By Bill Finley
According to a report in the Daily Racing Form by Matt Hegarty, the owners of Turf Paradise and local horseman have reached a deal in which the track will run about 100 cards a year for the next three years. The track's future had been uncertain since owner Jerry Simms announced last November that the track would not be opening for its regularly scheduled six-month meet.
Turf Paradise General Manager Vince Francia told the DRF that there will be four days of racing each week, starting with the first weekend in November to the first Saturday in May.
Hegarty writes that the deal was reached after May 4, closing day of the meet. Simms had announced last year that he intended to close the track, but several efforts to develop the property fell through and a 2024 meet was held.
Francia said that Simms is still seeking buyers for the track, but his new plan is to sell roughly 100 acres of the property. That will leave 213 acres, enough to maintain a grandstand and hold a meet.
“He wants racing to go on,” Francia told Hegarty. “Someone can come in and develop the rest of the property for whatever they want. This has been something of a roller-coaster ride for our horsemen this past year, and we kept hearing that they wanted certainty. That really resonated with me and Mr. Simms. They have families here, they have homes here, and kids in school here.”
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