Track officials have announced plans to rebuild, with a full return to racing anticipated in 2026.

© Ruidoso Downs

RUIDOSO DOWNS, NM–JULY 22, 2025–After yet another flash flood swept through Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino earlier this month, damaging barns, infrastructure, and the infield, the focus has shifted from devastation to determination: a long, costly rebuild is ahead, but plans are already underway to bring racing back in 2026.

The track's leadership remains committed despite floodwaters reaching over 10 feet and destroying timing equipment, the scoreboard, and jockeys’ quarters.

“We remain confident that there will be horse racing again at Ruidoso Downs in 2026,” said owner Johnny Trotter. “We have been assured that the state of New Mexico will take corrective measures to improve flood control.”

This marks the second consecutive year the All American Futurity, Derby, and Oaks will be held in Albuquerque due to flood-related damage in Ruidoso. But unlike 2023, this time the vision is firmly on the comeback.

State and local leaders are already rallying around plans to ensure that vision becomes reality. U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury stressed the track’s critical role in the region’s economy, generating more than $150 million annually. “The impacts to the racetrack are catastrophic,” she said, “You cannot replace that overnight.”

State Rep. Harlan Vincent, R-Ruidoso Downs, said rebuilding isn’t optional. “Our county has to have that racetrack. We have to have it,” he said, calling for expanded flood control projects including as many as 12 retention ponds. “I’m tired of watching people’s houses float down the river. We’re smarter than that, and we’re going to fix it.”

The flooding also renewed frustration over limited forest thinning — a factor many locals blame for worsening disasters. Vincent called on the U.S. Forest Service to act. “I’m going to push as hard as I can until we get thinning programs back in the forest,” he said.

Meanwhile, the horsemen and women who’ve long called Ruidoso home are holding out hope. Linda Joiner, whose family has raced at the Downs since 1978 and won the 2023 All American Futurity, helped evacuate 65 horses during the flood.

“Racing has been here a long time in Ruidoso,” she said. “A lot of small businesses depend on this. I think they can rebuild… but I would worry about this happening again because of the burn scars.”

She noted her horses — some worth over $1 million — were caught in rising water within minutes. “Our horses were in about 8 inches of water in this barn pretty immediately,” she said. Last year, she evacuated horses twice during fires and floods. This marks her third evacuation in under 14 months.

Still, the will to rebuild remains as strong as the legacy of the mountain track.

“Everybody looks forward to coming to the mountain, to Ruidoso,” said assistant trainer Reginald Harrison. “It really puts an impact on the whole quarter horse industry.”