Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino will resume live horse racing for the 2026 season, Director of Racing Dustin Dix confirmed.
Racing is set to restart Friday, Feb. 6, as the track recovers from late‑January rains and snow that suspended both training and live racing. Training across the full surface resumed Tuesday, Feb. 3, after the storm system forced officials to halt a live race program Jan. 23 after only four races.
Races scheduled for the final days of January — as well as races set for Sunday, Feb. 1, and Monday, Feb. 2 — were subsequently canceled. Horses were limited to jogging on the outside portion of the track for several days until the entire surface reopened.
What caused the track so many issues
Because the track received consistent rain and snow over three days from Jan. 23-25, it retained moisture, and it took longer for the track to dry out, according to Izzy Trejo, the Executive Director of racing in New Mexico.
The inside part of the track and the turns were most affected. In El Paso, temperatures have risen in recent days to help the track dry out.
Drying a racetrack requires repeated processing to remove excess water from the surface, which consists of dirt, sand, clay, silt, or wax-coated synthetic material.
Big quarter horse races set for Saturday, Feb. 7
A dozen of the nation’s top older quarter horses will run on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the 24th running of the $350,000, 440-yard Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park, one of three stakes races to be held on a very busy day of action. An early post of noon is set for Saturday’s expanded card.
The field, which features last year’s top two finishers in the Championship at Sunland Park, as well as the all-time leading money-earner in American Quarter Horse racing history and will be run as the 11th race on an expanded 11-race program that also features the 53rd edition of the $186,940 Shue Fly Stakes as well as the 20th running of the Lonnie and Candy Elam Memorial Stakes.
The field for the Championship at Sunland Park is one of the most impressive in the history of the race. Combined, the 12-horse field has won nearly 90 races with earnings approaching $9.5 million.
Among the top horses in the 440-yard Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park are hakers No Secret, winner of last year’s Championship at Sunland Park, KJ Desparado, who lost by a neck to Shakers No Secret in last year’s Championship at Sunland Park and FDD Dreams, recent winner of the Grade 1 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos Race Course last time out, drew the rail and has been installed as the 4-1 favorite.
Racing will also take place on Sunday and Monday with all-thoroughbred cards.
Sunland Derby will be held on Feb. 15; Post position draw on Feb. 8
The field for the 21st running of the $500,000 Sunland Derby will be announced live at a post-position draw inside the turf club at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m.
The Sunland Derby is a qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby. The winner of the $500,000 Sunland Derby receives 20 points. The top 20 point earners will determine the preference list for the 152nd Kentucky Derby on May 2. Points are also awarded to the second, third and fourth place finishers.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes; @Fchaveptimes on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Sunland Park horse racing returns with major quarter horse races, Derby qualifier
Reporting by Felix F. Chavez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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