Hipódromo Camarero (formerly known as El Nuevo Comandante) is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

building located in

Canóvanas, Puerto Rico Canóvanas (, ) is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico, located in the northeastern region, north of Juncos and Las Piedras; south of Loíza; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Canóvanas is spread over 6 barrios and Canóvanas ...

, to the east of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

and Carolina. It is about a fifteen-minute drive from Carolina's

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín'') , previously known as Isla Verde International Airport (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional de Isla Verde''), ...

, and 25 minutes east from the Isla Verde

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

area. The new administration of Camarero Race Track Corporation start operations on January 5, 2007. El Nuevo Comandante was built in 1976, and opened on October 31, 1976, to substitute the original "El Comandante" building, which had been located in Carolina, from January 1957 to mid October 1976. It has become arguably the most important horse racing complex in the island, holding horse races every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Camarero features a

betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...

window, in which players can try their luck at different games, such as "El Pool Pote" and others. The top award a player can win at Hipodromo Camarero is the "Pool Pote" (Pool Pot) which has reached a staggering 12 Million dollars and has been the largest pot ever won in Puerto Rico's Horse Racing Industry. In addition to the betting windows at El Nuevo Comandante, the Industry has a link of betting agencies throughout Puerto Rico. These are called "agencias hipicas", and people can go there to place bets as well and enjoy local refreshments and snacks. Races at "El Nuevo Comandante" have been shown on local

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and on

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

since the building was inaugurated. Some of the most famous television sportscasters in Puerto Rican history have commented from there, including Norman H. Davila and Manolo Rivera Morales. Some famous jockeys have run there too, including Hall of Famer

Angel Cordero An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various ...

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey ...

, Luis Hiraldo and J.C. Diaz. Famous horses imported to run at El Nuevo Comandante have been: Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner

Bold Forbes Bold Forbes (March 31, 1973 – August 9, 2000) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the 1976 Kentucky Derby and 1976 Belmont Stakes. Background Bold Forbes was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Lee Eaton. Bold Forbes' dam Comely Nel ...

, Santa Anita Derby winner Mister Frisky, Bandit Bomber and Dawn Glory (Stakes winner in USA). Among the native horses: Hurly Road (Triple Crown winner), Ribot's Verset (one of the best sires in Puerto Rican history), My favorite Place (Multiple allowance winner in California) Capa Prieto (undefeated for years), Camarero (Holds a record of 56 consecutive wins in a row), Vuelve Candy B (Triple Crown and Caribbean Derby winner and the only horse to earn a million dollars in Puerto Rico), El Platino ("Copa Budweiser" winner), Verset Dancer (Caribbean Derby winner and winner in USA) and Verset's Jet (son of Verset Dancer) who's the first horse to complete the Caribbean Derby and Confraternidad Stakes double. El Nuevo Comandante also has the infamous distinction (Guinness record) of having the horse with the most consecutive losses (Dona Chepa) with 134 consecutive loses (through 11/2/08 without a win) El Nuevo Comandante is also the site where the most famous race in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

has been held for 32 years: The Clasico del Caribe has been celebrated there many times, with horses participating from Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, among other countries.

External links

Official website(El Nuevo Comandante information is available here in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hipodromo Camarero 1976 establishments in Puerto Rico Canóvanas, Puerto Rico Horse racing venues in Puerto Rico Sports venues completed in 1976