Turf plans to resume racing on Wednesday

Horse racing came to a halt at Turf Paradise Monday and Tuesday, after a coronavirus outbreak in the jockey quarters, the track posted on social media.

Turf Paradise, located at 19th Avenue and Bell Road in Phoenix, canceled training and racing at the track on Monday after four reported positive cases of coronavirus in the quarters, officials said in a Twitter post. A statement also was posted on its Facebook page.

The post said racing was suspended "out of an abundance of caution.'' It did not provide more details, and calls to track officials for additional information were not immediately returned.

Training resumed Tuesday at Turf Paradise, the statement said, and races were expected to resume on Wednesday.

Turf Paradise was forced to suspend its season in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began forcing closure of other sports and activities in Arizona.

Racing resumed Jan. 4. The track planned to have 84 days of live racing held Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with various new regulations in place for safety.

A mask mandate was put in place for all staff and a limited number of fans who were allowed access to the ground floor of the grandstand, which opens to the outside alongside the track. Officials previously told The Arizona Republic about 50-60 fans had been attending races since the reopening, with a maximum of 150 allowed.

Prior to the pandemic, the track averaged 2,200 fans daily, officials said.

Jockeys were required to have temperature checks an hour before their race, and a wristband was used to trace their movement while they were at the track.

After their final race of the day, they are asked to leave as soon as possible to limit people in their locker room, officials previously told The Arizona Republic.