Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino reopens casino portion of venue; no horse racing

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico — After shutting down last summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino reopened the casino on Friday.

The casino portion of the venue - which contains slots, video poker machines and electronic table games - reopened at 10 a.m. at 25% capacity under state guidelines.

However, horse racing remains on hold and did not resume with the casino reopening.

New Mexico state regulators recently decided to cancel this year's horse racing season, which included the 2021 Sunland Derby. It's the second straight year that the Borderland's signature racing event won't be held.