Jockey Omar Iturralde, riding S Super King (8) narrowly outfinishes Fire Powwer in the $216,116 New Mexico Breeders Futurity, Saturday, May 24, 2025 at SunRay Park and Casino. (Coady Media)
Jockey Omar Iturralde, riding S Super King (8) narrowly outfinishes Fire Powwer in the $216,116 New Mexico Breeders Futurity, Saturday, May 24, 2025 at SunRay Park and Casino. (Coady Media)Coady Media

FARMINGTON – The 2026 live racing season at SunRay Park and Casino is set to open Friday, April 10 for a six-week meet.

Racing will be held three days a week with post time each Friday, Saturday and Sunday set for 1:15 p.m. Quarter horse and thoroughbred racing will be conducted each day with the meet slated to end Sunday, May 17.

The start of the SunRay season comes on the heels of the live racing meet at Sunland Park with the next meet of live racing taking place at Albuquerque Downs, which will serve as the official host of the Ruidoso Downs season.

SunRay Park Stakes Schedule

Friday, April 10$70,000 New Mexico Breeders Stakes, 400 Yards

Saturday, April 11$75,000 Kendrick Inaugural Stakes, 6 1/2 Furlongs

Sunday, April 12$70,000 Russell & Helen Foutz 6 1/2 Furlongs

Sunday, April 19$75,000 La Plata Stakes, 400 Yards

Saturday, April 25$75,000 Jack Cole Stakes, 6 1/2 Furlongs

Friday, May 1$70,000 Jimmy Drake Stakes, 350 Yards

Saturday, May 16$120,000-Added New Mexico Breeders Futurity, 350 Yards$75,000-Added Four Corners Futurity, 350 Yards

Sunday, May 17$75,000 San Juan County Commissioners Stakes, 1 1/8 Miles$70,000 C. O. Ken Kendrick Stakes, 6 1/2 Furlongs

Management at Ruidoso Downs announced last year that the track would be unable to accommodate a racing schedule following a second consecutive summer of damaging floods which caused significant damage to the facility.

SunRay Park and Casino’s 18-day meet will feature a total of 10 stakes races worth purse money of more than $775,000. The highlight races of the season will be for quarter horses, with the $120,000-added New Mexico Breeders Futurity slated for Saturday, May 16. That race is a Grade 3 event restricted to state-bred 2-year-olds.

Last year’s edition of the New Mexico Breeders Futurity, at a distance of 350 yards, was won by Tony Sedillo-trainee S Super King with Omar Iturralde in the irons. The purse of the Futurity last season was valued at $216,116.

The finals for the Four Corners Futurity, which will be run the same day, was won last season by jockey Gerardo Vera aboard 42-to-1 longshot Bv Mexican Foose. The purse money for the race was valued at more than $170,000.

Trials for both futurity races will be held at SunRay on Friday, April 24.

Jockeys Miguel Perez and Alfredo Sigala won titles at last year’s meet. Sigala, the leading quarter horse rider with nine wins, edged Luis Martinez for the crown. Perez won the thoroughbred riding title last year with 16 wins, four ahead of Enrique Gomez and Irwin Rosendo.

Sedillo and thoroughbred trainer Greg Green each won their respective divisions during last year’s campaign.

Green saddled 14 winners in the thoroughbred division, three more than Martin Valdez-Cabral, while Sedillo’s six winners narrowly topped James J Gonzales III and Fernando Carrete.

For more information on the upcoming SunRay Park and Casino season, check out the track’s official page online at equibase.com.