Where would American Quarter Horse racing be today without Ruidoso Downs? Where would horse racing in New Mexico be today without Ruidoso Downs?

First, you might be standing in a field instead of enjoying the best Quarter Horse racing. By the 1930s, in a meadow between the Rio Ruidoso (the river that runs through the infield of the racetrack) and “old Mr. Miller’s cornfield,” match races between cow ponies had gained popularity. By the 1940s, the horses were being bred for speed rather than their ability to work a cow, and local residents and visiting Texans were betting on them among themselves while enjoying an afternoon picnic. The racetrack was a straightaway with a four-horse starting gate and a 12-foot rise from that gate to the finish line.

“There was hardly a week during those summers at Ruidoso when somebody wouldn’t pull into town from Carlsbad or Midland, get into boasting over corn mash about the speed of his horse and end up broke in Mr. Miller’s meadow,” one old-time horseman said.

In 1947, pari-mutuel wagering was legalized in New Mexico, and the track along the Rio

Ruidoso was called Hollywood Park. A canvas-covered grandstand was built and by 1949, Hollywood Park featured a 5/8ths-mile oval and became the first track to contest 870-yard races that pit Thoroughbreds against Quarter Horses. Hollywood Park also became the first track in the Southwest to have a complete film patrol with races filmed from two angles.

By 1953, the track was known as Ruidoso Downs and Gene Hensley became the majority shareholder. With help from Californian Carl Mercer and tireless promotion from Ray Reed, Hensley developed the All American Futurity. With its first running in 1959, the All American Futurity became Quarter Horse racing’s signature event and put New Mexico horse racing on the map. Horsemen from across the Southwest relished the escape from the summertime heat to race their prized horses in Ruidoso’s cool mountain air and take aim on the lucrative race.

In 1986, Ruidoso Downs was reconfigured with the current 7/8ths-mile oval and the separate 550-yard chute for American Quarter Horse racing. In the process, an infamous piece of track history was eliminated. The old track featured an area known as “the hump,” which was located where the Thoroughbred track met the Quarter Horse track at the top of the stretch. “The hump” caused some Quarter Horses with an inside post position to lose momentum when they reached the area, while others hit “the hump” at the right point in their stride and were propelled to victory.

Several years later, successful horseman and businessman R.D. Hubbard and his partners bought Ruidoso Downs. Recognizing the track’s potential, Hubbard was driven to build on its unique legacy. In the 1990s, however, Ruidoso Downs weathered lean years, but management remained committed to New Mexico racing. The track began to rebound when legislation allowing casinos at racetracks in New Mexico permitted the addition of the Billy the Kid Casino. After opening in 1999, the casino quickly started contributing cash to race purses and helped secure Ruidoso Downs’ future.

Throughout the colorful history of Ruidoso Downs, the spirit of match racing in Mr. Miller’s meadow remains as horsemen from North America and South America gather each summer to prove who has the fastest horse.