Turf Paradise expects to be cleared for opening Nov. 11

Turf Paradise in Phoenix plans to open for live racing on Nov. 11 provided the track can receive go-aheads from state regulators and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the track said on Sunday night.

The plan to open on Nov. 11, nine days after the previously scheduled opener, was hashed out over the weekend by track officials and representatives of the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, according to the track. Under the plan, training at the track could resume as early as Wednesday, and live racing would be held Nov. 11, Veterans Day, a national holiday, through Nov. 14, which were all originally scheduled live racing days. Turf Paradise plans to run on mostly a Monday-through-Thursday schedule, with the meet ending May 3, Kentucky Derby Day.

Turf Paradise’s opener was delayed in the midst of aggressive efforts by the track to comply with a laundry list of requirements under state and HISA regulations, including several involving maintenance of its main dirt racing surface.

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Although the Arizona Department of Racing granted Turf Paradise a 45-day conditional permit to open as planned in the week leading up to the opener, HISA stepped in at the 11th hour and said it would seek to block the Nov. 2 card from going forward unless the track delayed the opener to address lingering concerns about the condition of the main track.

HISA inspectors are expected to arrive at Turf Paradise on Monday to begin testing the main track. The main track has been closed for training since Friday. Turf Paradise's training track had not been available in the lead-up to the scheduled opener.

“The horsemen and Turf Paradise management are working hand-in-hand with HISA and the Arizona Racing Commission to ensure we have a safe meet,” said Lloyd Yother, the president of the Arizona HBPA.

Two stakes races that had been scheduled for the opening card, the $40,000 Jeff and Jack Coady Handicap and the $40,000 Hank Mills Jr. Handicap, have been rescheduled for Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, respectively, the track said.

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