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Trouble in (Turf) Paradise: HBPA Alleges Six-Figure Sum Gone from Purse Account; Key Track Employees Have Quit

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After a one-year revival in which a new leaseholder, Skyfall 7 LLC, seemingly turned around both the business and reputation of the formerly foundering Turf Paradise, chaos has once again descended upon Arizona’s lone remaining Thoroughbred track, seven weeks before the start of the Nov. 27-May 1 meet.

This week began with published news reports that key members of the track’s management team, including Tom Ludt, the general manager, were no longer employed by Turf Paradise.

On Thursday, when queried during the monthly Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting about the vacancies, the status of the upcoming meet, and the company’s financial status, Gary Hartunian, who heads Skyfall 7, took a defiant tone when asked to explain what was going on.

“All the bills have been paid except for there’s a couple situations that I’m dealing with, but it’s really, you know, none of anybody’s concern, because it’s a business, and I’m running it, you know?” Hartunian said. “So it’s all good. I mean, I don’t know what your concern is. I mean, I don’t get this. To me, it’s kind of getting annoying.”

Then, after Hartunian explained his side of the story and reiterated several times that Turf Paradise was on the cusp of a “great” season, the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA)’s executive director, Leroy Gessmann, told the commission that more than half a million dollars had recently gone missing from the Turf Paradise purse account.

“We met with Gary Hartunian of Skyfall on Monday and he reported that he intends to run as scheduled,” Gessmann said. “But the HBPA has the following concerns that have been verified: Number one, there’s no general manager. Number two, there is no track vet. Number three, there is no track maintenance supervisor. As of [Wednesday], there was no concessionaire; he now indicates there may be one in place.

“Then, our main concern was that several hundred thousand dollars were missing from the purse money account,” Gessmann said. “Mr. Hartunian has put $360,000 of it back. But we, as of this morning, are still owed $182,000. We are working with our attorney to try and get that returned.”

Hartunian, a California-based real estate businessman who also races horses under the stable name Rockingham Ranch, did not address the issue of the allegedly missing money.

Nor did commissioners press Gessmann for details about the purse account.

Gessmann then raised concerns about the meet being able to go off smoothly–or at all.

“Many of the trainers have expressed hesitance to travel here with the fact that all the chaos that’s going on and all this stuff that’s been in the press [and] it’s quite concerning,” Gessmann said.

“The bigger trainers may be spending up to $100,000 to move here. It’s very expensive transportation now with seven-dollar diesel. It’s a big expense and they don’t want to come here and find the meet isn’t running, or we get started and then we have to quit in the middle of the meet. I did that once at Arizona Downs and I don’t ever want to have to do that again,” Gessmann said.

Turf Paradise spent the better part of the last two decades mired in a never-ending cascade of controversy. Conflicts played out in the courts and at highly charged AZRC meetings, with horsemen battling management over issues like race dates, purses, off-track betting (OTB) privileges, simulcast signals and safety concerns.

But just prior to the 2025-26 meet, the track’s owner, Jerry Simms, leased the track and its network of 38 OTB facilities to Skyfall 7. The lease was reported at the time as being for two years, with options to extend.

As recently as the July AZRC meeting, it seemed as if the new management and horsemen were still in the honeymoon phase after the upbeat 2025-26 meet.

“What a difference a year makes,” the AZRC’s chairman, James Padish, said three months ago.

And Gessmann, during that July 9 commission meeting, agreed. “It’s a pleasant change from last year, definitely,” he said.

But by the Oct. 8 AZRC meeting, those good vibes had apparently vanished.

Hartunian didn’t think so. This was his explanation, in part:

“We had a lot of issues over there. It’s an old track [and] I put in a million and a half dollars in capital improvements to run the track for the meet. That’s money I’ll never see again. At the end of the meet, we had discussions. The discussions didn’t go well, so [Ludt] decided to leave…

“We had a few problem areas that the team, before they resigned, just, like, you know, [didn’t pay] attention to. And I was there, just there for three days, and I resolved all the issues, except for two. All the bills are paid, utilities are paid. We got a, you know, a little dispute with the landlord going forward. But, you know, other than that, we’re going to have a great meet,” Hartunian said.

“We got some bad press from the disgruntled employees that want to try to undermine the situation, but we’ll just have to rise to the occasion,” Hartunian said.

“The place has never been better. We got a little undercurrent from a couple of guys that, you know, resigned, so it’s, you know, it was just, they wanted to go down one path, and, you know, we had to cut back on expenses and they didn’t like that philosophy. It’s going to be better for the track in the long run [and] things are very, very good and bright over there.”

