Jerry Simms – Turf Paradise Phoenix

The Legacy of Jerry Simms and Turf Paradise

Jerry Simms, Self-made Arizona businessman, real estate mogul, and philanthropist is celebrating the 62nd anniversary of his beloved race track, Turf Paradise.
Turf Paradise opened its doors Jan. 7, 1956, making history as the first organized professional sports franchise in Arizona.

Hosting only five owners in over 50 decades, Simms purchased the track in 2000 and invested in a multimillion-dollar renovation including a state-of-the-art equine pool for the training and therapy of the nearly 2,000 horses that call Turf Paradise home. The 30-foot by 60-foot equine pool provides advanced horse therapy for thoroughbreds housed on the backside of the track. Containing more than 140,000 gallons of water and measuring 12 feet in depth, the pool accommodates up to six horses at a time and has contributed to equine health and field size. Additionally, Simms invested in the restyle of the main track, Clubhouse and Turf Club adding two race book-style betting carrels including 80 private terminals, one located in the Clubhouse and the other adjacent to the Turf Club.

With a savvy background in real estate, Simms purchased the property at the busy 19th Ave. and Bell Rd. intersection adjacent to Turf Paradise to create convenience around the community by making use for commercial development, elevating the tracks racing operation, revitalizing the nearby area and paving the way for box-box retailers.

Although Jerry Simms’s efforts to the development and renovation of Turf Paradise have successfully turned the track into the third largest sporting attraction in Arizona, one would argue that his greatest contributions to the track have been the personal, family-friendly investments he has continued to incorporate into the Turf Paradise culture for his staff and the thousands who visit.
Simms has implemented many successful events held at Turf Paradise including Day at The Races where kids can feed the horses, meet the jockeys and ride the ponies all in benefit of Phoenix Children’s Hospital; Wine, Women and Horses, an annual event that donates proceeds to the Child Crisis Center; Alternative Race Day, featuring camels, zebras and other exotic animals to raise money for the Arizona Humane Society and Life After Racing, which supports organizations devoted to the care of horses when they’ve finished their racing career.
Simms has created a family-friendly destination for all sports and animal lovers to enjoy year-round.

About Jerry Simms:
Jerry Simms is a philanthropist, local Arizona businessman, proud grandfather and lifelong entrepreneur. He began his business ventures in the 1970s, owning auto dealerships in Pasadena, Calif., then later moving into the banking industry and real estate development. Born in the Midwest, Jerry grew up loving horses and horse racing, a persuading factor in his decision to move to Phoenix in 1996 and purchase Turf Paradise in 2000. Today, Turf Paradise is the third-largest sporting attraction in Arizona.

Hydrotherapy – The Healing Power of Water for Horses

By Jerry Simms

For centuries water has been recognized as having spiritual and healing properties. From soaking aching muscles in an Epsom salt bath to taking a refreshing dip in a pool at the end of a long day, the sound and presence of water is soothing and relaxing. Water is even used for therapy, or Hydrotherapy, to rehabilitate and condition without the harsh impact on the body.
According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), Hydrotherapy has become increasingly more popular for equine healing and conditioning because of the ability to maintain or improve condition without unnecessarily overstressing the horse’s body.

Swimming allows a horse to regain (or maintain) condition without causing unnecessary impact or pressure on the horse’s musculoskeletal system. Just as athletes use their entire body while swimming and interval training, horses do the same while using the equine pool or underwater treadmill. For horses that have suffered from an injury, swimming can help the horse recover faster, with less stress and even confidence that they can recover.

Additionally, aquatic therapy has major cardiovascular, respiratory and muscle and tendon benefits. Many horsemen also find that the use of an equine swimming pool or underwater treadmill extends a race horse’s career by an average of five races a year. Due to the waters buoyancy, viscosity, density and pressure, horses are provided with a powerful and endurance filled training session without the weight of the rider.

After years of research and recognizing the extortionary benefits of Hydrotherapy, it was imperative that we install an equine pool at Turf Paradise. The pool was created in 2003 and it has been a huge hit with trainers and owners at the track, with an average of 30 to 50 horses using the pool on live race days.
Our oval-shaped pool is just one of three in the United States located on racetrack property. At 30-feet wide, 60-feet long and 14-feet deep, the pool is designed for the advanced development and improvement of equine athletes of all disciplines.
Horses are powerful beings that have the unique ability gracefully transition from jumping fences, galloping around barrels and sprinting down the stretch. However, all of these abilities require a healthy well-conditioned horse with a full range of motion. Musculoskeletal injuries, depending on the severity, could be career-ending.

The History of Turf Paradise
In 1954 Phoenix businessman Walter Cluer purchased 1,400 acres of barren desert at what is now Bell Road and 19th Avenue. Cluer, a successful millwork founder and manufacturer, was also a horse owner. Although Cluer’s education consisted only of an eighth-grade diploma, he had a passion to make a personal dream a reality: Building a first-class race track in Phoenix.

There were more than a few locals who thought Cluer’s ambitious pronouncement was ill-timed and doomed to failure. After all, the property was 25 miles from the hustle and bustle of the burgeoning metropolis of downtown Phoenix and the only way to get there was via a few badly maintained dirt roads. But like any man on a mission, Cluer was not to be dissuaded by the naysayers. On January 7, 1956, Turf Paradise opened its doors and Phoenicians responded by filling every seat and standing shoulder-to-shoulder to welcome pari-mutuel racing to Arizona and the Valley’s first sports franchise.Cluer remained as head of the track for nearly 25 years. Then in 1980, Herb Owens took over and Turf Paradise entered into its renovation phase. The Clubhouse was enlarged and an elegant Turf Club with a penthouse-style Directors’ Suite and outdoor patio were added. Racing wise, the track constructed a seven-furlong in eld turf course with a one-mile and one-eighth chute.

In 1989, Turf Paradise’s third owner, Robert Walker, purchased and guided the track into yet another new territory: Off-Track Betting. Walker, of Scottsdale, had made his fortune with an aerospace company he had founded and sold. Walker’s formula was the right approach at the right time as he retired the track’s outstanding debt and declared the first-ever dividend for Turf Paradise stockholders. In addition, Walker and a consortium of horse racing interests successfully lobbied the Arizona Legislature to legalize o -track betting. The in-state OTB network is perhaps Walker’s greatest contribution to the track and Arizona’s racing industry. What started out as a single OTB site in little Cave Creek (pop. 4,000) in 1991, has now blossomed into over 45 in-state OTB’s and over 900 out-of-state locales, located in six different countries.Turf Paradise took on a corporate face when in 1994 the track was purchased in a stock acquisition by California-based Hollywood Park, under the chairmanship of R.D. Hubbard. Despite intense competition from multiple Native American in-state casino gaming interests, Turf Paradise continued to flourish and achieve record mutual handle numbers.

The new millennium provided Turf Paradise with a new owner, Jerry Simms. The self-made multi-millionaire purchased Turf Paradise in June of 2000 for $53 million. Mixing business
acumen and savvy entrepreneurship, Simms Midas-touched modest investments in automobile dealerships, residential and commercial real estate ventures and banking in southern
California, into a fortune. He immediately set out a $5 million renovation plan designed to enhance the racing experience with a quality dining and entertainment ambiance. Both the Clubhouse and Turf Club were completely renovated