Racing Dates

Racing takes place at Ruidoso Downs from Memorial Weekend right up to Labor Day Weekend, Friday through Sunday with post time usually at 1PM and with results appearing here

About Ruidoso

Ruidoso Downs Racetrack sits in the town of Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico and hosts both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The richest quarter horse racing of all in fact is run here, the American Futurity, though plenty of prize money is on offer throughout the year for thoroughbreds too (see below).

The largest prizes are for the quarter horses round here however with the Grade 1 All American Derby, staged in early September, carrying a purse of almost $2,000,000.

Simulcast racing is on offer at the track allowing bettors to wager on races all around the country every day, while a casino sits on the site too offering table and video games which help greatly the revenue generated by Ruidoso Downs. The gaming facility is known as the Billy The Kid Casino.

The track sits 189 miles from the middle of Albuquerque up the I-25, another 136 miles from downtown El Paso and only 70 miles from Roswell though its own local community supports the facility very well.

Ruidoso History

Ruidoso Racetrack’s history is proof of the sort of ingenuity shown by people in their willingness to watch horse racing.

The town of Ruidoso Downs suffered a flood in the 1940’s which led to fields being covered in silt and gravel and, in an opportunistic move, a rudimentary race track was formed on the surface. After this, around 1945,a rodeo stand was moved from the village of Captain, NM to the field where racing was taking place.

Having become more professional over the years, the track was bought in 1953 and over the next ten years or so many expansions took place until in 1957 the All American Futurity was created for quarter horses.

After a partial change of ownership in 1988, millions of dollars were invested into Ruidoso which had fallen into disrepair and in 1989 simulcast wagering was offered at the facility for the first time, something which is vital these days to overall revenue.

A sales pavilion and sports theatre were built later and this is where the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sales are held every year to this day. A casino, adjacent to the main race track, was opened on site in 1999 and this has helped revenue greatly just as with most tracks around the country meaning prize money is in great shape at Ruidoso.

Ruidoso Track Details

Ruidoso Downs has a one-mile dirt track and plenty of stabling for horses. There is no turf racing facility on the site which does not detract from the overall offering of the facility to racegoers.

Biggest Races

Mrs Jess Perry – $100,000 (June).

Ruidoso Sprint Handicap – $30,000 (June).

Corona Cartel – $100,000 (July).

First Down Dash – $100,000 (September).

Rio Grande Senor Futurity Final – $175,000 (September).

All American Juvenile – $200,000 (September).

Place Your Ruidoso Downs Bets With TVG!

Now you know all about the New Mexico track, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

26225 US-70, Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346, USA

Contact

Jeff True (jtrue@raceruidoso.com)