arizona department of racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Turf Paradise Trainer Suspended For 180 Days

Following an incident in which a 1-20 shot he trained and owned was pulled up and eased shortly after the start of a March 10 maiden claimer at Turf Paradise, stewards at that track have hit trainer Juan Silva with a 180-day suspension and a $2,625 fine. The stewards have forwarded the ruling to the Director of the Arizona Department of Racing with a recommendation that further action be taken “up to and including revocation of Silva's license.”

Silva was charged with “conducting business in a manner detrimental to the best interests of horse racing in Arizona.”

After the horse Juror (Tapit) finished third in a maiden optional claimer with a purse of $23,800, Silva dropped the horse into a $3,500 maiden claimer 37 days later. Shortly after the gates opened, jockey Fausto Da Silva pulled the horse up. On Mar. 17, Da Silva was suspended 30 days for “conduct detrimental to racing.” In the Da Silva matter, the stewards ruled that the jockey should have brought the horse to the track vet to be examined before the race.

Juror, who was claimed out of the race by Eliska Kubinova for owners Gary and Deborah Lusk and D. J. Saddler, was vanned off the racetrack. Turf Paradise does not have a voided claim rule.

According to a ruling released Wednesday, the stewards believe Silva entered Juror knowing the horse was sore and unfit to race. The stewards took into consideration statements made by Da Silva, a track vet referred to as Dr. Butler and a state vet referred to as Dr. Gale. In addition, the stewards allege that Silva perjured himself during his hearing by giving false statements under oath. All horses currently owned or trained by Silva will be denied entry until they are sold or transferred to another trainer.

According to the ruling, the stewards also took into account Silva's “history of multiple rule violations.” The website thoroughbredrulings.com lists 22 rulings against Silva dating back to 2005. In a 2008 ruling, his license was revoked for “being of not good repute or moral character.” He did not start any horses between 2008 and 2014.

Silva has 450 career wins from 2,349 starters and was 13-for-99 at the current meet at Turf Paradise. He was the leading trainer at the 2019-2020 meet at Turf Paradise with 79 wins.

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Kentucky Derby-Winning Trainer Chip Woolley Summarily Suspended In Arizona

Bennie L. “Chip” Woolley Jr., who rose to prominence in 2009 when he saddled Mine That Bird to a 50-1 upset of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, has been summarily suspended by stewards in Arizona.

The Arizona Horse Racing Commission ruling, dated Feb. 8, said that Wooolley is “hereby suspended and denied access to all grounds under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Department of Racing pending a hearing before the Board of Stewards to answer charges of actions that call into question the best interests of racing, and the safety, welfare, economy, health and peace of the people of the state as well.”

A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 15, according to steward Jason Hart, who said he could not comment further on the matter including the specific reason Woolley was summarily suspended.

The ruling cites a number of alleged violations in accordance with Arizona Administrative Code, including sections listing “prohibited acts.”

Woolley's horses entered to race at Turf Paradise on Tuesday were all listed as being scratched by the stewards. He has additional horses entered at the Phoenix track and at Sunland Park in New Mexico in upcoming days.

Reached by telephone, Woolley said he had no comment “at this time.”

Training since 1991, Woolley skyrocketed to fame in 2009 when Mine That Bird closed from last in a field of 19 to win the Kentucky Derby by 6 3/4 lengths over Pioneerof the Nile under Calvin Borel. The story of the Birdstone gelding with humble beginnings led to a 2014 movie, “50 to 1,” with Skeet Ulrich playing the part of Woolley.

Since 2009, when Woolley's stable earned in excess of $2 million thanks mostly to Mine That Bird, his best year was in 2021, when he saddled 28 winners from 280 starters for earnings of $617,950. Woolley has saddled three winners from 30 starters thus farm in 2022.

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Turf Paradise Adding Materials To Racing Surface After Arizona HBPA Notifies Members Of Safety Concerns

One day after the president of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association advised members to be wary of track conditions at Turf Paradise before entering their horses to race, the Phoenix track's general manager said 250 tons of sand will be mixed in to the dirt surface on Saturday and that the turf course will be aerated, water soaked, seeded and rolled that same day.

In an email to Arizona HBPA members on Thursday, the organization's president, Bob Hutton wrote: “Due to the current events at Turf Paradise which have seen an unacceptable rise in horse injuries and euthanizations, the HBPA is strongly encouraging that our horsemen consider the current track conditions and uptick in injuries before you enter horses for races. We are calling for an independent third party to analyze soil samples at Turf Paradise and certify that the track is safe to run on before we can in good faith recommend anyone continue to participate in the race meet.”

Vincent Francia, the track's general manager, posting on an Arizona horse racing Facebook page Wednesday night, acknowledged the spike in injuries as the meet is winding down to a close on May 1.

“Every race meet, near the end of the meet like we are now, we experience a rash of breakdowns,” Francia wrote. “We've never been able to determine with certainty why that is. Is it the track? Are some horses over-raced and tired? Is it something we're missing?

“Right now we're experiencing strong late-afternoon winds which dry the surface of the track.” Francia continued. “It's moist underneath however which is the way it should be. Are these drying winds contributing to the problem? Again we don't know for sure. We have two water trucks that soak the main track between races. Do we need to apply more water due to these drying winds? We're looking at that too.

“Are some of our horses tired from their campaign? I haven't had time to review the pp's of of these recent fatalities. I will do so beginning tomorrow morning. The point is, the solutions to taking corrective action begin with the fact that you have horses that race over a track and you have a track that horses race over. Sounds simplistic but that's where the corrective measures begin. You start with what's in front of you.”

Francia said the main track would be closed for training on Thursday and that the addition of 250 tons of “#10 Mesh Sand” would take all day Saturday.

Turf Paradise was scheduled to race Friday afternoon.

In his letter to members, Hutton urged horsemen to get more involved by attending virtual meetings of the Arizona Racing Commission.

“For those that are unfamiliar with the governance of a track's safety standards and the enforcement that those metrics are met, this falls under the Arizona Department of Racing,” Hutton wrote. “The HBPA can make requests, observations and suggestions, but we do not have the authority to set policy or enforce protocols. Horsemen are not without a voice, however, and we encourage you to use it. All horsemen have the opportunity to attend the commission meetings, and we strongly encourage you to participate. Due to COVID-19 protocols, they are now virtual meetings that can be attended on your phone or computer.”

Francia said a question he has been asked by many trainers is when racing can return to the Arizona track's turf course.

“We will look at the effects of this action Monday,” Francia posted. “Realistically I don't think that's enough time to get the results we want. And we want to get this right. On Friday, April 23rd, we have a stakes race on the turf, so we'll be on it then, and we'll see how it plays. Following the stakes we have four dark days to continue our turf corrections. Then we enter the last four days of the race meet. I think Wednesday, April 28, we can get back on the turf and race it to the end of the meet. If the timetable changes I'll advise.

“I apologize for the inconveniences these matters have caused,” Francia added, “but the challenges are being met to keep both horses and riders safe. We have 11 days of the meet left. Let's get to the finish together.”

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