When Hartunian told the commission that assistant general manager David Johnson would be taking over Ludt’s position, Padish informed him that the commission had received written confirmation right before the meeting that Johnson had resigned along with Ludt.

“If he resigned, that’s news to me,” Hartunian said. “I have a list of people that want the job. So it’ll be filled by the middle of next week.”

At a different point, a frustrated Hartunian challenged Padish: “I don’t understand what’s the issue. Why are you, like, laughing about this like it’s so horrendous?”

Padish, a former superior court judge in Arizona, maintained his composure. “Mr. Hartunian, have I done anything to indicate to you that I’m laughing?” he replied.

Hartunian shot back that he believed the chairman was “chuckling.” He then added that, “I don’t know why you’re listening to the rhetoric on the streets. It’s all, you know, 90% of it’s not true, not gonna happen.”

Padish then tried to bring the questioning to a close, but Hartunian kept speaking over him.

Eventually, though, the chairman managed to get his point across.

“There’s nothing before the commission at this time for us to even be called upon to make a decision,” Padish told Hartunian. “Nobody, from my perspective, is passing judgment at this time. But information is coming to this department that we can’t ignore.

“I’m informed that the department received written notification this morning that your top management resigned, including Dave Johnson, the person you just identified as the new general manager. Again, we’re not passing any judgment. We’re simply in an information-gathering stage at this point,” Padish said.

“I appreciate you sharing with us what you’ve shared. I think you understand that everybody who is participating in this meeting today has a single, primary goal in mind, and that is to promote and continue live racing in Arizona and Turf Paradise,” Padish said.

“That’s the No. 1 goal,” Padish said. “But we have statutory responsibilities that have to be fulfilled, and so we will be asking in the future some pretty hard questions.”

The post Trouble in (Turf) Paradise: HBPA Alleges Six-Figure Sum Gone from Purse Account; Key Track Employees Have Quit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Repole Buys 1M Shares in Churchill Downs

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Owner Mike Repole has purchased one million shares, or nearly 1.5% interest, in Churchill Downs, according to a post he made on X. He indicated he may purchase more and looks forward to working with Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI)’s CEO Bill Carstanjen to make a positive impact and grow the sport.

“Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do,” wrote Repole.

The entire message Repole posted on X follows:

“Over the past four days, I’ve purchased 1 million shares and close to a 1.5% stake in @ChurchillDowns, and I may acquire more. I’m extremely excited about the possibilities.

Churchill has tremendous assets, led by what I believe is the global crown jewel of horse racing, the @KentuckyDerby. Last year’s Derby peaked at 24.4 million viewers. To me, that’s a major proof point of how BIG this sport can become.

As the owner of Repole Stable, one of the largest, most successful and recognizable stables in the country, I see firsthand the potential of what I believe is one of the most undervalued sports nationally and globally.

Horse racing needs more education, real marketing, innovation, and evolution. It also needs stronger leadership and greater accountability from the Old Guard racing entities that, in my opinion, have held the industry back for far too long.

Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do.

I believe a meaningful ownership stake in Churchill gives me the greatest opportunity to help create value for Churchill shareholders AND make a positive financial impact across all of racing.

Growing this sport means growing opportunities for everyone, owners, breeders, track operators, horseplayers, fans, and everyone whose livelihood depends on racing.

I really look forward to working with CEO Bill Carstanjen, his board, and management team to help turn that potential into both short term and long term results.

Think Big. Dream Bigger.”

BREAKING NEWS

Over the past four days, I’ve purchased 1 million shares and close to a 1.5% stake in @ChurchillDowns, and I may acquire more. I’m extremely excited about the possibilities.

Churchill has tremendous assets, led by what I believe is the global crown jewel of horse racing, the @KentuckyDerby. Last year’s Derby peaked at 24.4 million viewers. To me, that’s a major proof point of how BIG this sport can become.

As the owner of Repole Stable, one of the largest, most successful and recognizable stables in the country, I see firsthand the potential of what I believe is one of the most undervalued sports nationally and globally.

Horse racing needs more education, real marketing, innovation, and evolution. It also needs stronger leadership and greater accountability from the Old Guard racing entities that, in my opinion, have held the industry back for far too long.

Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do.

I believe a meaningful ownership stake in Churchill gives me the greatest opportunity to help create value for Churchill shareholders AND make a positive financial impact across all of racing.

Growing this sport means growing opportunities for everyone, owners, breeders, track operators, horseplayers, fans, and everyone whose livelihood depends on racing.

I really look forward to working with CEO Bill Carstanjen, his board, and management team to help turn that potential into both short term and long term results.

Think Big. Dream Bigger.

— Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) October 8, 2026

The post Repole Buys 1M Shares in Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Trouble in (Turf) Paradise: HBPA Alleges Six-Figure Sum Gone from Purse Account; Key Track Employees Have Quit

---

After a one-year revival in which a new leaseholder, Skyfall 7 LLC, seemingly turned around both the business and reputation of the formerly foundering Turf Paradise, chaos has once again descended upon Arizona’s lone remaining Thoroughbred track, seven weeks before the start of the Nov. 27-May 1 meet.

This week began with published news reports that key members of the track’s management team, including Tom Ludt, the general manager, were no longer employed by Turf Paradise.

On Thursday, when queried during the monthly Arizona Racing Commission (AZRC) meeting about the vacancies, the status of the upcoming meet, and the company’s financial status, Gary Hartunian, who heads Skyfall 7, took a defiant tone when asked to explain what was going on.

“All the bills have been paid except for there’s a couple situations that I’m dealing with, but it’s really, you know, none of anybody’s concern, because it’s a business, and I’m running it, you know?” Hartunian said. “So it’s all good. I mean, I don’t know what your concern is. I mean, I don’t get this. To me, it’s kind of getting annoying.”

Then, after Hartunian explained his side of the story and reiterated several times that Turf Paradise was on the cusp of a “great” season, the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (AZHBPA)’s executive director, Leroy Gessmann, told the commission that more than half a million dollars had recently gone missing from the Turf Paradise purse account.

“We met with Gary Hartunian of Skyfall on Monday and he reported that he intends to run as scheduled,” Gessmann said. “But the HBPA has the following concerns that have been verified: Number one, there’s no general manager. Number two, there is no track vet. Number three, there is no track maintenance supervisor. As of [Wednesday], there was no concessionaire; he now indicates there may be one in place.

“Then, our main concern was that several hundred thousand dollars were missing from the purse money account,” Gessmann said. “Mr. Hartunian has put $360,000 of it back. But we, as of this morning, are still owed $182,000. We are working with our attorney to try and get that returned.”

Hartunian, a California-based real estate businessman who also races horses under the stable name Rockingham Ranch, did not address the issue of the allegedly missing money.

Nor did commissioners press Gessmann for details about the purse account.

Gessmann then raised concerns about the meet being able to go off smoothly–or at all.

“Many of the trainers have expressed hesitance to travel here with the fact that all the chaos that’s going on and all this stuff that’s been in the press [and] it’s quite concerning,” Gessmann said.

“The bigger trainers may be spending up to $100,000 to move here. It’s very expensive transportation now with seven-dollar diesel. It’s a big expense and they don’t want to come here and find the meet isn’t running, or we get started and then we have to quit in the middle of the meet. I did that once at Arizona Downs and I don’t ever want to have to do that again,” Gessmann said.

Turf Paradise spent the better part of the last two decades mired in a never-ending cascade of controversy. Conflicts played out in the courts and at highly charged AZRC meetings, with horsemen battling management over issues like race dates, purses, off-track betting (OTB) privileges, simulcast signals and safety concerns.

But just prior to the 2025-26 meet, the track’s owner, Jerry Simms, leased the track and its network of 38 OTB facilities to Skyfall 7. The lease was reported at the time as being for two years, with options to extend.

As recently as the July AZRC meeting, it seemed as if the new management and horsemen were still in the honeymoon phase after the upbeat 2025-26 meet.

“What a difference a year makes,” the AZRC’s chairman, James Padish, said three months ago.

And Gessmann, during that July 9 commission meeting, agreed. “It’s a pleasant change from last year, definitely,” he said.

But by the Oct. 8 AZRC meeting, those good vibes had apparently vanished.

Hartunian didn’t think so. This was his explanation, in part:

“We had a lot of issues over there. It’s an old track [and] I put in a million and a half dollars in capital improvements to run the track for the meet. That’s money I’ll never see again. At the end of the meet, we had discussions. The discussions didn’t go well, so [Ludt] decided to leave…

“We had a few problem areas that the team, before they resigned, just, like, you know, [didn’t pay] attention to. And I was there, just there for three days, and I resolved all the issues, except for two. All the bills are paid, utilities are paid. We got a, you know, a little dispute with the landlord going forward. But, you know, other than that, we’re going to have a great meet,” Hartunian said.

“We got some bad press from the disgruntled employees that want to try to undermine the situation, but we’ll just have to rise to the occasion,” Hartunian said.

“The place has never been better. We got a little undercurrent from a couple of guys that, you know, resigned, so it’s, you know, it was just, they wanted to go down one path, and, you know, we had to cut back on expenses and they didn’t like that philosophy. It’s going to be better for the track in the long run [and] things are very, very good and bright over there.”

When Hartunian told the commission that assistant general manager David Johnson would be taking over Ludt’s position, Padish informed him that the commission had received written confirmation right before the meeting that Johnson had resigned along with Ludt.

