Horse vans and truck-and-trailers transporting racehorses have continued to exit Ruidoso Downs after two wildfires in New Mexico prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents in the resort town of Ruidoso, N.M., and the relocation of hundreds of horses from the popular mountain track.
Ruidoso Downs racetrack, located in the Ruidoso suburb of the same name, hosts both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing, including the prestigious All American Futurity (G1).
A shift in wind and rain expected this week has generated optimism about improving conditions and reducing risk to the track. Showers are possible June 19, and rain chances increase June 20-21.
“Because the situation can change in a heartbeat, they got about half the horses out,” said Dr. Paul Jenson, president of the New Mexico Horsemen’s Association, Wednesday morning. “There is no cell phone communication, but people I’ve talked with who have driven out there say the track is safe and have stopped evacuating horses. They say the sky looks terrible a distance away but the track is OK.”
Jenson estimated around 1,000 horses were evacuated to the State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque, N.M., and to training centers near Ruidoso.
“They didn’t go a great distance because they were hoping to continue to race,” he said. “They are planning on taking entries Friday, not to race this weekend but starting next Friday. The bigger problem involves the people. There are no grocery stores open and no food. If there is food, it is cash only.”
Ismael “Izzy” Trejo, executive director of the New Mexico Racing Commission, said at 10 a.m. MT June 19 that, “More horses continue to pull out of there. (Some) are willing to stay the course. … So I certainly understand the logistics of trying to move horses out of there on a whim when you don’t have the tractor-trailers or horse trailers to get them out adequately and expeditiously.”
Though evacuation orders are in place, “What do you tell a guy when he has 60 horses and no vans? Walk your horses to Roswell?” Trejo said of a town more than 70 miles away. “So it’s one of those situations that I would consider dire, but some people are willing to just stay there and stay the course.”
Trejo said horses leaving Ruidoso have gone within the state to racetracks such as Sunland Park, Zia Park, and The Downs at Albuquerque. Other horses have gone to Texas.
Racing is going to be officially canceled through the weekend, Trejo said.
He said he was informed that the air around the track was “real smoky this morning after the winds subsided last night.”
“The smoke is billowing in the valley there,” Trejo said. “It’s a lose-lose situation. If you want wind to clear the smoke out, it can do that, but then it’ll stimulate the spread of the fire.”
Because of the telephone challenges, Trejo said he has been communicating with people in the area largely through emails.
Horse owner Jake Brown, reached late in the evening June 18, described taking his horses out in groups, some before an evacuation order was announced Tuesday afternoon. He said the only people allowed into the area are people “coming and going to get horses.”
“I was leaving to go back to Lone Star anyway, and I just didn’t see much downside to not just going ahead and loading ours up. …So I took them and got them to Lovington, N.M., and then went back and got the last few first thing (Tuesday) morning and got mine out.”
Brown said his horses would go to Lone Star Park in Texas to trainer Danny Pish.
“He’s gonna take care of them for us until then, and then we’ll see what happens the next few days and make a choice going forward with that,” he said. “But they’re safe and sound, and that’s the main thing right now.”
He said trainers Casey Lambert, Joel Marr, and Todd Fincher had transported their horses away from the area.
SingleSpur Livestock Hauling and Transportation and Reliance Ranches posted videos of horses also being transported from Ruidoso Downs on Facebook.
The two fires, South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, are along the ridges of the mountains surrounding the track giving some hope the track could be spared if their current courses do not deviate. But dry conditions have made controlling the fire troublesome.
As of Wednesday afternoon, officials said the South Fork Fire was estimated at 16,335 acres and approximately 1,400 structures in the area have been lost. The Salt Fire, located closer to Ruidoso Downs, was estimated at 7,071 acres in size. Both fires are 0% contained.
Racetracks and their backstretch barn areas are considered high-risk areas due to the presence of flammable materials such as wood, straw, and shavings.
Outbound traffic is allowed only in one direction on Highway 70 toward Roswell, leading to heavy traffic during the peak evacuation periods. Brown said few people are left in the village of Ruidoso other than emergency personnel.
Racing at Ruidoso Downs
The village of Ruidoso is popular with tourists and racegoers. It is situated in the heart of the Sacramento Mountains of Southern New Mexico, offering high-altitude relief in the summer compared to lower-level nearby desert areas.
On June 18, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency to exist in Lincoln County, where Ruidoso is located, and the Mescalero Apache Reservation.
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