Ruidoso Downs ownership and management confirmed the findings after months of consultations with local, state, and federal agencies, including meetings in Santa Fe earlier this month.
Sources: Village of Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs
Images: Courtesy Ruidoso Downs
After years of mounting environmental damage and failed mitigation efforts, Ruidoso Downs Racetrack has determined that continued operations at its historic location are no longer feasible, marking a significant turning point for New Mexico horse racing and the mountain community that has hosted it for more than six decades.
Heavy Equipment operators are removing more than 400,000 cubic yards of dirt and debris at Ruidoso Downs Race Track in October 2025.
The decision follows consecutive years of catastrophic flooding in 2024 and 2025, events that severely damaged track infrastructure and raised persistent safety concerns for patrons, employees, horsemen, and horses. On January 19, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford announced that the racetrack will not host the 2026 racing season, with the meet instead relocating to the Downs at Albuquerque.
“This news is heartbreaking for our entire community,” Crawford said, describing Ruidoso Downs as “woven into the very fabric of our region’s identity and economy.” While racing operations will move south, the 2026 New Mexico Bred Sale and Super Select Sale will remain in Ruidoso at the Downs’ sales pavilion, and Billy the Kid Casino will continue operating.
Photo of All American Yearling Sale at Ruidoso Downs.
Behind the decision lies a stark technical assessment. According to an engineering analysis conducted by JE Fuller for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, even moderate rainfall—approximately two inches per hour—poses a severe flooding risk at the racetrack due to fire-scarred terrain upstream. The report concluded that neither existing drainage improvements nor proposed on-site and upstream mitigation measures could adequately protect the facility from future flood events. Engineers ultimately determined the site is not sustainable as a public venue.
Ruidoso Downs ownership and management confirmed the findings after months of consultations with local, state, and federal agencies, including meetings in Santa Fe earlier this month. “Continuing operations at the current site…is not feasible,” the racetrack stated, citing safety concerns as paramount.
The closure reverberates well beyond the track itself. Since 1959, Ruidoso Downs has been home to the All American Futurity, one of the richest races in American horse racing and the final leg of the AQHA Triple Crown for two-year-old Quarter Horses. With a purse of $3 million—half awarded to the winner—the race has drawn national attention for decades and has been a cornerstone of Ruidoso’s summer economy.
After running uninterrupted in Ruidoso through 2023, the All American Futurity was relocated to Albuquerque in 2024 and again in 2025 due to flood damage. The 2026 season confirms what many feared: the move is no longer temporary.
Despite the loss, community leaders and track officials emphasize that the story is not finished. Mayor Crawford reaffirmed a collective commitment—shared by the Village of Ruidoso, Lincoln County, track ownership, and state officials—to pursue recovery efforts with the goal of returning championship racing to Ruidoso in 2027. That plan, however, depends on funding, large-scale infrastructure work, and long-term flood mitigation beyond the racetrack itself.
For now, the decision marks the end of an era defined by tradition, tourism, and the unmistakable sound of Quarter Horses thundering through the mountain air. It also reflects a sobering reality increasingly faced by communities across the Southwest: when climate-driven disasters repeatedly reshape the landscape, even beloved institutions may be forced to yield.
Ruidoso remains open. Its people remain resilient. And while the track may be silent, the legacy of Ruidoso Downs—etched into the history of American horse racing—endures.
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