The Turf Paradise Derby is an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

held annually between early and mid February at

Turf Paradise Race Course Turf Paradise is a thoroughbred and quarter horse racetrack located at 19th Avenue and Bell Road, in the Deer Valley section of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States. It opened in 1956. It is owned and operated by local entrepreneur Jerry Simms. ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is competed over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. It is an ungraded stakes race that is a prep for the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, although it does not offer Derby qualifying points. Inaugurated in 1986, the Turf Paradise Derby was run at a distance of one mile but the following year was modified to its present distance of one and one-sixteenth miles.

Records

Speed record: * 1:41.72 – Startac (2001) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 3 – Scott Stevens (1993, 2006, 2017) Most wins by a trainer: * 5 – Doug Oliver (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995) Most wins by an owner: * 2 – Alice Mettler (1989, 1990) * 2 – Allan Burdick (1991, 1992) * 2 – Arnulf & Rebecca Ueland (1991, 1992) * 2 – Dennis E. Weir (1996, 1999)

Winners of the Turf Paradise Derby

References

{{Reflist Ungraded stakes races in the United States Horse races in the United States Triple Crown Prep Races Sports in Phoenix, Arizona Recurring sporting events established in 1986 1986 establishments in Arizona