In all of our 63 year history, Turf Paradise has never faced a more serious threat. If HB2547, legislation recently passed by the Arizona Legislature, is signed by Governor Ducey our track would have to close its doors.

Since there has been a lot of misinformation provided by people new to horse racing in Arizona, we need to set the record straight and ask for your help.

The bill mandates some racing groups to provide signals to OTB’s operated by Arizona Downs.  The racing groups have said if forced to sell their signals to all or none, they would chose none.

That means no simulcasts from Santa Anita Park, Del Mar, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico, Laurel Park, Golden Gate Fields, Los Alamitos (TB), Meadowlands, Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park, Santa Rosa, or Latin American racing to Arizona OTB's and Arizona tracks including Turf Paradise, Arizona Downs, and Rillito Park in Tucson.

This would kill more than 44% of simulcast business. Purses would plummet by more than $3.5 million. We can’t survive that. The loss would be too great. That would be a shame.

Please email Governor Ducey at [email protected] and ask him to veto HB2547. You can also call him at 602.542.4331.
For the record, we welcome Arizona Downs to the state. We think year round racing is a great for the horse racing industry in Arizona. But this legislation would cause a radical change in law. It would be akin to forcing you to sell your house to someone you didn’t want to.

There is no “monopoly” in Arizona.  Signals are currently sent to Arizona Downs and to Rillito Park.

Arizona Downs and signal providers have had their disagreements. We hope they resolve them. But the entire horse racing industry in Arizona should not be held hostage to force a solution. The reality is this: Arizona Downs didn’t do enough due diligence when they decided to re-open the track. Now they want the State of Arizona to bail them out and hurt other tracks on the state as a result.

For more than 63 years Turf Paradise has been entertaining fans. Over the past 10 years Turf has paid out over $100 million in purses, $10 million per year; some years more than others.
It would be a tragedy if all that comes to an end because of special interest legislation that would accomplish nothing. Please email Governor Ducey today at [email protected] and ask him to veto HB2547. You can also call him at 602.542.4331.

HB 2547 Is Needless Regulation That Could Shut Down Turf Paradise
 
We appreciate your patience as we have been telling you about HB2547. But more needs to be done to keep Turf Paradise from closing its doors. Unfortunately the Arizona Legislature has approved this unconstitutional, special interest legislation that imposes new mandates and regulation this Governor has typically rejected. They did so because of the parochial interests of a few powerful politicians. 
But your voice can and should matter just as much. It can save Turf Paradise. Please email Governor Ducey at [email protected] and ask him to veto HB2547.
 
This bill forces businesses such as OTB signal providers to do business in Arizona with people it may not wish to. Just imagine if the government told you who you could sell your house to. Understandably, these businesses have said they would leave Arizona if this outrageous bill passes. The legislation is unprecedented in the country and would make Arizona a greater red tape state. If signals for tracks in California, Florida and elsewhere no longer come to Turf Paradise approximately 42% of our business goes away, meaning we go away. 
 
Let’s be clear. We welcome reopened tracks like Arizona Downs back. And wish them well despite some very unkind things they have been saying about Turf Paradise. However If Arizona Downs cannot reach basic business agreements with out of state signal providers and then gets legislation to harm Turf Paradise and other Arizona tracks we must take a stand. We hope the parties get their differences settled. But draconian legislation in the meantime solves nothing and means 7 months of racing at Turf Paradise goes away for the sake of a small number of race days to the north with an ownership group that has closed racing operations in other parts of the country. 
 
Please email Governor Ducey and tell him not to gamble with the future of horse racing in Arizona. You can do so at [email protected]. Ask him to veto HB2547.
 
Year round racing in Arizona would be a good thing. But this bill would do the opposite.
 
Horseracing is struggling nationally. Thanks to fans like you it is holding its own in Arizona. Turf Paradise is defying the odds. But it can’t defy the odds anymore if HB 2547 becomes law.
 
Thank you for all you do and thanks for taking a moment to email Governor Ducey and ask him to continue to oppose new mandates and regulation as he has repeatedly done since being Governor. 
 
