PHOENIX – Turf Paradise has reached a deal to continue Off Track Betting operations and is planning a new live meet, reversing shutdown plans, the 67-year-old Phoenix horse racing track announced Wednesday.
Turf Paradise’s contract to simulcast races for wagering had been set to expire at the end of September, but the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZ HBPA) extended it to Nov. 12, according to a post on the track’s website.
The post said details about a new live meet to start in January were still being worked out and more information would be released at a later date.
The news comes a week after the facility said it would cease live racing and Off Track Betting (OTB) operations Oct. 1 because owner/operator Jerry Simms was retiring and the AZ HBPA contract was set to expire.
There was no explanation as to why plans changed for the track, which opened at 19th Avenue and Bell Road in 1956.
In addition to live horse racing meets, Turf Paradise maintains 37 OTB sites throughout Arizona that televise its races plus simulcasts from tracks around the country for the purpose of wagering.
According to ABC15, California-based CT Realty was under contract to purchase the race track and its 252-acre site for redevelopment earlier this year, but the deal fell through.