The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has told the Arizona Department of Racing that it is prepared to initiate an “enforcement action” against Turf Paradise if the track is allowed to proceed with the opening of its meet on Saturday, citing ongoing concerns with the condition of its dirt racing surface. HISA sent a letter to the department outlining its concerns on Thursday night, four days after the department issued Turf Paradise a 45-day conditional permit to open on Saturday. The permit was approved after the department discussed a laundry list of HISA and state regulatory standards that Turf Paradise had not yet met but that track officials had said would be worked out prior to the track’s opening date. A HISA statement cited “recent reports and assessments from racetrack surface experts, concerns raised by on-site racing participants, and firsthand observations of HISA staff” for its concerns about the safety of the track’s racing surface. The statement also called for training at the track to be immediately suspended. “Out of concerns for the safety of horses and riders, HISA has communicated a recommendation to Turf Paradise and the Arizona Department of Gaming to delay the start of the upcoming meet and cease all training and racing activities on the main track racing surface until such time as adequate adjustments and preparations have been made and the track has been retested to verify conformance with industry standards,” the statement said. “HISA will continue to monitor the situation and may initiate an enforcement action if necessary.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Vince Francia, the general manager of Turf Paradise, said on Friday morning that the Arizona Department of Racing has scheduled a meeting for 1 p.m. Pacific time to discuss the HISA letter. Francia took issue with HISA’s recommendation that the track close until repairs to the main dirt surface can be made. “There are some very good numbers in here, very scientific and very helpful,” Francia said, referencing a report HISA provided to the track. “But nowhere in here does it say that the track is unsafe.” Francia said that HISA recommended that the main track be closed for “five to seven days.” The training track at Turf Paradise has not yet opened, which means that horses at the track would be limited in the exercise they would be able to perform in the lead-up to a reopening of the track, if its opening is delayed. Training on the main track began in early October. Both Francia and representatives of the state’s horsemen have said that at least two serious injuries have occurred during training hours in the past three weeks. HISA, a private company created by federal legislation that began enforcing safety standards at tracks in 2022, has tangled with Turf Paradise in the past over the track’s compliance with safety regulations, its payment of dues to the organization, and its interpretation of HISA’s jurisdiction. Many of those issues were resolved in early 2023 through a negotiated agreement, but Turf Paradise’s compliance with specific regulations concerning surface maintenance and other standards has remained touch-and-go. HISA’s enabling legislation authorizes the track to withdraw its approval for a meet to be conducted under its jurisdiction. In the event that HISA withdraws its approval, a track cannot send its simulcast signal out of state. However, HISA has maintained that only individual state racing agencies can order a track to close. Turf Paradise, which opened in 1956, has struggled to complete routine maintenance throughout the past two decades as the track’s business faltered and efforts to pass casino legislation consistently failed in the face of opposition from the state’s Indian tribes. The track has had a strained relationship with its horsemen for most of the past decade, although those tensions seemed to ease this year after the track’s owner, Jerry Simms, committed to live racing for three years following the dissolution of two separate deals to sell the track. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.