Turf Paradise is Ready for 62nd Season of Excitement
Opening Day is October 14th as live horseracing returns to the Valley. In addition to live horseracing, live music and a family fun park, there will be free t-shirts for the first 5,000 paid admissions. The featured race is the $30,000 Bienvenidos Stakes. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free.
All season long there will be special Fiesta Sundays featuring Mexican food and music. Fiesta Sundays happen the last Sundays of the month except for December. The first one is October 29th which features the AQRA Futurity for Quarter Horses.
On November 3rd and 4th racing fans will gather at our Two Day Breeders Cup Party November 3rd and 4th. There’s also an all-day buffet on the 4th at the Turf Club and Clubhouse. It’s a chance to watch, wager and win on the Breeders Cup simulcast races as well as live local horse racing at Turf.
Thanksgiving Weekend at Turf Paradise is an Arizona tradition. Friday November 24th is $2 Day where admission, popcorn, sodas, ice cream, and hot dogs are just $2. Saturday the 25th the first 5,000 paid admissions will get free sweat shirts. There’s also a family fun park, live music, and a BBQ tent. The featured races are the $30,000 Walter Cluer Memorial Stakes and the $30,000 Queen of the Green Stakes. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is a Fiesta Sunday. In addition to Mexican food and live music, there’s also the Louis Curtis/ Robert Kieckhefer stakes for Quarter Horses.
January 13 Turf Paradise celebrates its 62nd Anniversary Party with free long sleeve t-shirts for the first 5,000 paid admissions, live music, a kids fun park, a BBQ tent, free birthday cake, the $75,000 Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile and the $30,000 Glendale Handicap. The Fitzsimmons Mile is named after the late Phoenix Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons who was a dedicated horseracing fan and beloved regular customer at Turf. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free. Monday January 15th is MLK Day and $2 Day admission, popcorn, sodas, ice cream, and hotdogs are just $2. Fiesta Sunday is January 28th featuring live Mexican music and food along with trials for the AQRA Turf Paradise Open and the Quarter Horse Derby.
Super Saturday is February 10th is Super Saturday. In addition to free t-shirts, live music, a BBQ tent, and a family fun park there are also three stakes races; the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup, the $30,000 Sun City Handicap, and the $50,000 Turf Paradise Handicap. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free. February 19th is President’s Day $2 Day. February 25th is Fiesta Sunday.
March brings its own brand of madness to Turf Paradise as wiener dogs race and camels, ostriches and zebras compete in two over the top events.
Wiener Mania is March 3rd. In conjunction with Arizona Adopt a Greyhound, this event features a day of racing wiener dog competitions in addition to a full card of live horseracing. It has become the premier wiener dog racing event in Arizona. While you can’t bet on the wiener dogs you can still bet on the horses. The day also features live music, a BBQ tent, and vendor booths catering to wiener dog fans. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free. Click here for a look at last year’s wiener dog races.
Alternative Racing Day is March 17th featuring Camel, Ostrich, and Zebra racing in addition to a full card of live horseracing, a family fun park, live music, and a BBQ tent, and an exotic animals petting zoo. The event is in conjunction with the HBPA. Grandstand admission is $3 and General Parking is free. Click here for a look at last year’s races.
March 25th and April 29th are Fiesta Sundays featuring live music and Mexican food. There will be free T-Shirts for the first 2,500 paid admission on the 25th. The 29th features three AQRA Challenge races, featuring some of the best Quarter Horse racing in Arizona
The biggest and best Kentucky Derby Party in Arizona is May 5th which also happens to be Cinco de Mayo. There will be a family fun park, live music, a BBQ tent. The first 5,000 paid admission will get free Kentucky Derby glasses. The day features an over the top fashion show with cash prizes. Categories include best Derby ensembles, best hats, best dressed couples, best dressed gents, and best dressed kids. For those who want to kick it up a notch, there are all day buffets in the Turf Club and Club House. The day also offers the Derby Day Club for guests who want to party trackside in luxury climate controlled tents featuring food, drinks, and live DJ’s. Grandstand admission for Derby Day is $5 and General Parking is free.
May 6th is closing day. Grandstand admission is free. The featured race is the $30,000 Hasta La Vista Handicap.
Turf Paradise General Manager Vincent Francia said, “Turf Paradise has an established track record of providing the Valley with affordable family fun and this year there are plenty of options and plenty of opportunities for fans and families to enjoy a day at the races. We hope to see you here at Turf Paradise where the horses are cool and the racing is red hot.”
Turf Paradise’s 62nd season runs from October 14th to May 5th. Turf Paradise, located at 19th Ave and Bell Road, first opened its doors in 1956 and has operated at the same location ever since. It has maintained Arizona’s horse racing tradition for more than six decades.