Saturday’s opening day at the meet rebranded as Gulfstream Park West will truly mark the beginning of an end. Barring an 11th hour reprieve from the courts, the 40-day season will be the last ever run at Calder Race Course, the meat-and-potatoes South Florida track that has been operating since 1971.

1. Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Concerts
2. Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida
3. Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Jobs
4. Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Events
5. Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Map

Thoroughbred horse racing has always been one of the most widely attended spectator sports in America. In Florida, thoroughbred racing is featured at Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West, and Tampa Bay Downs.

Since 2014, the racing operation has been leased by Calder’s owner, Churchill Downs Inc., to Gulfstream Park’s owners, The Stronach Group, which renamed the track Gulfstream Park West. That lease expires at the end of the year and TSG is in the process of putting together a 2021 racing schedule that does not include a Gulfstream Park West/Calder meet.

Calder opened May 6, 1971 with 16,263 fans in attendance and the handle was $712,931. The New York Times reported that the meet “got off to a flying start” and that there were so many people looking to get into the track that they had to close the gates and turn some would-be patrons away.

• Place a bet on a thoroughbred horse, celebrate with a cocktail and move to the casino to continue your winning streak at Florida’s premier racetrack. Since 1939, the prestigious racetrack of Gulfstream Park has been one of the most important horse racing venues in North America.
• Where is Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino? Hallandale Beach is home to Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino. Hallandale Beach is a family-friendly city well known for its restaurants and beaches. If you're looking for things to see and do in the area, you might want to stop in and see Aventura Mall and Hollywood Beach.
• Find 4 listings related to Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino in Hallandale Beach on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino locations in Hallandale Beach, FL.

Calder bridged the gap between the winter and early spring meets that were held at Gulfstream and at Hialeah and ushered in an era of year-round racing in South Florida. While Calder was never as glamorous as the other tracks in the area, it satisfied a need and was a starting point for many successful jockeys, trainers and horses. In 2000, Calder inaugurated the “Summit of Speed” program, which featured several major stakes races, all of them sprints.

“Calder was a workingman’s racetrack and a lot of fine horses came from there that competed on all levels, whether it was Spend a Buck to a horse I had, Three Ring, who went on to win all sorts of graded stakes races,” said veteran trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. “My father was the second one through the backstretch gates when it first opened. A lot of people did great there and Calder launched the career of a lot of horsemen. Calder was a great place for me and my family. It gave us a lot of stability and it gave me time to be with my family. I am going to sorely miss it.”

Calder’s future changed directions when it was purchased for $87 million in 1999 by Churchill Downs. Over the years, Churchill has become increasingly less interested in racing and has been focusing on gaming. Following the end of the 2015 meet, Churchill had the grandstand torn down, leaving little behind but the racetrack itself.

In 2010, a casino opened at Calder. Florida law required Churchill to run a live racing meet of at least 40 days in order to keep its casino license, but Churchill found a loophole in the law and argued that any form of pari-mutuel wagering would satisfy the requirements for a casino. In May, 2019, Churchill opened a jai alai fronton, which is far less costly to operate than a racetrack, on the grounds. Four months later, a Florida Court upheld a decision by the state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering that allowed Calder to tie its casino permit to jai alai. Horse racing was no longer needed.

“I feel that Churchill Downs didn’t do its best for horse racing,” trainer David Fawkes said. “They’ve done the same thing in Chicago with Arlington and to Hollywood Park. It’s sad because we all got on board to help them get their casino and once they got what they wanted, they were done with us.”

The Florida HBPA and other industry groups have continued the battle in the courts, hoping to reverse the decision that approved the casino-jai alai marriage. But Gulfstream management is proceeding as if racing will no longer continue at Calder after the meet ends Nov. 28.

“It”s the end of an era,”said Bill Badgett, the executive director of Florida Racing Operations for The Stronach Group.

Though overshadowed by Gulfstream, the abbreviated Calder meets served a purpose. It is difficult for any track to operate year-round, especially one that relies so heavily on turf racing, like Gulfstream does. The two months when racing was conducted at Calder were used to give Gulfstream a break and to prepare the turf course for the Championship Meet.

