HISA Inspects Turf Paradise Surface Before 2024 Meet

Turf Paradise remains on schedule to open its meet next month after its racetrack surface was reviewed by officials from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the track's general manager Vince Francia told the Arizona Racing Commission during its Dec. 14 meeting. 

The Phoenix track is set to race Jan. 29-May 4 after not opening this fall. Current owner Jerry Simms desires to sell Turf Paradise.

According to Francia, Tony Patterson, racetrack accreditation manager for HISA, and Marc Guilfoil, HISA's director of state racing commission relations, inspected the surface last week and were "blown away" by the renovation of its main track.

Turf Paradise fell out of compliance with HISA in early 2023 over alleged violations of its Racetrack Safety Program rules and lack of payment in HISA assessment fees. It reached a compliance agreement in February.

Francia said officials have seen more available horses for the meet than previously anticipated. Turf Paradise races on both dirt and turf.

"I don't like to benefit from someone else's misfortune, but what's going on in California is producing an influx of those horses to come over for the race meet," Francia said, apparently referring to a purse cut at Golden Gate Fields and that track's scheduled closure in June.

Potentially influencing handle, the number of off-track-betting locations Turf Paradise operates is down from 60 to below 35, Simms told the commission.