Ruidoso Downs postpones Sunday card to Monday amid flash floods

A week after losing three programs to massive wildfires in a local forested area, Ruidoso Downs in southern New Mexico canceled the final two races on Saturday and postponed Sunday’s program to Monday after a flash flood inundated part of the track on Saturday afternoon.

The track canceled the 16th and 17th races on Saturday, time trials for the $1 million Rainbow Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses on July 14. Sunday’s program consisted entirely of time trials for the Rainbow Oaks and Rainbow Derby, scheduled for July 13. Those trial races have been moved to Monday, track owner Johnny Trotter said in a brief interview on Sunday morning.

A massive rainstorm struck some of the areas affected by one of the fires on Saturday afternoon, causing a runoff of debris from the burn area and rainwater to fill the normally tranquil Rio Ruidoso, which runs through the center of the track.

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The river runs under the turns of the Thoroughbred track. Ruidoso Downs has a separate 550-yard Quarter Horse chute in front of the stands.

The river rose so quickly that water covered the first turn and part of the backstretch on Saturday. There was standing water adjacent to the backstretch on Saturday evening after the river receded.

Trotter said crews worked through Saturday and into Sunday to repair the damage. The track sits on land lower than the area affected by one of the fires.

“We’ve got it put back together,” he said.

Trotter said jockeys refused to ride on Sunday, leading to the postponement to Monday.

“We have to put it off a day,” he said.

No races are scheduled on the Thoroughbred track until Thursday.

Ruidoso Downs resumed racing on Friday for the first time since June 16. On the morning of June 17, a wildfire erupted in the canyons and forested area surrounding the track. The track did not race from June 21-23 because of the fires.

The two fires, one south of the track and a much larger fire north and northwest of the track, had consumed more than 25,500 acres as of Sunday. The number of damaged acres was largely unchanged since June 24.

Crews consisting of more than 700 personnel, down from 1,000, have contained 79 percent of the fire north of the track and 84 percent of the fire south of the track, according to a statement on Sunday from the Village of Ruidoso.

More than 1.5 inches of rain fell on Saturday in some of the areas affected by fires, with less rain closer to the track, a spokesperson for the Village of Ruidoso wrote in a text message on Sunday.

The flash flood caused mud damage in some homes and led to street closures in some areas near the fire north of the track. The area remained under a flash flood warning on Sunday, with more rain possible.

A majority of the horses stabled at Ruidoso Downs were evacuated on June 17-18 to locations in New Mexico and west Texas, with some remaining at the track. Most of the horses that were evacuated began returning to the track on June 23.

There were 19 runners scheduled to start in Saturday’s 16th and 17th races, including Curls Magic Wagon, who was fourth in the $1.08 million Heritage Place Futurity at Remington Park on June 1. The owners of those horses will be refunded their nomination and entry fees for the Rainbow Futurity, with the horses remaining eligible for the 2025 Rainbow Derby or Rainbow Oaks for fillies.

Earlier on Saturday, Hezgothelook Z, winner of the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity at 350 yards on June 9, won a division of the trials to secure a place among the 10 finalists for the Rainbow Futurity at 400 yards on July 14.

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