Gulfstream Park– Horse Betting Guide, Track Details & History

Located in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida, Gulfstream Park is one of the major racetracks in the United States.

Multiple Triple Crown winners have made their start at Gulfstream Park and it is the center of the Florida horse racing circuit, one of the most prolific in the USA. Two races run yearly at Gulfstream Park are considered preparation races for the Kentucky Derby, the Holy Bull Stakes and the Florida Derby. Winners of these races almost always come take part in the Kentucky Derby and other Triple Crown races.

Gulfstream Park was opened in 1939 with a dirt racing track and added the Turf racing track twenty years later, in 1959. The racetrack has hosted the Breeder’s Cup a few times and recently became the home of the biggest horse race in the world: The Pegasus World Cup.

The Pegasus World Cup was first run in 2017 and offered a purse of $12 000 000, drawing the best horses in the world to Gulfstream Park every year. In 2018, the stakes were raised and 16 million were awarded in prizes in the most recent running.

One of the best poker rooms in the state is located in the casino next to the racetrack and the Gulfstream Park casino also offers hundreds of slots. As regulation of sports betting progresses, it is safe to bet that Gulfstream Park will also soon be home to one of the region’s best sportsbooks.

The promoters of Gulfstream Park have made sure to include attractions for the whole family aside to horse racing and the casino. The Village at Gulfstream Park is a massive mall, complete with various shops, multiple restaurants, a bowling alley, bars and nightclubs. A true center of entertainment for the Miami metro area.

Pegasus world cup at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park is home to multiple Graded Stakes, but no race is greater than the Pegasus World Cup, formerly known as the Pegasus Invitational. This race has an exciting format, as the owners willing to enter a horse need to buy into the race at the price of 1 million dollars. The price of entry is pooled into the purse and in the 2018 edition, the promoters added another 4 million to the pool so that horses could compete for 16 millions.

The Pegasus World Cup is run in January so as not to interfere with the Breeder’s Cup or the Dubai World Cup. The race is run over 1 mile and 1/8 which is a distance comfortable for the classiest American horses but long enough to be manageable by international horses.

The Pegasus World Cup was given a little brother in 2018 with the first running of the Poseidon Stakes which runs on the same format but with a $400 000 purse and only $20 000 to invest for owners to enter a horse.

Track configuration at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park offers a classic Dirt track of one mile and one-eighth in circumference, complemented with an alternative starting point in the form of a one-mile backstretch chute.

Aside from the dirt track, Gulfstream Park offers a turf track of one mile.

Gulfstream Park Track bias

Gulfstream Park is a pretty typical American racetrack when it comes to track bias: it pays to go in front.

There is a relatively strong bias in favor of horses who can take the lead or stay close to it in the early stages of the race. This means that at Gulfstream Park you should use pace handicapping to find horses with some early speed.

This bias favoring pacesetters is valid at any distance and both routes and sprints are generally won by horses who can take the lead or stay close to it. About one third of the sprints are won going wire to wire and one quarter of the route races are won by horses going in front all the way. Even turf races tend to favor horses going for the lead or able to stay close to it.

The inside or rail offers an advantage to horses, except in the 5 furlongs sprint where it is better to be outside.

In summary, Gulfstream park has a strong track bias, advantaging horses with early speed who start from the inside post positions.

Best trainers at Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park being the center of the Florida horse racing circuit, multiple local trainers demonstrate a lot of talent and other top American horse trainers regularly send some of their stock to the South Florida racetrack.

The table below lists the top 10 trainers at Gulfstream Park in the last 2 years.

The win percentage estimates the statistics of each trainer on the different surfaces.

Gulfstream Park trainer on MAIN TRACK

Win percentage estimate statistics

  • Todd A. Pletcher: 33%
  • Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.: 30%
  • Gilberto Zerpa: 25%
  • Jorge Navarro: 25%
  • Dale L. Romans: 25%
  • Victor Barboza, Jr.: 20%
  • Armando De la cerda: 20%
  • M. Gonzalez: 20%
  • Luis Duco: 18%
  • Ralph E. Nicks: 15%

Gulfstream Park trainer on TURF TRACK

Win percentage estimate statistics

  • Angel M. Rodriguez: 32%
  • Jason Servis: 30%
  • Chad C. Brown: 23%
  • Armando De La Cerda: 20%
  • Todd A. Pletcher: 20%
  • Christophe Clement: 20%
  • Marcus J. Vitali: 20%
  • Michael J. Maker: 19%
  • Michael R. Matz: 18%

Best jockeys at Gulfstream Park

The tables below list the jockeys with the best winning percentages over the last two years at Gulfstream Park, along with a win percentage estimate.

Gulfstream Park jockey statistics on MAIN TRACK

Win percentage estimate statistics

  • John R. Velazquez: 30%
  • Luis Saez: 30%
  • Emisael Jaramillo: 25%
  • Javier Castellano: 24%
  • Tyler Gaffalione: 22%
  • Irad Ortiz, Jr: 20%
  • Edgard J. Zayas: 15%
  • Miguel A. Vasquez :15%
  • Samy Camacho: 15%
  • Jose A. Batista: 15%

Gulfstream Park jockey on TURF TRACK

Win percentage estimate statistics

  • Tyler Gaffalione: 28%
  • Irad Ortiz, Jr: 25%
  • John R. Velazquez: 24%
  • Emisael Jaramillo: 22%
  • Jose A. Batista: 19%
  • Javier Castellano: 19%
  • Jose L. Ortiz: 18%
  • Luis Saez: 17%
  • Tyler Gaffalione: 17%
  • Edgard J. Zayas: 17%

Horse races are run at Gulfstream Park every year, from December through September.

Major stakes races are organized every year at the track including:

Grade I stake races at Gulfstream Park:

  • Florida Derby
  • Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap
  • Pegasus World Cup

Grade II races:

  • Fountain of Youth Stakes
  • Gulfstream Park Handicap
  • Ft. Lauderdale Stakes
  • Hutcheson Stakes
  • Pan American Handicap
  • Gulfstream Park Oaks
  • Holy Bull Stakes
  • Fox Stakes
  • Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship
  • Inside Information Stakes
  • Forward Gal Stakes
  • Smile Sprint Handicap
  • Swale Stakes
  • Princess Rooney Handicap
  • Royal Delta Stakes
  • Davona Dale Stakes
  • Mac Diarmida Handicap

Grade III races:

  • Suwannee River Handicap
  • Appleton Handicap
  • Orchid Handicap
  • Canadian Turf Handicap
  • Azalea Stakes
  • Tropical Turf Handicap
  • W. L. McKnight Handicap
  • Carry Back Stakes
  • Old Hat Stakes
  • Rampart Stakes
  • Sugar Swirl Handicap
  • Herecomesthebride Stakes
  • Fred W. Hooper Stakes
  • Sweetest Chant Stakes
  • Palm Beach Stakes
  • Miami Mile Handicap
  • Skip Away Handicap
  • Deputy Minister Handicap
  • Hal’s Hope Stakes
  • Hurricane Bertie Handicap
  • Marshua’s River Stakes
  • Dania Beach Stakes

In October and November, the Miami area racing moves to Gulfstream Park West, formerly known as Calder Racetrack.

The Calder Casino runs all year round but to avoid competition between the two south Florida

tracks, the Calder Racecourse was leased to the owners of Gulfstream Park who turned it into the alternative track for two months out of the year.