SunRay Park Casino at McGee Park
SunRay Park Casino leases 92 acres of McGee Park, San Juan County’s fairgrounds, and has done so since 1997. Horses raced on the same ground in the 1980s, when the track was known as San Juan Downs. The address is 39 Road 5568, off the highway between Farmington and Bloomfield, roughly 180 miles northwest of Albuquerque.
The county-owned grounds host more than 1,200 events a year, from rodeos to weddings, and the San Juan County Fair, so the racino shares its setting with a working fairground. The Gaming Control Board lists the licensee as Western Gaming, LLC; its president, Paul Blanchard, also heads The Downs Racetrack & Casino in Albuquerque.
Spring horse racing in Farmington
The meet is short and seasonal. Since 2019 SunRay has run 18 days a year, Friday to Sunday from mid-April to late May, with quarter horses and thoroughbreds on the card. The 2026 meet ran April 10 to May 17. For 2027 the Racing Commission has approved April 16 through May 23, also 18 days.
Outside the meet, the grandstand works as a simulcast room open every day, with signals from major U.S. tracks, the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup. Monthly simulcast schedules are posted on the official site. For the rest of the state’s season, see the national horse racing schedule and the New Mexico racinos overview.
Inside the SunRay Park Casino floor
The SunRay Park Casino floor is smoke-free, which is unusual for a regional casino, and holds more than 400 slot machines, 30 video poker games and five video blackjack terminals. There are no dealers: New Mexico confines racinos to gaming machines. Weekly promotions run through the players’ card, including a Locals Day every Wednesday with bonus offers.
Revenue has slipped badly. Blanchard told commissioners that annual revenue fell from $10 million in 2011 to $4 million in 2024, a 60% drop he blames on tribal casinos nearby in the Four Corners. That decline is the central argument behind the move east, and the reason the operator says the Farmington market can no longer support the track.
Sportz Arena restaurant and Stingray’s
The Sportz Arena restaurant sits steps from the SunRay Park Casino floor, with sliding glass doors facing the racetrack and a projector screen for games. Hours run from 11 a.m. on weekdays, from 10 a.m. on Fridays through Sundays, and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Banquet rooms take private parties and corporate events.
Stingray’s is the entertainment space. The autumn 2026 calendar includes the Native Comedy Jam on November 14, headlined by Joshua Fournier, and the Thir13en Horrors haunted stables on October 23 and 24 and 30 and 31, with proceeds going to Area 1 Special Olympics. Admission to the haunt is $15, cash only.
Is SunRay Park moving to Clovis?
In October 2025 Western Gaming asked to move the license to a 200-acre site east of Clovis on U.S. 60/84, with a one-mile track, a 3,000-seat grandstand, a hotel, a casino and 1,340 stalls. The Racing Commission voted 3-0 for the relocation on February 10, 2026, after rejecting objections from San Juan County, Farmington and Zia Park.
San Juan County then petitioned the district court in Albuquerque. On August 31, 2026, Judge Daniel Ramczyk vacated the order, agreeing that state law does not let the commission relocate a racing license. Blanchard said he intends to appeal. Until a higher court rules, the moving plan is on hold and the Farmington dates for 2027 stand.
Nearby racinos and what to expect next
The closest other racino is The Downs Racetrack & Casino in Albuquerque, about three hours away. PENN’s Zia Park in Hobbs, which bid for its own Clovis racino, sits at the opposite corner of the state. Our explainer on what a racino is covers how slot revenue funds the purses here.
The lease on McGee Park expires in September 2027, a few months after the approved spring meet. Whatever the courts decide, the 2027 racing dates in Farmington are on the books. Visitors heading to the casino in the meantime can rely on the daily simulcast room and the restaurant, and should set a spending limit before playing.