Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino in Sunland Park, New Mexico, is preparing for a revamped racing season under new ownership after a $301 million sale.

© Coady Media

SUNLAND PARK—DECEMBER 30, 2025—Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino, a longtime landmark in Sunland Park, New Mexico, is stepping into a new chapter after being sold for $301 million.

Buyer Grant Lincoln—now the new owner of one of the priciest properties in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas—says he intends to breathe new life into both the racing and the casino operation.

Lincoln has tapped Fred Heinrich to serve as president and general counsel. Veteran racing director Dustin Dix will remain in charge of day-to-day racing operations. Dix, who helped guide “Mine That Bird” on the path to qualifying for the 2009 Kentucky Derby, has been key in keeping Sunland’s traditional racing calendar intact.

The 2026 meet opens Jan. 2 and runs through Apr. 5, with the Sunland Park Derby set for Feb. 15. Dix said the weekly schedule will follow a clear split: Quarter Horse racing on Friday and Saturday, with Thoroughbred racing on Sunday and Monday.

Moving the Derby earlier on the calendar is designed to sidestep March’s unpredictable weather and improve the track’s chances of producing Kentucky Derby contenders.

The season’s marquee attractions include KJ Desperado, billed as the world’s richest Quarter Horse, who is slated to race in the Jan. 31 championship. Corinna Corinna, known as New Mexico’s richest Thoroughbred, is also set to compete in the New Mexico State Racing Commission Stakes.

Trainer Dick Cappeluchi said the buildup is a major draw, with a series of three-year-old races leading into the Sunland Derby—an official points race on the Kentucky Derby trail.

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