Tag: turf paradise

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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Arizona Dept. Gaming Launches Wellness Program

At the December Arizona Racing Commission meeting, Arizona Department of Racing steward Magdaleno Perez announced the launch of the Healthy Humans, Healthy Horses track wellness program, created to address the growing substance abuse problem at the state’s racetracks by supporting racing participants who may be suffering from addiction.

“I commend Magdaleno and the entire racing team in their diligent efforts to move this project forward,” said ADGaming 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.”

The 2021 winter meet at Turf Paradise kicks off Jan. 4 and the Arizona Department of Gaming–Racing Division will implement the following measures:

  • 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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Turf Paradise Getting Horse Influx From Pandemic Affected Tracks

By the time Turf Paradise opens Jan. 4 for Arizona’s first live Thoroughbred racing since March 14, track management projects the horse population could top 1,200 for the five-day weekly, 84-date meet that runs through May 1.

Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia said during the Dec. 10 Arizona Racing Commission meeting that 664 horses are currently stabled on the grounds, adding that “I expect by the end of the month that that figure is probably going to double.”

Francia explained that Turf Paradise is the recipient of a mixed blessing related to COVID-19 pandemic closures at other racetracks.

Chiefly, he said, interest has been sparked from outfits at Golden Gate Fields (which is currently closed for racing until at least Dec. 26) and from tracks in New Mexico (where Zia Park just resumed racing after a health-related shutdown and the Dec. 26 start date at Sunland Park has been pushed back at least 30 days because of pandemic-related uncertainty).

“So in the good news department, we’re getting an influx of horses,” Francia said. “And the not-so-good news [is] both of those areas have been hit pretty hard with by the virus.

“So we’re having to revise and amp up how we’re going to handle people coming into the backside and the track,” Francia continued. “And by that I mean we’re looking at making sure [licensees] have a negative coronavirus test before they come on [to the backstretch]. And once they get here and get their horses in, then they get [another] test. We’re taking that extra step…and we need to keep everyone here at Turf safe if we are going to get through this race meet.”

Leroy Gessmann, who serves as both the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA) executive director and the National HBPA president, said that in terms of compliance, “the majority of people want to stay safe and the majority of people are following the guidelines.”

The post Turf Paradise Getting Horse Influx From Pandemic Affected Tracks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sky’s Not The Limit For Jockey Marcus Swiontek

Jockey Marcus Swiontek became interested in horse racing really by chance. He grew up in Jordan, Minn., just 14 miles down Highway 169 from Canterbury Park, yet the racetrack was never on his radar. Marcus happened to be flipping through TV channels on a Saturday afternoon in the mid-2000s and stumbled across the Kentucky Derby.

“From that moment I said 'Hey, I'm going to do that,'” he recalled during a 2017 interview.

His professional race riding career began in 2011 aboard a Thoroughbred at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Az. He gravitated more to the Quarter Horse side of the industry over the years at Remington Park, Prairie Meadows, Canterbury, and Phoenix earning a living race riding and galloping in the mornings.

Swiontek won the Gopher State Derby in Shakopee on Zoomn On Bye July 7. He suffered an ankle injury three weeks later during a race and has not ridden since.

“I got on my first horse three or four days ago,” he said, admitting that the time away left him a bit muscle sore as he strives to get back in shape galloping for trainer Sandi Gann.

All along though Marcus has had a plan: prepare for his next career and be ready without delay. That career would be as an airline pilot. He studied in Minnesota, at Flying Cloud Airport, just across the Minnesota River and up the bluff from Canterbury, earning his student pilot license in June of 2017 and his private pilot license in March of 2018 while still race riding.

Last month, he made another stride toward the goal, getting a commercial license. He will still need additional coursework and 1,500 hours of flight time before the major airlines or cargo haulers come knocking. Marcus explained that those hours for many pilots, come through flight instruction, teaching others to fly. He can begin doing that in Phoenix in short order.

The racetrack still has an allure that is hard to walk away from. But unlike many athletes, Swiontek has an exit strategy taking him seamlessly from one world to another.

“I'd love to [return to Canterbury] this summer,” he said, but time and circumstances will dictate.

For the time being however he can have one foot in both worlds, flying and instructing while also preparing for opening day at Turf Paradise January 4.

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