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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