Badgett said that the plan is to operate Gulfstream year-round in 2021, but said that not all the Calder dates will be made up.

“We’re in the process right now of creating the calendar for 2021,” Badgett said. “Most likely, we will lose about 20 days out of the 40. The two months when we race over there is the time we get things ready here for the championship meet, with the turf. It could be that in November we possibly could race over the Breeders’ Cup days and take the rest of the month off and then get ready for the Championship Meet. That would give us almost three weeks off for the turf course. Maybe in October we’ll only run three days a week. We will try to run a few less turf races during October. It looks like we have a pretty good plan we’re going to be putting into place. To lose just 20 days, that doesn’t hurt you that much in the long run.”

The other issue is stabling. Badgett said that there are 450 horses currently stabled at Calder. Gulfstream has reached an agreement whereby the horses can stay at Calder until Apr. 1. By that time, he said, an expansion project will have been completed at Palm Meadows to house the Calder horses and the backstretch workers who care for those horses.

Badgett is a former trainer who raced some at Calder before he went into racetrack management. Like so many others in South Florida racing, he has a soft spot for old Calder Race Course.

“When they tore the grandstand down, that’s when everybody said that it was the beginning of the end,” he said. “It used to be a lot of fun to race there and they had great racing. I even remember running on Christmas Day there. But the game has changed and those days are long gone. It’s sad.”

Gulfstream Park is a racetrack and county-approved casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida. During its annual meet, which spans December through October, it is one of the most important venues for horse racing in the United States.

History[edit]

Gulfstream Park was opened on Wednesday February 1, 1939 conducting a four-day meeting. The initial meeting had a crowd of 18,000. In 1944, the track was reopened by James Donn, Sr. for a 20-day meeting in December. The Gulfstream Park Handicap was first run in 1946 and the Florida Derby began in 1952. In that year the clubhouse was built and the Grandstand seating was expanded.

Gulfstream Park introduced turf racing for the first time in 1959.

In 1952 the clubhouse was erected and a new addition was put on the grandstand. It also marked the first running of the Florida Derby. The following year, the Florida Derby became the first stakes in Florida with a $100,000 purse.

The 1955 Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Swaps set a then world-record of 1:39 3/5 for a mile and 70 yards while carrying 130 pounds in the Broward Handicap. The following year was just as exciting at Gulfstream when Gen. Duke equaled the world record of 1:46 4/5 in defeating Bold Ruler in the Florida Derby.

In 1959, a new era at Gulfstream began with the opening of its world-acclaimed turf course. In 1961, James Donn Jr. became president of Gulfstream. It also marked the construction of what was then the world's largest tote board.

Following the death of his father, James Donn Jr., Doug Donn was elected Gulfstream Park's president.

In 1961, James Donn Jr. succeeded his father as president of Gulfstream Park. In this year the Clubhouse was enlarged and the then-world's largest totalisator board was installed in the infield. A big break for Gulfstream Park came in 1972, when the track was awarded 'middle dates' for a 40-day January through April meet.

In 1980, Hall of Fame rider Angel Cordero Jr. set a meeting record with 60 winners.

In 1982, the Grandstand was renovated with new architecture and in 1984 the renovation of the clubhouse was completed. In 1986, the renovation of the track was completed with the new Gulfdome, a domed dining terrace. In 1989 Gulfstream Park hosted the Breeders Cup for the first time (which it did again in 1992 and 1999).

Gulfstream played host its first Breeders' Cup World Championships in 1989, highlighted by the Classic match-up between Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Sunday Silence and Belmont Stakes winner Easy Goer.^[1] Gulfstream would host the Breeders' Cup again in 1992.

In 1990, the track was purchased by Bertram R. Firestone.

Jockey Julie Krone took the jockey's title in 1993 with 98 winners. In 1994, Holy Bull won the Florida Derby while, in 1995, Cigar won the Donn Handicap and Gulfstream Park Handicap on his way to a perfect season. Meanwhile, '95 Florida Derby winner Thunder Gulch would go on to win the Kentucky Derby. Monarchos would repeat Thunder Gulch's feat in 2001.

