Turf Paradise

After a nine-day delay to fix safety concerns that pushed back the opening of the 2024-25 racing season at Turf Paradise from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11, horsemen, jockeys, regulators and track management were all largely in concurrence Friday that the first four days of racing at the Arizona track this past Monday through Thursday were conducted in safe and sustainable fashion. The largely positive reviews and glowing articulations of cooperation at the Nov. 15 Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting stood out in contrast to the contention and infighting that...

Following an inspection of the track surfaces by officials from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), the Arizona Horse Racing Commission has notified Turf Paradise that the 2024-2025 live meeting can begin Monday, Nov. 11. Turf Paradise General Manager Vince Francia said, "Thanks to our horsemen and the AzHBPA for helping us establish the new season. Our track maintenance crews did stellar work. We are excited to bring our fans another great season of racing." The racing calendar will run through May 3. This year's schedule includes live racing...

The racing season at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, AZ, which was supposed to open Saturday, Nov. 2 before an 11th-hour intervention from HISA, is now set to begin next Monday, Nov. 11, according to a joint release sent out late Sunday evening from the track and the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA). On Thursday, Oct. 31, HISA issued a press release, expressing concerns over the condition of the racetrack surface. Track officials postponed the start of the season, and an inspection team from HISA was expected to be...

On the eve of the start of the 2024-25 racing season at Turf Paradise, track management announced late on Friday that Saturday's opening day card has been called off. "In order to address some final track maintenance issues, there will be no live racing at Turf Paradise on Saturday," the track's social media feed on X stated late in the day Nov. 1. The news comes on the heels of a Thursday recommendation by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) that the Arizona track-which has a well-documented recent history...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has recommended a delay to the start of the racing season at Turf Paradise due to concerns about the safety of the track surface. A HISA statement released Thursday evening read, "Based on recent reports and assessments from racetrack surface experts, concerns raised by on-site racing participants, and first-hand observations of HISA staff, HISA is not confident that the main track racing surface at Turf Paradise is ready for racing to begin as currently scheduled this Saturday. Therefore, out of concerns for the safety...

On Nov. 9 last year, veteran trainer Steve Klesaris shipped his mare She's Awesome from Delaware Park to Aqueduct to compete in the second race. When she arrived, the receiving barns were full, and so, She's Awesome (Flatter) was sent instead to the track's auxiliary stabling, used as an overflow. The auxiliary barn is adjacent to staff bathrooms, with a lot of foot traffic through it, said Klesaris. It's also used to stable ponies, he added. She's Awesome won that day. But a post-race test came up positive for the...

A director of an independent accounting firm hired by the Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) to audit the financials of Turf Paradise as part of the track's three-year permit application testified at a Thursday meeting that if $24 million in federal and state subsidies from the COVID-19 pandemic gets backed out of the equation, Turf Paradise has operated at a net loss for the past three years. Sean Tanner, a certified public accountant who specializes in forensic accounting with Keegan Linscott & Associates, further told the AZRC that based upon projections...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) added several key investors to join their roster of team owners, including NBA legend Julius Erving (Philadelphia Stallions) and country music's Tanya Tucker (Nashville Dreams), as the league expands from six franchises to ten ahead of its second season, the operation said in a release on Thursday. This time around the league will boast almost $3 million in prize purses, up from less than $1 million last year. Erving and Tucker join NTL's list of partners, including Nelly, Rick Ross, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Moira Forbes,...

Back in March, a pre-race exam at Turf Paradise led to Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bernie "Chip" Woolley accusing a regulatory veterinarian who had scratched his 10-year-old mare of furnishing him with the name of a horse trader who he suspected of being a "kill-buyer." This is someone who purchases horses for export into the slaughter pipeline. The incident triggered formal investigations by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) and the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG). HISA shared its findings with the ADG, which ultimately cleared the state veterinarian, Victoria...

In mid-April, trainer Bernie "Chip" Woolley, best known for winning the 2009 GI Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird, issued a formal complaint with the Turf Paradise stewards, claiming that Victoria Lowe, an official veterinarian employed by the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG), had furnished him with the name of a potential kill buyer after scratching his 10-year-old race mare, Piper Rose (Whiskey Wisdom). And while an official ADG investigation absolved Lowe of any wrongdoing, the fallout from the incident highlights glaring holes that still exist in the industry's network...

As California begins transitioning the hub of the state's Northern circuit from the permanently closing Golden Gate Fields (June 9) to Pleasanton (June 12-July 9 and Oct. 16-Dec. 25, with other county fair meets running in between), the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Thursday greenlit the first meet in the expanded NorCal schedule after hearing an optimistic update from Larry Swartzlander, the executive director for the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF). "What I'm really enthused about is the fact that we have 1,150 stall applications, which is 200...

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...