“If he resigned, that’s news to me,” Hartunian said. “I have a list of people that want the job. So it’ll be filled by the middle of next week.”

At a different point, a frustrated Hartunian challenged Padish: “I don’t understand what’s the issue. Why are you, like, laughing about this like it’s so horrendous?”

Padish, a former superior court judge in Arizona, maintained his composure. “Mr. Hartunian, have I done anything to indicate to you that I’m laughing?” he replied.

Hartunian shot back that he believed the chairman was “chuckling.” He then added that, “I don’t know why you’re listening to the rhetoric on the streets. It’s all, you know, 90% of it’s not true, not gonna happen.”

Padish then tried to bring the questioning to a close, but Hartunian kept speaking over him.

Eventually, though, the chairman managed to get his point across.

“There’s nothing before the commission at this time for us to even be called upon to make a decision,” Padish told Hartunian. “Nobody, from my perspective, is passing judgment at this time. But information is coming to this department that we can’t ignore.

“I’m informed that the department received written notification this morning that your top management resigned, including Dave Johnson, the person you just identified as the new general manager. Again, we’re not passing any judgment. We’re simply in an information-gathering stage at this point,” Padish said.

“I appreciate you sharing with us what you’ve shared. I think you understand that everybody who is participating in this meeting today has a single, primary goal in mind, and that is to promote and continue live racing in Arizona and Turf Paradise,” Padish said.

“That’s the No. 1 goal,” Padish said. “But we have statutory responsibilities that have to be fulfilled, and so we will be asking in the future some pretty hard questions.”

The post Trouble in (Turf) Paradise: HBPA Alleges Six-Figure Sum Gone from Purse Account; Key Track Employees Have Quit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Repole Buys 1M Shares in Churchill Downs

---

Owner Mike Repole has purchased one million shares, or nearly 1.5% interest, in Churchill Downs, according to a post he made on X. He indicated he may purchase more and looks forward to working with Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI)’s CEO Bill Carstanjen to make a positive impact and grow the sport.

“Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do,” wrote Repole.

The entire message Repole posted on X follows:

“Over the past four days, I’ve purchased 1 million shares and close to a 1.5% stake in @ChurchillDowns, and I may acquire more. I’m extremely excited about the possibilities.

Churchill has tremendous assets, led by what I believe is the global crown jewel of horse racing, the @KentuckyDerby. Last year’s Derby peaked at 24.4 million viewers. To me, that’s a major proof point of how BIG this sport can become.

As the owner of Repole Stable, one of the largest, most successful and recognizable stables in the country, I see firsthand the potential of what I believe is one of the most undervalued sports nationally and globally.

Horse racing needs more education, real marketing, innovation, and evolution. It also needs stronger leadership and greater accountability from the Old Guard racing entities that, in my opinion, have held the industry back for far too long.

Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do.

I believe a meaningful ownership stake in Churchill gives me the greatest opportunity to help create value for Churchill shareholders AND make a positive financial impact across all of racing.

Growing this sport means growing opportunities for everyone, owners, breeders, track operators, horseplayers, fans, and everyone whose livelihood depends on racing.

I really look forward to working with CEO Bill Carstanjen, his board, and management team to help turn that potential into both short term and long term results.

Think Big. Dream Bigger.”

BREAKING NEWS

Over the past four days, I’ve purchased 1 million shares and close to a 1.5% stake in @ChurchillDowns, and I may acquire more. I’m extremely excited about the possibilities.

Churchill has tremendous assets, led by what I believe is the global crown jewel of horse racing, the @KentuckyDerby. Last year’s Derby peaked at 24.4 million viewers. To me, that’s a major proof point of how BIG this sport can become.

As the owner of Repole Stable, one of the largest, most successful and recognizable stables in the country, I see firsthand the potential of what I believe is one of the most undervalued sports nationally and globally.

Horse racing needs more education, real marketing, innovation, and evolution. It also needs stronger leadership and greater accountability from the Old Guard racing entities that, in my opinion, have held the industry back for far too long.

Nobody loves building epic businesses and brands in a disruptive way more than I do.

I believe a meaningful ownership stake in Churchill gives me the greatest opportunity to help create value for Churchill shareholders AND make a positive financial impact across all of racing.

Growing this sport means growing opportunities for everyone, owners, breeders, track operators, horseplayers, fans, and everyone whose livelihood depends on racing.

I really look forward to working with CEO Bill Carstanjen, his board, and management team to help turn that potential into both short term and long term results.

Think Big. Dream Bigger.

— Repole Stable (@RepoleStable) October 8, 2026

The post Repole Buys 1M Shares in Churchill Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.