In 1994, a half interest in the track was sold to Nigashi Nihon.

Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Concerts

The track was purchased by Magna Entertainment Corporation, in 1999 for $95 million.^[2] In 2010, the ownership of the track was taken over by Magna parent MI Developments Inc. (MID). The track is currently owned by The Stronach Group since July 3, 2011.

Hal's Hope, winner of the 2000 Florida Derby, would return in 2002 to win the Gulfstream Park Handicap. The 2002 season was also highlighted by the first running of the popular Sunshine Millions, pitting Florida-breds vs. California-breds for purses totaling $3.6 million. Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's state-of-the-art training facility in Palm Beach County, was opened on Nov. 29, 2002.

Trainer Todd Pletcher started his unprecedented run of nine consecutive training titles in 2004.

Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida

The track began a $130 million renovation of the grandstand and clubhouse in 2004 and slot machines were approved for the track in 2004. It now hosts all of the races in the series of races known as the Sunshine Millions.The series now consists of the:

In 2006, Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey rode his last race aboard Silver Tree in the Sunshine Millions and the great Barbaro would win the Florida Derby before making headlines with his victory in the Kentucky Derby.

The renovation, first effective for the 2006 spring meeting, was heavily criticized by racegoers and commentators, who felt that the new racino laid its emphasis entirely on the casino part, destroying the racetrack's atmosphere.^[3]

In June, 2011, Tim Ritvo was named President and General Manager of Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino. He was a prominent jockey and racing official at Suffolk Downs in the 1980s before establishing himself in the 1990s as a leading Florida trainer. Ritvo has also served as Vice President and Director of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association.^[4]

In April, 2012, Javier Castellano, who collected his first Gulfstream title by riding a record 112 winners, scored his 3000th career success aboard Virtuously on Feb. 24 and Todd Pletcher, who claimed an unprecedented ninth consecutive training title at Gulfstream with 72 trips to the winner's circle, recorded his 3,000 career victory when he saddled Spring Hill Farm for a winning performance on Feb. 11.^[5]

In 2012, Stronach Group named Tim Ritvo, Chief Operating Officer of its Racing Division^[6]

March 2, 2020 Tim Ritvo stepped down as COO of Stronach Group operated tracks, which include the troubled Santa Anita racetrack in California. He left to “pursue other opportunities.”^[7]

Stakes Races[edit]

Gulfstream Park is home to the following graded stakes: (listed by grade and then year inaugurated)
Grade I:

• Florida Derby (1952)
• Pegasus World Cup (2017)
• Pegasus World Cup Turf (2019)

Grade II:

• Fountain of Youth Stakes (1945)
• Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (1946)
• Fort Lauderdale Stakes (1947)
• Pan American Stakes (1962)
• Gulfstream Park Oaks (1971)
• Holy Bull Stakes (1972)
• Inside Information Stakes (1976)
• Princess Rooney Stakes (1985)
• Davona Dale Stakes (1988)
• Mac Diarmida Stakes (1995)

Grade III: (listed by grade and then year inaugurated)

• Mr. Prospector Stakes (1946)
• Suwannee River Stakes (1947)
• Appleton Stakes (1952)
• Orchid Stakes (1954)
• Hutcheson Stakes (1955)
• Canadian Turf Stakes (1967)
• Tropical Turf Stakes (1972)
• Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship (1972)
• W. L. McKnight Handicap (1973)
• Rampart Stakes (1976)
• Sugar Swirl Stakes (1981)
• Forward Gal Stakes (1981)
• Herecomesthebride Stakes (1984)
• Smile Sprint Stakes (1984)
• Fred W. Hooper Stakes (1985)
• Honey Fox Stakes (1985)
• Swale Stakes (1985)
• Sweetest Chant Stakes (1986)
• Palm Beach Stakes (1987)
• Hal's Hope Stakes (1990)
• Royal Delta Stakes (1991)
• Hurricane Bertie Stakes (2001)
• Marshua's River Stakes (2001)
• Kitten's Joy Stakes (2012)

