Since November, many of the country’s top older horses have been in South Florida to train for races at Gulfstream Park.

A first wave of them will begin their seasons on Saturday, when Gulfstream has a pair of Grade 3 stakes with $100,000 purses.

Soaring Empire will seek a repeat win in the Hal’s Hope, with his biggest challenge expected from veteran South Florida star Jackson Bend. The Hal’s Hope is one mile on dirt for 4-year-olds and has nine entrants.

Saturday’s co-feature is the Fort Lauderdale at 1 1/16 miles on turf for 4-year-olds and up. Teaks North, a winner of three graded turf stakes last year, heads a 12-horse field.

In addition to Soaring Empire and Jackson Bend, other 2011 stakes winners in the race are Successful Mission, Decisive Moment and Will’s Wildcat.

At Gulfstream, Soaring Empire is a classic example of a “horse for a course.”

After he won the 2011 Hal’s Hope, Soaring Empire finished second in the Gulfstream Paik Sprint Championship (Grade 2) at seven furlongs and in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (Grade 2) at one mile.

Soaring Empire’s last 2011 race was a victory on July 31 in the Majestic Light Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Julien Leparoux will ride the 5-year-old Soaring Empire.

Jackson Bend, a 5-year-old, began his career at Calder Casino & Race Course, where he swept the three-race Florida Stallion Stakes series in 2009.

Last year, he won a pair of seven-furlong stakes at Saratoga Race Course and finished a fast closing third in the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs.

John Velazquez will ride Jackson Bend for trainer Nick Zito.

Successful Mission, Decisive Moment and Will’s Wildcat have all won stakes gate to wire at tracks other than Gulfstream and could set a fast pace.

The Fort Lauderdale will be the second Gulfstream start for Teaks North. He won last year’s 1 1/8 mile Gulfstream Turf Handicap (Grade1). Mutual Trust, winner of a Grade 1 turf stakes in France last year, will make his first U.S. start.