Flash Flooding Devastates Ruidoso Downs

[Wandering Eyes]

Catastrophic flash flooding struck the Ruidoso, New Mexico area Tuesday night, washing away homes and businesses and causing significant damage to Ruidoso Downs. Several feet of water submerged the track and backside area with social media videos showing people and horses alike trying to escape through the torrent. Local reports indicate the Rio Ruidoso river rose to over 20 feet in under an hour in a remarkable, record-breaking flood event, the second Ruidoso has seen in as many years in an area already impacted by wildfire burn scars. CNN reported that at least three people, including two children, were killed in the flooding Tuesday. The Daily Racing Form reported that the rest of the track's 2025 meet, which was scheduled to conclude in September, has been called off with track owner Johnny Trotter telling DRF “We can't run at Ruidoso again this year. We can't put it back together.”

 

Ruidoso Downs Racetrack has been destroyed. Numerous horses were trapped in the flood waters. #nmwx pic.twitter.com/XR9Q15Xol4

— Scott (@RandomHeroWX) July 9, 2025

Major flooding at Ruidoso Downs today. It's being reported they still need trailers to remove horses. pic.twitter.com/V1HSeozXd8

— Michael Dempsey (@turfmichaeld) July 9, 2025

The National Weather Service office in Albuquerque put the Ruidoso area under a Flood Watch Tuesday morning around 9:00 a.m. local time, stating that “A Flood Watch for Flash Flooding is in effect below the recent burn scars around Ruidoso today. Another round of showers and thunderstorms will be capable of producing locally heavy rainfall on already saturated ground.”

The Ruidoso area is heavily prone to flash flooding, especially since the Salt and South Fork wildfires tore through the town last summer.

The Quarter Horse track, which runs annually from May through September, is in the midst of racing with a 10-race card scheduled for Friday and two Grade I events on the calendar for Saturday.

This flood comes nearly one year to the date after flash flooding over a burn scar ran through portions of the track last July. Ruidoso just completed repairs from that flood event in April.

This story will be updated.

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