GP West: Fast and Firm for Opening Day

HorseRacingFLA Staff Report

The dirt track is listed as fast and the turf course is listed as firm on Saturday for the opening of the Gulfstream Park West thoroughbred race meet, at Calder Casino in Miami Gardens, Fla.

First post is 1:15 p.m. for the ten-race card. The Weather Channel forecast is for a chance of rain of ten percent or less during racing hours.


Opening day for GP West was postponed from Wednesday due to Hurricane Matthew.

South Florida emerged relatively unscathed from Matthew, which did most of its damage farther up the East Coast of Florida.

Gulfstream Park is holding the GP West met under a lease with Calder, extending through 2020.  

Gulfstream officials reported on Friday that training resumed that morning at its three facilities, and that all were unaffected by Matthew.  Those facilities are: Gulfstream in Hallandale Beach, Fla.; the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., which like Gulfstream is owned by Stronach Group of Aurora, Ont.;  and Calder, where Gulfstream s 430 stalls as part of the  lease.

Gulfstream also noted on Friday that: “Due to ongoing construction at Gulfstream Park West, there will be a lack of amenities and no simulcasting available on site. Track management is urging patrons to enjoy the amenities at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach while watching and wagering on Gulfstream Park West races. Full-card simulcast betting is always available at Gulfstream.” The photo shown is a view of the track from the Calder grandstand building taken November, 2014.

*Saturday’s featured seventh race is  five furlongs on turf for  3-yeae-olds and up. It is an allowance/optional claiming race with a $34,000 purse and a $25,000 optional tag.

*On Saturday, GP West will begin a new and unseeded pool in the Rainbow 6.  It will be on races five through ten.

*GP West will have ten races this Sunday and ten races this Monday, with first post of 1:15 p.m. each day.






GP West: Fast and Firm for Opening Day