Quarter Horse Racing’s Richest Triple Crown Leaves Ruidoso Downs for Texas Track in 2027

One of horse racing’s most storied traditions is relocating. The owners of Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico have reached a tentative agreement with Global Gaming Solutions to move the track’s quarter horse Triple Crown Series and related assets to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, roughly 20 miles west of Dallas, beginning in 2027.

The deal, announced Sept. 3, transfers all three legs of quarter horse racing’s Triple Crown — the $1 million Ruidoso Futurity, the $1 million Rainbow Futurity and the $3 million All-American Futurity — along with the All-American Super Select Sale and the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame. Together, the three futurities represent the richest purses in quarter horse racing, and the All-American dates back to 1959.

The relocation follows years of natural disasters at the New Mexico facility. Flooding damaged the track in 2024, forcing the American Quarter Horse Association to stage the All-American Futurity temporarily at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque. Floods prompted the same move again in 2025, and a house fire near the track added further disruption this summer. The race, which ran Monday in Albuquerque, will remain there for 2026 before the Texas transition takes effect the following year.

“Following the fires and floods of recent years, we have taken a hard look at what comes next and evaluated every realistic path forward,” Ruidoso Downs General Manager Rick Baugh said in the announcement. “Our responsibility has always been to protect not just a place but a legacy.”

Lone Star Park opened in 1997 and sits on 315 acres with stabling for 1,600 horses. Global Gaming Solutions, an enterprise of the Chickasaw Nation based in Oklahoma, also operates Remington Park in Oklahoma City and a portfolio of casinos. Company CEO Skip Seeley said the goal is to continue the traditions while introducing them to racing fans across North Texas and beyond.

The deal underscores broader consolidation in the racing and gaming landscape, where venues with deep pockets and diversified operations — from casino operators to companies like Churchill Downs Incorporated, whose shares closed at $87.07, essentially flat on the day, valuing the company at roughly $6.07 billion — increasingly anchor major racing properties. Whether other historic events follow a similar path to larger commercial venues remains an open question for the industry.

What to watch

• Finalization of the tentative agreement between the Trotters and Global Gaming Solutions ahead of the 2027 season.
• Lone Star Park’s plans for race dates, purses and the Super Select Sale schedule in Texas.
• The 2026 running of the All-American Futurity in Albuquerque, expected to be the last before the move.
• Any updates on recovery and future operations at Ruidoso Downs itself.

Source: original release