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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.”

The post Turf Paradise Adding Materials To Racing Surface After Arizona HBPA Notifies Members Of Safety Concerns appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Arizona Gaming Department Announces Wellness Program Targeting Substance Abuse

At the December meeting of the Arizona Racing Commission, Steward Magdaleno Perez announced the start of the Healthy Humans, Healthy Horses track wellness program. This program was created to address the growing substance abuse problem at Arizona racetracks by supporting racing participants who may be suffering from the serious issues of addiction.

“I commend Magdaleno and the entire Racing team in their diligent efforts to move this project forward,” said Arizona Department of Gaming Director, Ted Vogt. “The Healthy Humans, Healthy Horses program will directly support Arizona horsemen and create a safer and healthier backside, driving us forward in meeting our mission to ethically and effectively regulate horse racing, while ensuring it is conducted in a socially responsible manner.”

In the upcoming racing meet scheduled to begin on Jan. 4 at Turf Paradise, the Arizona Department of Gaming – Racing Division will be implementing the following measures to help curb substance abuse at Arizona racetracks:

• Suspension reductions for those who seek help with substance abuse
• Random drug testing for licensees on horseback
• Partnering with subject matter experts to address the influx of substance abuse
• Adjusting fines and suspensions for repeated drug-related offenses
• Proactively connecting those seeking help with substance abuse to available resources statewide

“A big thank you to the Racing Division for their hard work to support the Arizona racing community,” said Racing Commission Chair, Rory Goreé. “It is a priority for the Commission to help ensure the health and safety of racing participants, and this project furthers that goal while providing necessary aid to those in need.”

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Agreement In Place For Turf Paradise Meeting

Representatives of the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA) and the management of Turf Paradise in north Phoenix have signed an agreement that will allow for 84 days of live racing at the track beginning Jan. 1, 2020 and running through May 4, 2021.

The Arizona Racing Commission was to meet in special session Oct. 30 to approve the dates after a disagreement in the wording of the agreement between the two parties led to a 24-hour delay in submitting the plan to the ARC. The Commission will also consider contracts for simulcasting of next weekend’s Breeders’ Cup programs at Keeneland. The request for the approval of the 84-day meeting will now be scheduled for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the ARC Nov. 12.

“Many thanks to Arizona Racing Director Rudy Casillas for hosting the forum for dialogue between the two parties,” said Turf Paradise’s General Manager Vincent Francia. “An equal amount of thanks to AZHBPA President Bob Hutton and track owner Jerry Simms for committing to dialogue until everything was resolved. Now, it’s time to race. “There’s a lot to do in a short time, but we’ll be ready.”

Racing will take place five days a week from Monday to Friday with post time at 12:30 p.m. local time. The lone exception is Kentucky Derby day May 1. Horsepeople will begin arriving Nov. 19 to prepare their barns, with horses to follow Nov. 25. The first conditions book and stakes schedule can be found at www.turfparadise.com.

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Turf Paradise 2021 Winter/Spring Meet Edges Closer to Reality

With both Turf Paradise and Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA) representatives telling the Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) Thursday that they are now close to agreeing on a contract for an 84-date, Jan. 2-May 1 race meet, AZRC chairman Rory Goree indicated that the commission stands ready to approve the dates request, which has already been submitted to the board but was not placed on the agenda for a vote at the Oct. 8 video meeting.

Approval could come via a special AZRC session that might get scheduled before the next monthly commission meeting Nov. 12.

“The primary question is ‘Can we be ready?'” Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia asked rhetorically during his presentation before the commissioners. “Yes. I know exactly what has to be done, and I have the staff here to get it done before the horses get here on Dec. 2.”

Leroy Gessmann, who serves as both the AZHBPA executive director and the National HBPA president, also expressed optimism. “We’re hoping soon some things will be resolved,” he said. “Hopefully we’re close, and we get this wrapped up soon.”

Goree said he was well aware that Turf Paradise management wanted the 2021 winter/spring dates request to be voted on during Thursday’s meeting, but he explained commissioners didn’t want to be put in a position of voting on any race meet until a contract has been inked.

“Yes, I did see the dates come before us to be put on the agenda,” Goree said. “[But] we don’t want them on the agenda until we know we have an agreement between [Turf Paradise] and the HBPA. Then that way we know we’re approving something that everyone’s finally in agreement on,”

Added Francia: “It will come as no surprise I’d like to request a special session as soon as possible once those dates are ready to go before the commission, because I’m running out of time. It’s not on my side right now.”

The newfound spirit of cooperation between the AZHBPA and Turf Paradise stands in sharp contrast to the acrimony-tinged AZRC meeting on Sept. 10, at which members of the state’s racing community railed at Turf Paradise management and desperately implored the AZRC to take some form of action so that live racing can get back up and running in Arizona-even if that meant transferring Turf Paradise’s customary block of dates to competitor Arizona Downs.

Turf Paradise ended its spring meet prematurely Mar. 14 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation. In August, Turf Paradise withdrew its dates request for a traditional 2020-21 autumn-to-spring meet, citing liability concerns related to COVID-19. In between, the Arizona Downs summer meet never ran because local health officials would not extend permission to reopen under pandemic conditions.

Beyond the pandemic, a prolonged fight over off-track betting (OTB) privileges, simulcast signals, and how the horsemen’s purse money can be used has been batted back and forth in the courts, in the press, and during commission meetings, clouding the future of the state’s two commercial tracks.

Francia said Turf Paradise would have a two-phase approach to getting the idle plant ready for reopening. The barn area, frontside, main dirt track, and turf course all need to be put back in order. Simultaneously, all of those common areas need to be refurbished with COVID-19 safeguards in place, like those at every other track in the nation that has resumed racing during the pandemic.

One bone of AZHBPA contention that has consistently come up since Turf Paradise shut down seven months ago is that track management has allegedly sold off equipment that is essential to operating a race meet. Goree asked Francia directly what impact that might have on safely operating the facility.

“No impact whatsoever,” Francia said, although he did not detail what actually has been sold. “That equipment has nothing to do with the essential [things needed] to run a race meet. Francia then listed examples-tractors, harrows, water trucks, ambulances-of equipment that remains “on-site here at Turf. None of the essential equipment has been sold.”

Francia continued, focusing on the negotiations: “We are very close to working out all terms of agreement. We will probably continue our discussions after this commission meeting to try to finalize the last few minor things that are sticking points. But we’ve made a lot of progress, and I’m quite confident that we’re going to get this completed.”

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