According to the new deal, Turf Paradise will continue to operate for a further three years

Track administrators and horsemen in Arizona have an arrangement that will keep Turf Paradise open for business for a minimum of three more years.

The arrangement was verified by Vince Francia, general manager of the Phoenix track. Daily Racing Form had first reported on it.

Due to periodic discussions about a sale, the track was in risk of closing last year, and because of the uncertainty, its inauguration this year was postponed until January.

The new agreement “gives everybody a certain amount of certainty for the next three years,” Francia stated at Horse Racing Nation. “The race dates will go from Breeders’ Cup weekend, which is the first weekend of November, until Kentucky Derby day, which of course, is the first Saturday of May. It's about 105 days, racing four days a week, Monday through Thursday.”

According to him, the Arizona Racing Commission must approve the transaction.

According to the DRF statistics, the meet at Turf Paradise had a total handle of 54 days for Thoroughbred races, which was 45 percent less than 114 days a year earlier. However, even though the average field size for Thoroughbred races decreased slightly, the average handling increased by 15%.

“It was a very good meet,” Francia noted. “There was an abbreviated meet, for 50-some days, we paid out record purses. Not only good for our horsemen, but it attracted horses from California. And everything went really well.”

Francia stated that Jerry Simms, the owner of the track, will keep reviewing bids for the 213-acre plot, of which 103 acres are used for racing and the remaining portion is available for development.