Rillito unlikely to hold meet this year

Rillito Park, a fair track in Tucson that operates on weekends for several months of the year, is not likely to open this year for a live race meet due to a number of factors, according to the track’s general manager and local news reports.

Michael Weiss, who serves as the track’s ex officio general manager, said on Tuesday that financial difficulties and accrediting problems had made a 2024 meet “nearly impossible,” though he said that there had been some discussions about running in the fall. Last year, Rillito ran 18 live racing dates, on Saturdays and Sundays from the beginning of February to the beginning of March.

“It’s just not feasible to get started this year,” Weiss said. “There’s a lot of things going on. The largest is money, of course.”

Rillito is a not-for-profit run by a foundation that maintains the track and its grounds, which host other events during the year. During its race meet, which features both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, the track generally employs a number of students from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program for low-level jobs.

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Weiss said that the racetrack would need substantial renovations in order to receive accreditation from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the national organization which enforces safety standards at racetracks in most U.S. racing jurisdictions.

“We have a lot, a lot of work to do to get up to standard,” Weiss said. “This year, there would be no shot.”

According to the Arizona Daily Star, a Tucson newspaper, the Pima County Board of Supervisors declined to allow Rillito to use the track for racing until the foundation provides audited financial statements covering the years 2021, 2022, and 2023. Weiss confirmed that the foundation has not yet provided the statements.

Over the past three years, both Turf Paradise in Phoenix and Rillito have received COVID relief funds from the state government, but those funds have not been made available under the new administration of Gov. Katie Hobbs.

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