Phoenix Gold Cup tops Turf Paradise stakes slate

PHOENIX – The $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup and $50,000 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile headline a stakes roster of 38 events for the upcoming 2010-2011 Turf Paradise meet. The 156-day stand, runs from Oct. 1 through May 8, 2011. Live racing will be conducted five days a week, Friday through Tuesday, with first post of 1 p.m.

The Phoenix Gold Cup, yearly the meet’s marquee event, will hold its standard spot in the winter. The six-furlong race, which draws some of the best sprinters from California and the Southwest, is slated for Feb. 19. Also on that card are the $35,000 Turf Paradise Handicap (1 1/16 miles on turf) and $35,000 Sun City Handicap (one mile on turf). The following Saturday, Feb. 26, 3-year-olds take center stage in the $50,000 Turf Paradise Derby (1 1/16 miles) and $35,000 Arizona Oaks (one mile).

The $50,000 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile, named for the famed NBA coach and executive who frequented the Phoenix track before his death, will be renewed Jan. 15.

The meet kicks off Oct. 1 with the $25,000 Bienvenidos at a mile, while the $35,000 Hasta La Vista Handicap, the traditional closing-day event, will again bring down the curtain on the meet May 8 as grass horses navigate 1 7/8 miles on the Turf Paradise turf.