Turf Paradise Completes HISA-Mandated Repairs, But Horsemen In ‘Quite A State Of Panic’ With No Summer Racing At Arizona Downs

Turf Paradise in Phoenix, Az., completed the HISA-mandated repairs to its track rail prior to the March 31 deadline, reports Axios Phoenix, and has been permitted to continue simulcasting and thus finish out its final six weeks of racing.

A panel of three board members with Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority issued a notice to Turf Paradise about its track railing on March 17, after an inspection turned up “numerous gaps and exposed edges in the railing material that could inflict serious harm upon jockeys who might be unhorsed during a race and thrown into or over the railing.”

Marc Guilfoil, director of stewarding and state racing commission relations for HISA, conducted an inspection on March 31 and confirmed Turf Paradise took the necessary actions to be in compliance with the March 17 notice on a variety of issues, including the racing surface, safety rail, and ambulance. Guilfoil was accompanied by Jorge Estrada, HISA steward at Turf Paradise, and Darrel Haire, regional manager for the Jockeys' Guild. “It was very positive,” Guilfoil said.

The continuation of racing at Turf Paradise is a good thing for Arizona horsemen, who will likely need to use the purse money earned during those six weeks to ship their horses north for the summer months due to a lack of racing in the state.

Arizona Downs did not submit any 2023 race dates to the state racing commission, and the deadline to do so has passed. Last year, the Prescott Valley track raced from June 25 through Sept. 5.

Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia told Axios Phoenix that local horse owners are in “quite a state of panic” about the lack of racing this summer.

Costs to ship horses out of state ranged from $1,100 to $1,500 in 2022, according to Leroy Gessman, executive director of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.