Ruidoso Downs Race Track Hosts Kentucky Oaks and Derby Watch Party & Foxworth Galbraith Home and Garden Show

May 6, 7, and 8

Ruidoso Downs will host its annual Kentucky Derby party in the Turf Club on Saturday, May 7. The public may reserve a $50 table for four in the Turf Club for the afternoon. Reservations can be made online at www.raceruidoso.com.

Wagering on the Kentucky Oaks and Derby from Churchill Downs: Simulcast wagering on the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby will be held in the simulcast area and Billy’s Sports Bar on Friday and Saturday starting at 8AM. Advance wagering on the Kentucky Derby will begin on Friday.

Here are the top three-year-old thoroughbreds expected to run in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 7:

          Epicenter (5-1)

          Messier (6-1)

          Taiba (6-1)

          Zandon (6-1)

          Mo Donegal (8-1)

          Smile Happy (14-1)

          White Abarrio (14-1)

          Charge It (20-1)

          Tiz The Bomb (20-1)

          Zozos (20-1)

          Cyberknife (22-1)

          Simplification (22-1)

          Early Voting (26-1)

          Morello (25-1)

Friday, May 6 in the Turf Club: The Turf Club will open at 11AM on Friday with a $10 admission per person. Simulcast wagering will be held throughout the day, and training races will begin at 1PM. Food and beverages will be served.

Saturday, May 7 in the Turf Club: The Turf Club will open at 11AM, and the public can simulcast wager on all cards, including Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Each $50 table (four people) will receive a complimentary appetizer from the new Turf Club menu. Training races will begin at 1PM, and food and beverages will be served throughout the day.

There are several events happening at Ruidoso Downs that coincide with Kentucky Derby Weekend:

·      Foxworth-Galbraith Home and Garden Show: The all-new Santa Fe Furniture Events Center will debut with a Home and Garden Show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 6, 7 and 8. The show will feature 20,000 square feet of vendor space showcasing home improvement projects and outdoor living. Foxworth-Galbraith Home Improvement Center is the featured sponsor and vendor. Admission is free. The hours of the show will be from 10AM to 6PM on Friday and Saturday, and from 10AM to 2PM on Sunday.

·      Quarter Horse Training Races: Ruidoso Downs will offer training races to young quarter horses beginning at 1PM on Friday and Saturday, May 6 and 7. The majority of these horses are eligible for stakes events at the beginning of the live horse racing season on May 27. Admission to the grandstand to watch the training races is free. There will be no pari-mutuel wagering on the training races.

·      Bourbon Tasting and Class: Mike Cheney, owner of Win Place & Show in Midtown Ruidoso, will host a special bourbon tasting and class from 1PM to 2PM on Saturday, May 7 in the Turf Club. The cost to attend the class is $50, which includes three one-ounce tastings of the following whiskeys: Breckenridge, Woodford, and Oak & Eden. A complimentary lunch will be served. The tasting class is limited to 50 people.

·      Derby Dash For Cash: Patrons who attend the Kentucky Derby watch party will be given the chance to enter the $500 Derby Dash for Cash drawing. They will fill out an entry form, and take it to the Foxworth-Galbraith Home and Garden Show to enter it in the contest. A $500 cash prize will be given to one person who selects the winning horse in the Kentucky Derby and wins a drawing that consists of only those patrons who also selected the winning racehorse. You do not have to be present to win the contest, and no purchase is necessary.

·      Derby Hat Contest: Patrons attending the Kentucky Derby watch party may enter and win a Derby Day Hat Contest in the Turf Club. There will be three top cash prizes for the best hats that are being judged for beauty and originality. No purchase is necessary to enter the hat contest. Trophies will be presented.

·      Billy the Kid Casino: The casino will be open all day starting at 10AM, and patrons can register to win a $500 gift card to purchase a gas grill from your hometown Sears store. The ticketed drawing will be held at 9PM. Official rules are available at the Rewards Club booth located inside the casino.