近距离内射合集

HORSE RACING

Key races moving to Texas 'disappointing' but understandable for Ruidoso

Village's horse track remains in no condition to host events with no reopen date in sight

Ruidoso Downs did not host any of the Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown Series races this year and won't in 2027, either. Whether those events return remains unknown.
Published

Lynn Crawford apologized and silenced another call. 

The Ruidoso mayor鈥檚 phones 鈥 both his work and personal cells 鈥 hadn鈥檛 stopped ringing since Thursday鈥檚 announcement that the owners of Ruidoso Downs Race Track reached an agreement to move some of New Mexico鈥檚 most prominent horse races to Texas next year.

The latest person to reach out? A reporter from England.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 how big this story is,鈥 said Crawford, who planned on getting back to the Englishman after he finished his current interview.

And if the news doesn鈥檛 involve some of the state鈥檚 biggest races, it certainly involves its richest.

The Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown Series 鈥 $1 million Ruidoso Futurity, the $1 million Rainbow Futurity and the $3 million All-American Futurity, known as the richest quarter horse race in the world 鈥 is slated to run at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, in 2027. 

All three have historically run at Ruidoso Downs. All three were moved to the Downs at Albuquerque this year with the track in Ruidoso still inoperable from damage sustained during the South Fork and Salt fires in 2024 and the ensuing flash floods both that same year and in 2025. 

The first two legs of the Triple Crown took place in June and July, respectively. The All-American is scheduled for Monday

The All-American Super Select Sale and the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame will also be part of the move in a deal between owners Johnny and Jana Trotter, and Global Game Solutions, an investment company run by the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma that focuses on the gaming, racing and entertainment industries. 

鈥淔ollowing the fires and floods of recent years, we have taken a hard look at what comes next and evaluated every realistic path forward,鈥 Ruidoso Downs general manager Rick Baugh Thursday. 鈥淥ur responsibility has always been to protect not just a place but a legacy.鈥

It is unknown if the move to the track less than is temporary 鈥 either for just next year or the foreseeable future 鈥 or will become permanent. The deal for 2027 has yet to be finalized, but is expected to be in the coming weeks.

The Trotters, Crawford said, have been approached about selling Ruidoso Downs but so far have declined. The track remains without a reopen date.

Baugh did not respond to the Journal鈥檚 request for comment.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a business and businesses have to go on and move forward,鈥 Crawford said. 鈥淪o, I understand the decision. It鈥檚 just very disappointing because that track鈥檚 been there pretty close to 80 years.鈥

Certainly economically. Ruidoso Downs, Crawford said, brings in around $180 million annually to the region.

But much of that disappointment and frustration, the mayor added, stems from a lack of action and coordination from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Ruidoso, Crawford said, has $100 million worth of projects that have been obligated for environmental cleanup, infrastructure repairs, housing rebuilds. But the village must also match 25% of that budget. A difficult ask for a population of a little more than 7,500, the mayor said. 

No money means no projects. And no projects, Crawford added, means 鈥渢oo many variables鈥 for the Ruidoso Downs owners to commit to staying. In 2026. In 2027. And maybe beyond that.

鈥淗opefully, this will motivate our DHSEM and our FEMA people to try to move a little quicker on some of these issues so we can get these things done,鈥 Crawford said.

鈥... It shouldn鈥檛 be this hard, but maybe it is by design so you leave and you just finally quit asking for money and projects. I don鈥檛 know.鈥

David Glovach covers New Mexico 近距离内射合集 and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X .