Time trials canceled due to continued flooding

Ruidoso Downs in southern New Mexico canceled racing for the second consecutive day on Monday after ongoing flash floods caused by runoff from recent wildfires in the area damaged a portion of the track.

Ruidoso Downs canceled the final two races of Saturday’s 17-race program when the normally tranquil Rio Ruidoso, which runs through the center of the track, burst its banks, leading to widespread flooding on the first turn and part of the backstretch.

The track postponed a 13-race program scheduled for Sunday to Monday. Track officials announced early Sunday evening that racing was canceled for Monday.

The program was intended to be 13 time trials for the Rainbow Oaks for 3-year-old Quarter Horse fillies and Rainbow Derby for 3-year-olds. The track said in a statement on Sunday evening that it was unclear whether trials for those races will be held, pending discussions with owners and trainers and the New Mexico State Racing Commission. There is a possibility the races will be canceled and owners will be refunded nomination and entry payments.

The Rainbow Oaks and Rainbow Derby are two of the most important races of the year for 3-year-old Quarter Horses. Finals of those races are scheduled for July 13.

The two races canceled on Saturday were trials for the Rainbow Futurity, which will have a $1 million final on July 14. The owners of runners in the canceled races were refunded their nominating and entry fees.

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The canceled programs in recent days come a week after the track lost three days of racing on June 21-23 from the effects of massive wildfires in area forests first detected on June 17.

Massive rainstorms struck the Ruidoso area on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, causing a runoff of debris, mud and water from the burn areas to fill the Rio Ruidoso.

Maintenance crews worked through Saturday and into Sunday to repair the damage on the track only for another flash flood to occur on Sunday. Images on social media on Sunday recorded a current of fast-moving water and debris cascading from local mountains down a heavily traveled road approximately 1.5 miles from the racetrack with the strength to move cars and 18-wheelers.

While Ruidoso Downs has a dedicated Quarter Horse track in front of the stands that was not affected by the floods, the area that sustained damage is part of the Thoroughbred track where runners gallop out after completing Quarter Horse races.

The next day of scheduled racing is Thursday, a program with races for Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds.

Ruidoso Downs resumed racing last Friday for the first time since June 16.

The two wildfires 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 early Monday. The number of damaged acres is largely unchanged since June 24.

Crews consisting of approximately 700 personnel, down from 1,000, have contained 84 percent of both fires, according to a statement issued on Monday by 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. Another inch of rain fell in some areas around Ruidoso on Sunday, according to the United States Geographical Survey’s website.

The flash flood on Saturday and Sunday caused mud damage in some homes and led to multiple street closures in areas near the track.

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