July 21th, 2025 – Ruidoso Downs, NM –
After safety measures were taken to keep people and horses safe, there really wasn’t much left to do but watch the floodwaters fill up in the infield and barn area at Ruidoso Downs Racetrack last week.
“The first thing when we heard about the flooding that was happening upstream was to get everyone out of harm’s way including the horses,” General Manager Rick Baugh said.
“Out of 1,800 horses stalled in the barn area all got out safely except for two,” Rick said. “Otherwise everyone got out of the way. We were prepared with an evacuation plan and it worked.”
One of the horses that died during the flash flood suffered a broken ankle and was euthanized. A second horse aspirated from the murky floodwaters and died a few days later.
Unfortunately the track property suffered major damage once again. Rick said the damage is about ten-times worse than when the floodwaters hit three times last June and July after the Salt and South Fork Fires.
“The jock’s room had water all the way to the ceiling and the inside of the tote board was completely flooded,” Rick said. “The paddock was about ten feet underwater at the height of the flash flooding, and the barn area was about three or four feet underwater.”
“The floodwater reached the quarter horse track and into the grandstand which was not damaged last year,” Rick said. Crews have been working since last week cleaning up much of the damage.
Rick and owners Johnny and Jana Trotter met with Governor Michelle Luhan Grisham and New Mexico Army Corp of Engineers officials to discuss a plan going forward which includes opening the track back up for horse racing in 2026.
“The governor cared enough to come to the track and sat down with us for about two hours,” Rick said. “She told us that she would work hard for the community so that we could race again next year. She was very upbeat and positive.”
After the meeting, state engineers were given the task by the governor to come up with three proposals to mitigate potential flooding at the race track in the future, according to Rick.
“They will come back to us and give us options,” Rick said. “My view is that the river is going to need to return to the south side of the racetrack and bridges will need to be constructed instead of culverts so that debris can flow freely. Engineers will be working on a plan in the next several weeks and then come back to us for discussion.”
The flooding that damaged the racetrack might have saved other properties downstream including the “Spaghetti Flats” area as well as the sewage treatment facility in Ruidoso Downs that reportedly suffered some damage.
“The areas that did not flood is a positive after looking at what happened to us,” Rick said. “But clearly the racetrack took the brunt of the floodwaters and the clock is already ticking to rebuild for 2026.”
“I do want to say how much we’ve appreciated all of the well wishes from our racing fans,” Rick said. “We have had hundreds of people both locally and nationally reach out and tell us how much we mean to them. This racetrack is a special place in the hearts of so many.”
The remainder of the season is cancelled with the exception of the All American Futurity, Derby and Oaks returning to Albuquerque Downs later this summer. Billy the Kid Casino remains open seven-days-a-week, and the racetrack will host two benefit concerts.
The Casey Donahew concert will be held at Ruidoso Downs in the pavilion on Saturday, July 26, and the Bellamy Brothers concert has been moved to Albuquerque’s Tingley Coliseum on Sunday, August 31st. Both will raise money for local flood victims through the Community Foundation of Lincoln County.
