Ruidoso’s almost 80-year-old horse racetrack has been a major driver for the mountain village’s economy, and an important part of its identity.
So, when Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino owner Johnny Trotter — a Texas horseman, rancher and feedlot operator — announced Sept. 3 that the track’s three marquee races
, including the nation’s richest race for quarter horses, are moving to Texas, it may be the track’s final bell.It was unable to operate in 2026 and had drastically shortened seasons in 2025 and 2024 because of historic flooding in 2025and historic fires in 2024.
The Quarter Horse Racing Triple Crown races were held at Albuquerque’s racetrack the last three summers.
The track is in a flood-prone area, and its roadway entrance was closed
in July after an engineering report deemed it unsafe. That forced the racetrack's casino and horse race simulcast betting operations to close.
“It’s a bummer,” said Shelby Rist-Gutierrez, co-owner of the Downshift Brewing Company, which operates two restaurant/bars in Ruidoso and a standalone brewery.
“The track is a big economic driver in this town, but I think we all knew two years ago that this was a possibility.”
Ruidoso Downs' economic impact: $160 million
When in normal operation, the track has an estimated economic impact of about $160 million per year on the Ruidoso area, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford and a track official said. That number was derived from gaming and tourism data on the combined economic activity of all New Mexico tracks, Crawford said.
“For generations, racing season has been one of our busiest stretches of the year, filling hotel rooms, restaurants, and shops. It is also part of who we are as a community, not just a line on a budget,” Crawford said in a statement.
“Losing the marquee (racing) events is a hit to our identity and our economy.
“But I am confident that tourists will still come to enjoy all that Ruidoso has to offer. Our focus now is making sure Ruidoso stays strong regardless of where the racing calendar lands.”
Packed Labor Day brings hope of better future
If the recent Labor Day weekend is an indicator, Ruidoso may be able to prosper without Ruidoso Downs.
“It was packed. … I mean Ruidoso was hopping” during Labor Day weekend, Rist-Gutierrez said. She's also a board member of the Ruidoso Midtown Association, aimed at revitalizing Ruidoso's Main Street business area, known as Midtown.
“I think everyone who owns a business will tell you there could be more business. But it was a good (Labor Day) weekend, and a good summer across town.”
It happened without the racetrack in operation.
“Yes, we don’t have that one attraction now, but there are plenty of other things to enjoy up here,” Rist-Gutierrez said.
Including escaping the brutal Texas heat in the forest-filled Sacramento Mountains.
The village is about 140 miles north of El Paso, or about a two-hour drive.
Burro race, triathlons open economic avenues
“Folks have been coming up to Ruidoso since the ‘20s to cool off and to enjoy the scenery and partake of the outdoor opportunities, and we’ve still got that,” said Greg Cory, a former El Paso bank CEO who now is chairman of the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce and a village council member.
Cory and Rist-Gutierrez said Ruidoso community leaders are trying to diversify Ruidoso’s economy by bringing in new events and not count so heavily on the racetrack or Ski Apache, a ski area on the outskirts of the village.
Ruidoso had the Ironman half triathlon in September, is hosting the Xterra World Championship triathlon in early October, and in August had the New Mexico State Disc Golf Championships and the first Sierra Blanco Bonanza burro race, part of the New Mexico Pack Burros group’s race series and part of a larger race circuit in several Western states.
Rist-Gutierrez said the burro race was a surprisingly big event that brought people from across the United States.
The Inn of the Mountain Gods resort hotel, a few miles from Ruidoso, also draws visitors to the area.
Can Ruidoso be a movie star?
Gavin Bigger, a Ruidoso Realtor, said the movie business may be another economic avenue for Ruidoso after parts of “The Lost Bus,” a 2025 thrillerabout a deadly California wildfire, starring Matthew McConaughey, was shot there.
Scenes were shot in Ruidoso in April 2024, ironically months before wildfires ravaged the New Mexico village.
New Mexico and Lincoln County offer some of the best tax breaks in the United States for movie producers, and beautiful scenery, Bigger said.
Rist-Gutierrez, the owner of Downshift Brewing, said that for several years, businesses and others in Ruidoso have recognized the need to diversify.
“It’s not just the track. I mean, we’ve had good snow years and bad snow years, and you can’t just rely on two major drivers, on the track and on the ski mountain, to bring people in,” Rist-Gutierrez said. “You have to have a number of different, interesting activities and businesses for people to enjoy."
More: Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino sale done; $301M deal includes real estate leaseback
Horse racing's lure waning nationwide
Even before the fires and the floods, the track’s economic impact was waning, Rist-Gutierrez and others said.
Mayor Crawford said it’s no secret that horse racing attendance has been on the decline in New Mexico and across the nation for more than a decade.
“Ruidoso was not immune to that trend,” Crawford said in a statement. “The fires and the flooding accelerated a change that was already underway.”
That doesn’t mean Ruidoso’s business owners and community leaders don’t want to see the racetrack return.
“Everybody and their mom wants to get the racetrack going again,” Bigger, the Realtor, said. “It’s not over until she sings, you know what I mean?”
Does Ruidoso Downs have a future?
A big problem is Ruidoso Downs’ flood-prone property and the unsafe roadway entrance.
"An outside engineering assessment concluded that even significant flood control investment cannot reliably protect the current track from a moderate rain event given the burn scar above town, and that is a safety finding, not a preference," Mayor Crawford said in a statement.
Where Johnny and Jana Trotter “ultimately choose to run their races is their call as the track's owners," Crawford said.
"What I can tell you is the village is not giving up on this industry having a presence in Ruidoso, even as its footprint changes."
New Mexico Racing Commission needs answers
The owners have made no announcements on their track plans — whether they somehow reopen at the present location, move the track, or sell it.
The track needs to hold at least 17 race days to obtain a New Mexico racing license, which is required to operate a casino at the track, said Ismael “Izzy” Trejo, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission.
The track normally has about 45 race days starting in late May and ending in early September.
Selling a license without a racetrack location would be a unique scenario, he said.
The commission held a special meeting Sept. 30 to discuss the status of Ruidoso Downs during a closed executive session lasting 1 hour, 40 minutes. Rick Baugh, the track's general manager, attended the meeting in Albuquerque. Track owner Johnny Trotter spoke with the three commissioners by telephone.
The commissioners took no action.
The meeting is part of a fact-finding mission and part of the dialogue needed with Ruidoso Downs officials, Trejo said.
"If they are not going to run, we need to figure out a way to fill the void of the 40-plus race dates that they’ve been allocated in 2027.”
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421;vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on X, and @vkolenc.bsky.socialon Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: End of an era? Ruidoso, NM businesses plan life without horse racing
