Below, we discuss Turf Paradise horse racing in Phoenix, Arizona, and it has the distinction of being the oldest Thoroughbred horse track in the Grand Canyon State, opening on January 7, 1956. The highly-regarded facility also doubles as a Quarter Horse track, and its meet season runs from November through May.
Horse racing at BetUS includes Turf Paradise Racetrack cards, as well as those at many other North American and international tracks.
Let’s review the following:
- An overview of Turf Paradise Race Track
- The live racing season and key events at Turf Paradise
- Betting insights and strategies
- Horse racing odds and how they work
Turf Paradise Racecourse Overview
| Turf Paradise Horses |
Types of Tracks |
Meet Season |
Biggest Race |
| Thoroughbred and Quarter Horses |
1-mile dirt track and a 7-furlong turf course |
November through early May |
The $400,000 Grade 3 Turf Paradise Derby |
Turf Paradise is one of the few tracks where Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses share the same meet, which puts it on the Southwest circuit alongside the region’s dedicated Quarter Horse venues, where Ruidoso Downs odds cover the sport’s most famous.
Track Layout & Course Characteristics
Turf Paradise in Arizona features two distinctive tracks. The one-mile oval track is a traditional dirt surface composed of soil, silt, clay, and sand. In 2021, the track engineers added 250 tons of “#10 Mesh Sand” to enhance the integrity of the surface and maintain it as a speed track that has improved the drainage during inclement weather.
The Turf Paradise racing schedule also includes turf races, which are accommodated by a seven-furlong turf course whose surface comprises natural grass that is reinforced with over 2600 pounds of polypropylene fibers to provide more stability to the surface and greater safety for the horses and jockeys.
Pace & Running Style Bias
Turf Paradise racing is built for speed on the dirt track. Horses that are quick to emerge from the gate hold an inherent advantage at this track. The turns are friendly enough that jockeys do not have to use too much force to rein in their mounts, which allows the speedballs to dominate.
However, if the pace is too quick, closers can stalk it and come from behind to finish first. Experienced riders who are familiar with the course have a distinct advantage over those who are not, as it requires a delicate balance.
The Turf Paradise entries running on the turf track will find that it is speedier than most tracks; however, the natural grass foundation provides a more balanced surface. Pace-setting turf horses can often get winded on the surface sooner than on the dirt, and that applies at Turf Paradise as well.
Key Betting Factors
Speed horses breaking from the inside gates hold an advantage on both tracks, but should these horses get an outside gate, their advantage is somewhat mitigated by the distance they must travel to get to the rail. That is particularly true on the turf course, whose surface is deeper, which makes it more difficult to trudge through and maintain a speedy pace.
Turf Paradise odds are offered in two forms, parimutuel and fixed-odds. The former is the traditional method, where the morning line on each horse will likely differ from the actual odds once the race begins. Parimutuel wagering’s odds reflect the amount of money bet on each horse as it happens, which is why the odds change. A 2-1 favorite might go off at 5-1 if more people are betting on other horses.
However, fixed odds are becoming more popular because they are the same as locking in a sports bet at certain odds or point spreads. In this case, the bettor immediately knows exactly what return they will get if the horse wins the race.
Speaking of odds, they are easy to deduce. For instance, a 10-1 long shot will pay $10 for every $1 wagered plus the cost of the bet (in this case, $1) if that horse wins. Therefore, a $2 bet will pay $20 plus the $2 wagered for a total of $22.
Turf Paradise off track betting can be found at nearly 40 OTB parlors throughout Arizona, and horse racing at BetUS is also home to Turf Paradise racing cards.
Racing Season & Key Meetings
The Turf Paradise racing season runs from November through early May and has several important Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse events.
Turf Paradise Racing Schedule
The Turf Paradise live racing schedule typically runs from the first Saturday of November through Kentucky Derby weekend in early May, with around 100 live racing cards over that duration. The track publishes its racing calendar ahead of each season, and race days and post times vary across the meet.
Major Races
The most prestigious race at Turf Paradise is the $400,000 Grade 3 Turf Paradise Derby, covering one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt, while the Phoenix Gold Cup is a six-furlong $50,000 stakes race on the dirt for three-year-olds and up.
The Derby runs in February as an early-season prep, the same slot the Southwest’s other Derby trail races occupy, where Sunland Park odds cover New Mexico’s contribution to that trail.
Turf Paradise Race Track Entries, Results & Picks
Turf Paradise entries are drawn and published in the days before each card, and entries for a given race day are available once the fields are set. Morning line odds appear at the same time, and parimutuel prices keep moving through to post time. Turf Paradise results and race results are posted after each race, so entries and results for a day’s card sit together on the live program as it runs.
Turf Paradise picks and handicapping previews are widely published ahead of race day, including free horse racing picks from a range of providers, and picks for a given day are usually out the evening before. Because the meet runs most of the week across a long season, the live card in the BetUS Racebook is always the current reference rather than any fixed list.
Turf Paradise is dark through the Arizona summer, and horsemen ship out for those months, with Lone Star Park odds covering one of the circuits that picks up the calendar.
Betting Insights & Strategy
Turf Paradise rewards speed, and that is evidenced by the inside post positions No. 1 and No. 2 producing nearly 39% of the winners. The shorter the race, the more advantageous it is for pacesetters breaking from inside gates.
Turf vs. Dirt Performance Differences
Although Turf Paradise boasts a relatively speedy turf course, it does not reward speed as generously as its dirt counterpart, which often favors horses that can maintain a strong pace throughout the race rather than those that rely solely on quick starts.
