetrack and crowds are awesome. There’s a lot of good people and happy people.”