El Nuevo Comandante
Encyclopedia
El Nuevo Comandante renamed Hipodromo Camarero after a change of ownership in 2006, is a horse racing
building located in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
, to the east of San Juan
and Carolina
. It is about a fifteen minute drive from Carolina's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
, and 25 minutes east from the Isla Verde hotel
area.
El Nuevo Comandante was built in 1972,and opnened 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.
El Nuevo Comandante features a betting
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 El Nuevo Comandante is one million dollars, but this award has been claimed only once in history. In addition to the betting windows at El Nuevo Comandante, the sports complex has a link of betting agencies throughout Puerto Rico. These are called "agencias hipicas", and people can go there to place bets as well.
Races at "El Nuevo Comandante" have been shown on local television
and Les Oraliens on radio
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 , John Velazquez and J.A. Garcia.
Famous horses imported to run at El Nuevo Comandante have been: Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Bold Forbes, Santa Anita Derby winner Mister Frisky, Bandit Bomber, 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 races won in a row),
Vuelve Candy B.
(Triple Crown winner and first horse to earn a million dollars in Puerto Rico, Verset Dancer (Caribbean Derby winner and winner in USA) and Verset's Jet (son of Verset Dancer) and winner of Caribbean Derby and Confraternidad stakes-First horse to do so; among others.
We also have 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
has been held for 32 years: The Clasico del Caribe
is celebrated there yearly, with horses participating from Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, among other countries.
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
building located in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
Canóvanas, Puerto Rico
Canóvanas is a 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 7 wards and Canóvanas Pueblo...
, to the east of San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
and Carolina
Carolina, Puerto Rico
Carolina is a city located in the northern part of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean; it lies north of Gurabo and Juncos; east of Trujillo Alto and San Juan; and west of Canóvanas and Loíza. Carolina is spread over 12 wards plus Carolina Pueblo...
. It is about a fifteen minute drive from Carolina's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
, and 25 minutes east from the Isla Verde hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
area.
El Nuevo Comandante was built in 1972,and opnened 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.
El Nuevo Comandante features a betting
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
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 El Nuevo Comandante is one million dollars, but this award has been claimed only once in history. In addition to the betting windows at El Nuevo Comandante, the sports complex has a link of betting agencies throughout Puerto Rico. These are called "agencias hipicas", and people can go there to place bets as well.
Races at "El Nuevo Comandante" have been shown on local television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and Les Oraliens on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
since the building was inaugurated. Some of the most famous television sportscasters in Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
history have commented from there, including Norman H. Davila and Manolo Rivera Morales
Manolo Rivera Morales
Manuel Rivera Morales was a Puerto Rican sportscaster, radio announcer and marketing sales executive. Rivera Morales is considered by many to be the best sportscaster in Puerto Rican history...
.
Some famous jockeys have run there too, including Hall of Famer Angel Cordero , John Velazquez and J.A. Garcia.
Famous horses imported to run at El Nuevo Comandante have been: Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Bold Forbes, Santa Anita Derby winner Mister Frisky, Bandit Bomber, 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 races won in a row),
Vuelve Candy B.
Vuelve Candy B.
Vuelve Candy B was arguably one of the most popular champions in Puerto Rican Thoroughbred racing. The grey colt won the Puerto Rican triple crown in 1991 and the Clasico del Caribe that same year...
(Triple Crown winner and first horse to earn a million dollars in Puerto Rico, Verset Dancer (Caribbean Derby winner and winner in USA) and Verset's Jet (son of Verset Dancer) and winner of Caribbean Derby and Confraternidad stakes-First horse to do so; among others.
We also have 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
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
has been held for 32 years: The Clasico del Caribe
Clasico del Caribe
The traditional Clasico Internacional del Caribe or Caribbean Derby is the richest thoroughbred Grade I stakes race in Latin America for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held in Venezuela for 2010, on the first Sunday in December. The current holder of the title is the Venezuelan bred Water Jet,...
is celebrated there yearly, with horses participating from Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, among other countries.