Non-graded: (partial list, listed Alphabetically)

• Azalea Stakes (1972)
• Carry Back Stakes (1975)
• Dania Beach Stakes (2008)
• Skip Away Handicap (1987)
• Spectacular Bid Stakes (1986)
• Gulfstream Park Stakes (inaugurated in 2012, Reveron first winner)

(FTBOA) Florida Sire stakes:

Pegasus Park[edit]

In September 2013 an expansion was announced beginning with the construction of a 110 feet bronze statue of Pegasus killing a dragon.^[8] Construction began in March 2014 and finished on the statues themselves in December of that year with the surrounding rock features and fountains to be completed in late 2015. Underneath Pegasus will be a theatre and the dragon will breathe fire when completed. They are the world's largest equine and European dragon statues. Pegasus is also the second largest statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty.

Track attributes[edit]

The current dirt course is one and one-eighth miles in circumference, with a one-mile backstretch chute. The turf course is one mile in circumference; depending on the race day, the portable rail can be moved to the inside or outside of the course, thereby changing the circumference. The track can seat 16,627 people.

The track originally had a one-mile dirt oval and a 7 furlong turf oval prior to the 2005 renovation.

On Opening Day, December 1, 2012, of Gulfstream Park's 2012-2013 meet, the track is hosting the 14th running of racing's Claiming Crown.^[9] The Claiming Crown has become the most important event for horse racing's claiming runners, and Gulfstream Park is raising the purses for each individual race in honor of this.

Entertainment[edit]

Gulfstream Park has, in recent years, been a venue for concerts, with performances taking place on the grounds outside the grandstand. Reserved seats to the concerts are sold in advance, and others paying normal admission to the track may watch the concert in standing room. Various singers and groups who were popular in earlier times perform at Gulfstream as part of their tours. The track was also host to the Miami Pop Festival from December 28–30, 1968, featuring over thirty performing bands and artists, including the Grateful Dead.

TV Personalites[edit]

• Gary Seibel (1991–1993)
• Caton Bredar (1994–1999, 2010)
• Jennifer Burke (1999–2002)
• Joanne Jones (2003–2006)
• Ron Nicolleti (2007–2009, 2011–present)
• Rolly Hoyt (2007–2009)
• Larry Collmus (2007–2016)
• Travis Stone (2010)
• Alyssa Ali (2010)
• Jessica Pacheco (2011–2012)
• Brian Skirka (2011-2013)
• Christina Bossinakis (2012–present)
• John DeSantis (2012-2013)
• Pete Aiello (2013–present)
• Gabby Gaudet (2015–present)
• Andy Serling (2015-2016)
• Acacia Courtney (2016– May 2020)
• Jason Blewitt (2017–present)

Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Jobs

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Events

1. ^'Gulfstream Park Race Track Information'. HorseRacing.net. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
2. ^Durso, Joseph (1999-07-07). 'HORSE RACING; Gulfstream Park Has Sale Agreement'. The New York Times. ISSN0362-4331.
3. ^Andrew, Beyer (2006-01-17). 'Construction of New Gulfstream Park Points to Destruction'. Washington Post.
4. ^'Ritvo Named Gulfstream Park President and General Manager'. 2011-07-25. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24.
5. ^'Gulfstream Meeting Took Off Running and Kept Going'. 2012-04-08. Archived from the original on 2012-07-01.
6. ^'Stronach Group Names Rogers President, Ritvo COO of Racing Division'. 2012-06-08. Archived from the original on 2015-01-29.
7. ^'Group that owns Santa Anita dismisses its COO'. ESPN.com. 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
8. ^'Pegasus Park'. Archived from the original on 2015-01-20.
9. ^'Claiming Crown Moves to Gulfstream'. BloodHorse.com. 2012-03-13.

External links[edit]

Gulfstream Park Racing And Casino Florida Map

Coordinates: 25°58′43″N80°08′17″W / 25.978474°N 80.13799°W