Ruidoso Downs takes another blow as severe flooding once again sweeps through area

Yahoo

20 hours ago

RUIDOSO DOWNS, N.M. (KRQE) – Flooding in Ruidoso has once again impacted Ruidoso Downs Race Track, resulting in another blow to the community, which relies heavily on tourism. Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford announced Wednesday that the Rainbow Futurity, the second leg of the Triple Crown Series, will not take place this weekend because of the damage.
Homes destroyed in 'truly unprecedented flooding' in Ruidoso
'This was the second leg of the Triple Crown quarter-horse racing that was supposed to start this Friday, Saturday, and conclude on Sunday. That is not happening. Those are multimillion-dollar races. So as you can imagine, a lot of that revenue will not be coming into town in the form of hotel revenues, restaurants, purchases from our businesses in Midtown,' Crawford said during a press conference.
KRQE News 13 has reached out to Ruidoso Downs, and they said they will not be doing on-camera interviews on Wednesday and provided this statement:
'We want to start this morning by saying Thank you to all those that have reached out and checked in on our property, team members and animals.
Due to the severity of the flood waters, we are currently assessing all damage to best determine next steps. Safety is our top priority and what we will focus on today as we work towards a plan. We will continue to post on social media and our website as details come available.
Our thoughts & prayers are with all those affected and serve as a reminder that we are stronger together. #ruidosostrong'
Crawford said the race track has a $150 to $160-million yearly impact on the local economy and employs 500 to 600 people.
Prior to the press conference, Crawford spoke about the flooding damage on 1490 KRUI The Mountain. In that update, Crawford said some horses were lost or missing, and that the track would not function for the remainder of the season, and could possibly be done after 77 years in operation.
KRQE News 13 asked Ruidoso Downs officials about those comments and received this reply from the track:
'We are still evaluating the damage, including some horses.'
Ruidoso Downs reopened in May after making repairs to the track after it was damaged in severe flooding on the South Fork and Salt fires in 2024.
PHOTOS: Historic flash flooding in Ruidoso causes destruction
In addition to the repair work, officials also implemented flood prevention features on the grounds, adding culverts and building an 8-acre retention basin in the infield. At this time, it is unclear if those features held up in the flooding.
Apart from the potential economic loss from Ruidoso Downs, Mayor Crawford asked visitors not to travel to the village at this time.
'We are not encouraging people to come to Ruidoso right now. It's just not safe, we have a lot of damage that's being done.'
Officials are still assessing the damage to homes, businesses, roads, and other infrastructure in the village, like the sewer plant, water, electric, and gas utilities.
Amid all the destruction, the biggest devastation of it all was the three people, an adult man and two children, who died in the flooding. 'We are here today talking about the catastrophe that we just experienced, the biggest catastrophe of all was the three lives that we lost,' Crawford said at the press conference.
As of Wednesday morning, search and rescue operations were still underway, and the village is assisting people who were displaced by the floods.
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