Gulfstream Park’s Championship Meet begins Friday
South Florida’s race to the Triple Crown starts Friday.
The 2019-2020 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park will begin Friday afternoon and last until late March.
Stakes races will begin Saturday, with more than $28.6 million in purses will be up for grabs.
The Championship Meet has always “been the place to catch the top 3-year-olds in the country prepare for the Florida Derby and Triple Crown, and many of the top classic contenders will be in South Florida this winter,” said Mike Lakow, Gulfstream Park’s vice president of racing.
Gulfstream Park will host 98 stakes, 39 of which are graded, this season. Highlighting the slate of races are the $1.1 million Claiming Crown in December, the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational series in January and the $1 million Florida Derby in March. Other popular events include the Clasico Internacional del Caribe in December as well as the $350,000 Holy Bull and $400,000 Fountain of Youth in February.
To celebrate more than eight decades of thoroughbred racing, Gulfstream Park is currently undergoing $20 million of renovations. These include a new 100 feet-x-30 feet infield tote board, an improved sound system and a second floor dining terrace that overlooks the racetrack.
“We believe these new additions and the modernizing of Gulfstream Park will elevate the experience of our guests,” said Joe Lopez, vice president of hospitality and venue management at Gulfstream Park.
Lopez added that although not all of the upgrades will be completed by opening day, it won’t preclude visitors from enjoying themselves.
Races will be usually held Wednesday through Sunday. Friday’s 10-race program begins at 12:35 p.m.
To see the Championship Meet’s full schedule, click here.
