Ruidoso Downs, which canceled three days of racing this weekend because of ongoing forest fires in the mountains near the southern New Mexico track, has tentatively scheduled a resumption of racing for June 28. On Saturday, the track finalized entries for 17-race programs on June 28 and 29 consisting entirely of time trials for the $1 million Rainbow Futurity for Quarter Horses at 400 yards on July 14. Entries are scheduled to be taken on Sunday for the June 30 program of time trials for the Rainbow Derby and Rainbow Oaks. The finals of those races are scheduled for July 13. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Ruidoso Downs canceled racing Friday through Sunday this weekend after a massive forest fire erupted in the mountain north and west of the track last Monday. As of Sunday, the fire had consumed more than 17,500 acres and is 31 percent contained, according to New Mexico fire officials. A second fire to the south and west of the track had claimed more than 7,700 acres, and is 7 percent contained. More than 1,400 structures have been lost, including homes and businesses on a highway leading away from Ruidoso to the nearby community of Alto, N.M., well north of the track. The villages of Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs were ordered evacuated earlier this week. A majority of the horses based at Ruidoso Downs were shipped to nearby training centers or as far as West Texas. The village of Ruidoso posted a message on Facebook on Saturday morning notifying full-time residents that they will be allowed to return to the community at 8 a.m. on Monday. The message urged residents to bring a week’s supply of food and drinking water, stating that local services are not fully operational. The notice advised tourists and people with second homes in the Ruidoso area not to immediately travel to Ruidoso to allow full-time residents an opportunity to check on properties as well as reconnect electricity, gas, and water. It is hoped that conditions will improve in coming days to allow for the resumption of racing on June 28. “They’re letting people back in on Monday,” track owner Johnny Trotter said on Saturday afternoon. “I hope we get to run. We’re planning on running.” Trotter said that if racing is unable to proceed next weekend that time trials for the Rainbow Futurity, Derby, and Oaks will be run on the weekend of July 6-7 and the final will be run on the weekend of July 20-21. If that occurs, the time trials for the All American Futurity, Derby, and Oaks would be moved from Aug. 9-11 to Aug. 16-18. The finals for those races will remain on the final two days of the meeting, Sept. 1-2, Trotter said. If the trials for the All American races are postponed, there will be approximately two weeks between the trials and the final instead of three. Trotter said ideally racing will resume next weekend. “We’re not talking about plan B right now,” he said. Trotter said in a text message later on Saturday afternoon that horses will be allowed back to Ruidoso on Sunday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.