Turf Paradise figures dip slightly

Attendance and handle figures during Turf Paradise's recently concluded 167-day meet dipped slightly compared to last year, according to figures from the track.

Average all-sources handle at the Phoenix, Ariz., track was $1,952,910, down 3.8 percent compared with last year's 165-day meet. Average ontrack attendance fell 1.5 percent, from 2,165 last year to 2,133 this year.

For the first time, Turf Paradise raced six days a week for six weeks in January and February, adding six Wednesdays to its normal Thursday-through-Tuesday schedule. In May, when 100-degree temperatures begin to hit Arizona, the track ran only three days a week this year, from Friday to Sunday.