 
 

A couple of days ago we wrote you about a disastrous bill for horse racing in Arizona, House Bill 2547.  It is opposed by Turf Paradise. Proposed by a new horse racing track in Yavapai County, it seeks a radical change to state policy that would force our track to close after serving the State of Arizona for 62 years with thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact and the joy for the hundreds of thousands of visitors that come to Turf Paradise each year.   
 
Let's be clear.  We want this new track to be successful but not by changing state laws to help them at our expense.  
 
Fortunately, there is some new state legislation being introduced TODAY, supported by Turf Paradise and Rillito racetrack in Tucson, that would provide a good framework for all of these issues to be worked out, short of the harmful legislation that eliminate 40% of our business.  
 
From horse racing to dog shows, charitable events to Arizona's biggest Kentucky Derby party, we have loved serving this state.  Horse racing isn't an easy business these days.  Many tracks have closed.   But we have done and are doing everything possible to keep Turf Paradise an enjoyable, important part of the community with one of the longest race meets in the country. 
 
That's why we again ask you to take a moment and email Governor Doug Ducey as well as the Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers TODAY.  Let them know you OPPOSED HB2547.  Governor Ducey can be reached at [email protected]

 Speaker Bowers at [email protected].
 
Thank you for your help!  We want to be here for and with you for many more years to come.  

Fittingly local ‘Horse of the Meet’ Spooky Channel put in a gallant highweight victory performance in the turf marathon Hasta La Vista Handicap to bring the 63rd racing season to a close Sunday at Turf Paradise.
 
“The 130-day session at times seemed like a marathon,” said general manager Vincent Francia. “But all the hard work by Team Turf was worth it.”
 
Total In-state handle, which comprises on-track and OTB handle, was up 5% to $70,349,780 from previous season’s $67,026,757. On track handle remained basically even with $16,791,100 to previous season’s $16,765,805. However, the OTB system showed growth with a 7% jump from $67,026,757 to $70,349,780.
 
Out-of-state handle was off 5%, $143,646,074 compared to last season’s $151,694,855.
 
“We lost two days due to rain,” said Francia, “and five days where our turf races had to be moved to off tracks, reducing field size due to scratches. It’s our turf racing which is so popular with our out-of-state horseplayers.”
 
A total of 1,040 live races were run in the recently completed season, 188 of them turf races. There were 7,740 starters.
 
Also, incidences of catastrophic injuries to horses dropped considerably this meet.
 
“We are coordinating with the Division of Racing to release the data soon,” said Francia. “But the fatalities are down considerably from the previous season when the numbers spiked past the national average.”
 
Turf Paradise is scheduled to open in mid-October.

Spooky Channel proved why he was voted local Horse of the Meet by carrying 126 pound high weight to victory in the one mile and seven-eighths, $30,000 Hasta la Vista Handicap, bringing the 63rd racing season to a close Sunday at Turf Paradise.
 
Forwardly placed from the start of the marathon turf race, Spooky Channel ($3.20) got a nose in front of last year’s winner Stratton, to which he was conceding 7 pounds, with Arizona Moon finishing third in the field of ten older horses.
 
Trained by Clay Brinson and ridden to the moment by leading rider Francisco Arrieta, the Terry Hamilton-owned Spooky Channel covered the distance in 3:10.61 to remain undefeated in five outings this year. The 4-year-old English Channel gelding has finished no worse than second in 8 career efforts.
 
$50,000 Turf Paradise Spring Futurity
The Molly Pearson-trained Bootytama ($4.80) remained undefeated in two starts by posting an impressive 5-length victory over By the Way with Last Punch third in the field of eight 2-year-olds.
 
Owned by Jeremy Ramsland, Bottytama covered the 5-furlongs in :57.04
 
Leaders
Francisco Arrieta led the jockeys’ colony with 194 wins, the second highest number of victories for a rider since Pat Steinberg’s record of 229 wins in 1988.
 
Robertino Diodoro captured his sixth consecutive trainers’ title with 68 victories. And Robert Garvey, one of Diodoro’s major owners, led all owners with 34 tallies.