Riders approach the starting gate and Rillito Racetrack, 2018.
Pima County did not receive any proposals from potential horse racing operators following a public request for proposals that opened on March 10.
County Administrator Jan Lesher said in a memo that she asked the Parks and Recreation Department to pause improvements they were doing at the Rillito Racetrack. The track needs an estimated $425,000 in improvements, of which the county has already spent $40,000 on an emergency warning system.
Lesher said the county is committed to re-establishing horse racing in the community and will evaluate other options for doing so at Rillito and other locations.
Rillito Racing, Inc. had been the horse racing operator at the Rillito Racetrack since 2014, but their contract expired on June 30 of last year. They had not provided required financial audits to the county for the prior three years.
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