Albuquerque is at its best in autumn. This is the time of color, the harvest of chili and apples, and the sweet scent of pinon burning in fireplaces in the first chilly night.Horse racing is a major activity here.Horse racing has been going on for thousands of years. From the time man first domesticated horses, people have raced horses in some manner.All bets are placed based on the numbers assigned to a horse by the track (saddlecloth numbers). These numbers are printed beside thenameof the horse on the race program. Some tracks use thepost position as the horse number. Odds are an approximation of how much a horse will pay to win a race. You will notice that as wagering on a race progresses closer to post time, the odds will change.Bonuses are a new standard being introduced into horse racing by offshore and online competition. Downs racetrack remains the most ambitious and comprehensive renovations in the history of the track in albuquerque.