Ruidoso, New Mexico —

The soft dribble of rain drapes a herd of cowboy hats as an auctioneer hollers bidding numbers into the mist. A thoroughbred yearling, oiled mane gleaming, skin twitching over taut muscles, struts gracefully as buyers lean forward with hungry eyes.

In Ruidoso, New Mexico, the pounding hooves of racehorses have entranced crowds from across Texas and New Mexico every summer, pumping in millions of dollars from the All-American Derby, Oaks and Futurity races and the steady hum of seasonal jobs that carry this mountain village.

But when the races stop, everything goes quiet.

The colt doesn’t know the racetrack he was bred for – the pride of Ruidoso – lies in ruins for the second year running, gutted by floodwaters that turned familiar dirt into a sucking bog of mud.

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