| SQUEEZE ME Turf Paradise Open Spring Futurity Turf Paradise Phoenix, Arizona May 7, 2017 Race #07 Purse $67,060 5 Furlongs :58.09 Kevin Eikleberry, Owner Kevin Eikleberry, Trainer Ry Eikleberry, Jockey Rocky Rogue (2nd) Primo Touch (3rd) $2.20 $2.10 $2.10 Order of Finish - 4, 3, 7, 8 Please Give Photo Credit To: Coady Photography |
With 11-1 outsider Go Max winning the $30,000 Hasta La Vista Handicap Sunday, Turf Paradise brought its 61st season to a close.
Go Max and Scott Stevens got up in the final strides of the one mile and seven-eights turf marathon to best 2-5 defending champion Blue Bomber with Sir Searsucker finishing third in the field of eight older horses. Owned by Doug Blair and trained by Debbie O’Brien, Go Max covered the distance over firm going in 3:11.42 and returned $25.80 for a $2 win wager. In the co-featured $74,000 Open Spring Futurity, 1-9 favorite Squeeze Me ($2.20) with Ry Eikleberry up was an easy 6 ¼ length winner over Rocky Rogue with Primo Touch third in the field of ten 2-year-olds. Owned and trained by Kevin Eikleberry, Squeeze Me, one of six fillies in the race, covered the 5-furlongs in :59.09. Now a perfect two-for-two, Squeeze Me earned $43,236 for her victory. Leading rider honors went to Andrew Ramgeet with 107 wins. It was the Jamaican-born rider’s first title in his second season at the track. David Lopez finished second with 98 wins and eight-time leading rider Scott Stevens third with 96 wins Robertino Diodoro won his fourth consecutive trainer’s title with 84 victories. One of Diodoro’s mainstays, Charles Garvey, won the owner’s title with 22 victories, one more than Silva Racing with 21 tallies. Turf Paradise will conduct summer simulcasting from major race tracks, seven-days a week. Live racing will return in mid-October. Turf Paradise brings its 61st season to a close this three-day weekend, highlighted by Saturday’s simulcast of the 143rd running of the $2,000,000 Kentucky Derby. Closing day Sunday will feature the marathon, traditional closing day marquee stakes, the one mile and seven-eights Hasta La Vista Handicap.
There will be special live racing Friday plus a simulcast of the $1,000,000 Kentucky Oaks. Live race post time will be 1:25 pm. Advanced wagering on the Kentucky Derby will be available. Saturday starts early, with gates opening at 7:00 am and the first simulcast from Churchill Downs set for 7:30 am. Live race post is 11:35 am. Kentucky Derby post time is 3:25 pm. Sunday’s closing day’s will offer free Grandstand admission and a first post of 1:25 pm. Derby Day Saturday America’s most famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, will be simulcast live at Turf Paradise on to all its 60 in-state Off Tracks Betting sites. On track, the first 5,000 fans will receive a free commemorative Kentucky Derby glass, listing all the previous Derby winners. A free Family Fun Park for the kids will feature multiple bounce inflatables and face painters. Mint Juleps, the traditional Derby beverage, will be offered. Sunday’s $30,000 Hasta La Vista At one and seven-eights miles, the Hasta La Vista, is one of the longest turf races in America. A field of eight will line up, including last year’s winner Blue Bomber and race runnerup Pacific Nights. Blue Bomber, who will be ridden by regular rider Natasha Coddington, is coming off a win and a new stakes record in the one mile and three-eights Wildcat Handicap. The 6-year-old’s strength is to go to the front and make others tire trying to catch him. The tactic resulted in a neck victory last year. Blue Bomber is the only entrant to have won at the distance. Pacific Nights has not won since February 28 of 2016 when he defeated Blue Bomber at 7 ½ furlongs on the turf. $30,000 Spring Futurity The co-featured stakes has attracted a full field of 12 2-year-olds, divided among seven fillies and five colts and geldings, for the 5-furlong sprint. All 12 have made their maiden start with three of those winning their debuts. The most impressive winner of the three was the Kevin Eikleberry-trained filly Squeeze Me, who won her maiden race by 6 ½ lengths over eight rivals.
The Only Kentucky Derby Party Where You Can Watch, Wager, and Win On Live Local Horseracing A Kentucky Derby party without horses is like a mint julep without mint or a Kentucky Derby outfit without a hat or a horse race without jockeys or a ….well you get the idea. In Arizona, the only Kentucky Derby party with live horseracing is at Turf Paradise Saturday May 6th. It’s the only place in Arizona where you can watch the Derby simulcast and bet on the race, plus you can watch, wager, and win on live local horse racing. It’s the biggest and best Kentucky Derby party in Arizona. Grandstand admission is just $5, and kids 16 and under get in free. There is also live music, a kids fun park with bounce house inflatables, and food and drink specials. Turf’s over-the-top fashion contest is like no other with prizes in categories for Best Ensemble, Outrageous Hats, Best Dressed Gents, Best Dressed Couples, and a Little Bonnets contest for kids 12 and under. The first 5,000 paid admissions get a free commemorative Kentucky Derby glass. For a look at highlights from last year’s Kentucky Derby Party click here. For those wanting to kick it up a notch, there are all day buffets in the air conditioned comfort of Turf’s Directors’ Suite, Turf Club, and Club House. Details are on our Kentucky Derby page. "Top of the Park" Directors Suite Buffet $80 Reservations: 602-375-6471 Turf Club All Day Buffet $80 Turf Club Reservations: 602-375-6472 Clubhouse All Day Buffet $55 Clubhouse Reservations: 602-375-6470 Party on the Rail $30 per person or $180 for a table of six. Prime outdoor seating/Includes BBQ Combo Meal. Reservations: 602-375-6471 Tickets are also on sale now for a trackside experience in luxury tents. The Stella Artois Kentucky Derby DayClub includes admission to climate controlled tents featuring betting terminals, big-screen TV’s a DJ and the Hefeweizen and Craft Beer Garden. For more information or to buy tickets for the DerbyDayclub Click here. Turf Paradise General Manager Vince Francia said, “Whether you are in the Director’s Suite, the Grandstand, the Turf Club, The Clubhouse, or the Derby DayClub Turf Paradise offers up the ultimate Kentucky Derby Party experience. It is a celebration of spring, horseracing, and it’s a signature day at Turf Paradise celebrating the greatest two minutes in sports. Turf Paradise has been entertaining horseracing fans for 61 seasons and Derby Day exemplifies that tradition.” Grandstand Admission is $5.00 May 6th and seats are first come first serve. The gates open 7:15am. The first Turf Paradise live post is 11:30am. The Kentucky Derby is approximately 3:24pm. Those times are subject to change without notice, please check our Kentucky Derby Page for the most current times. Turf Paradise opened its doors in in 1956 and has been at 19th Ave. and Bell Road ever since making it Arizona’s first sports franchise.
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