The city of Ruidoso, N.M., and surrounding areas, hammered by wildfires and flash flooding last summer, experienced further flooding July 8 after heavy monsoonal rains. The flood waters led to three deaths around the city, officials said, and impacted homes and businesses, including the Quarter Horse racetrack located there, Ruidoso Downs.
Speaking during a morning press conference July 9, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said, "The racing season is canceled for 2025. The assessments are being done on the racetrack. The culverts that were put in held.
"I don't know what the future is. As you can imagine, emotions are raw after all the work and planning that went into that, and now for it to be destroyed. So there will be more determinations made on that later."
Ruidoso Downs is home to some of the most significant events in Quarter Horse racing, including the All American Futurity. It is not yet clear if those races will be contested elsewhere this year or canceled altogether.
Videos captured and distributed on social media showed raging, muddy floodwaters rising Tuesday in the Ruidoso area alongside homes in the area and running through the backstretch and infield portion of Ruidoso Downs, as well as the stable area. One video captured a horse swimming unattended through floodwaters in the stable area, while other horses were still in their stalls amid the rising floodwaters that appeared at least several feet deep in some locations.
The rapid flooding has been attributed in part to wildfire burn scars that have hindered rainfall absorption.
Izzy Trejo, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, credited those on-site who responded to the needs of humans and horses. He commended steward Violet "Pinkie" Smith for moving horses to higher ground.
He said, "We did have some horses injured from debris and got caught up there yesterday," and praised veterinarians at Ruidoso for their quick treatment of injured horses.
Ruidoso Downs is susceptible to flooding as the Rio Ruidoso runs through the middle of the track. Flooding of the track is not uncommon, especially during the summer monsoon season. On Tuesday, the Rio Ruidoso rose to a record-breaking 20 feet, five feet higher than the previous record. The rising waters made their way onto the Quarter Horse racing surface, which did not occur last year during flooding.
A morning update posted on Facebook by Jesus Figueroa Wednesday morning showed that much of the floodwater had receded, but debris and standing pools of water still lingered. There is a threat of additional rain on Wednesday afternoon.
Following last year's incidents, scheduled racing ultimately was moved to Albuquerque. This year, Ruidoso Downs elected to run only Quarter Horses, rather than Thoroughbreds, after having previously operated a mixed-breed meet. In a February statement, Rick Baugh, the track's general manager, said that decision was made "knowing we would likely be unable to master a full reconstruction of the track that would allow for Thoroughbred racing."
Baugh did not return a phone call or text message seeking an update on Ruidoso Downs after Tuesday's flooding.
Trejo acknowledged Ruidoso Downs' riverside location places the track at continued risk.
"Because this could be an every-year occurrence, it's not a bad idea to question the location of this racing facility if it is going to put horses and humans in harm's way continuously," he said.
