Gulfstream Park Championship Meet Begins Friday

The Gulfstream Park Championship Meet kicks off Friday. The meet will be highlighted by the Pegasus World Cup in late January. Knicks Go is set to defend his title in that race.

Championship Meet Preview

The Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park is one of the premiere winter meets in the country. Many of the top connections from around the country fly south for the winter and while much of the mid-Atlantic will head to Tampa Bay, the crème de la crème will head to Gulfstream Park.

2020 Championship Meet Standings

One of the important handicapping angles of this type of meet is piecing together how connections will do coming from so many different circuits. Here is a look back at who was most successful last year.

Jockeys

1. Irad Ortiz, Jr. 140 wins
2. Tyler Gaffalione 95 wins
3. Paco Lopez 98 wins
4. Luis Saez 85 wins
5. Edgard J. Zayas 74 wins
6. Junior Alvarado 53 wins
7. Jose L. Ortiz 50 wins
8. Miguel Angel Vasquez 46 wins
9. Emisael Jaramillo 40 wins
10. Corey J. Lanerie 34 wins

Trainers

1. Todd A. Pletcher 58 wins
2. Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 50 wins
3. Michael J. Maker 42 wins
4. Antonio Sano 31 wins
5. William I. Mott 27 wins
6. Danny Gargan 22 wins
7. J. Kent Sweezey 21 wins
8. Carlos A. David 19 wins
9. Mark E. Casse 18 wins
10. Kelly J. Breen & Peter R. Walder 16 wins

3 Course Menu

The 2021-2022 Championship Meet from Gulfstream Park will be historic. That is because it will be the first ever meet to use 3 separate racing surfaces in a single meet.

Earlier this year Gulfstream Park added a tapeta synthetic surface which Betting News covered. This course was placed in the outer portion of the old turf course. The track was needed to protect the turf course as Gulfstream absorbed the racing days from the now defunct Calder Race Course/Gulfstream Park West.

The Stronach Group is hoping that the new surface will be a welcome alternative when Florida rains force the turf racing to come off the grass. Tapeta is widely considered to play much more like grass than traditional American dirt courses. The hope is that this prevents massive scratches which can plague off-turf racing.

Opening Day Analysis

Gulfstream Park Race 1

Post: 12:00 PM ET; Purse: $23,000 Maiden Claiming, 7 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 11

#10 CASHIER CHECK (2-1) is a major player in today’s race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & race flow. #8 MR MAC QUHAE (3-1) merits consideration in this spot given the edge in class. #3 DR CHROME (6-1) is worth a look here given edges in pace numbers & breeding. #5 CUPID’S GHOST (15-1) is an interesting longshot to round out the verticals.

Selections: 10-8-3-5

Gulfstream Park Race 2

Post: 12:30 PM ET; Purse: $29,000 Claiming, 6 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 8

#3 ADVENTURE SEEKER (5-2) should be competitive based on the overall power rating which has it tops in the group. #4 BACKATYA (4-1) is a major player in today’s race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & form. #2 GOLD SPECIAL (6-1) is worth a look here given edges in class & pace numbers. #5 GILLIGAN (7-2) has to be respected based on the connections.

Selections: 3-4-2-5

Gulfstream Park Race 3

Post: 12:58 PM ET; Purse: $23,000 Maiden Claiming, About 5 1/2 Furlongs on All Weather Track; Entries: 10

#6 MAMA LONGLEGS (3-1) is a major player in today’s race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & pace numbers. #8 BONNIE’S THE BEST (6-1) is worth a look here given edges in stamina & breeding. #9 PARTY SWAGGER (8-1) has to be respected based on the connections. #5 SENORITA SALSA (5-2) could get a perfect pace scenario today if you can swallow the short price.

Selections: 6-8-9-5

Gulfstream Park Race 4

Post: 1:26 PM ET; Purse: $32,000 Maiden Claiming, About 1 Mile 70 Yards on All Weather Track; Entries: 8

#8 FULL OF ATTITUDE (5-2) should be competitive today based on the horse’s speed figures & current form. #6 VINTAGE GIRL (7-2) is in with a great chance based on the horse’s foundation and breeding. #5 GOSSIPING (5-1) and #3 CLEVER KITTEN (6-1) also have breeding to be competitive here.

Selections: 8-6-5-3

Gulfstream Park Race 5

Post: 1:55 PM ET; Purse: $62,000 Allowance Optional Claiming, 5 Furlongs on Turf; Entries: 8

#7 GHOUL (4-1) will likely have the stamina to outlast these in the final jumps of the race. #4 SHEKKY SHEBAZ (7-2) has a great shot in the race given the advantages in speed & class. #8 UNPRECEDENTED (12-1) based on the horse’s early pace numbers. #5 TILTED TOWERS (5-2) makes sense on paper but the price is a bit too short.

Selections: 7-4-8-5

Gulfstream Park Race 6

Post: 2:28 PM ET; Purse: $75,000 Wait a While S., 1 Mile on Turf; Entries: 9

#4 LEMIEUX (5-2) should be in the right spot early to give this horse a chance to get the job done. #3 LAST LEAF (12-1) looks like a steal at the price given the speed figures & current form. #1 GUN BOAT (4-1) is worth a look here given edges in stamina & power rating. #8 LIA MARINA (7-2) and wouldn’t be a surprise to find the winner’s circle.

Selections: 4-3-1-8

Gulfstream Park Race 7

Post: 2:58 PM ET; Purse: $28,000 Claiming, About 5 Furlongs on All Weather Track; Entries: 8

#5 MISS MAMBA (7-2) is a major player in today’s race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & race flow. #1 DAY’S HUMOR (6-1) is in with a great chance based current class & power rating. #2 ADELE KAT (5-1) should be in the right spot early to give this horse a shot to get the job done. #3 EMIRATES AFFAIR (7-5) has to be respected based on the connections. The question will be if that’s enough to overcome the metrics suggesting that this one could be a vulnerable favorite.

Selections: 5-1-2-3 (Best Bet #5)

Gulfstream Park Race 8

Post: 3:28 PM ET; Purse: $61,000 Allowance Optional Claiming, 1 1/16 Miles on Turf; Entries: 16

This race looks wide open on paper and is one that horizontal players will want to spread as much as they can. #3 STUNNING PRINCESS (4-1) comes into the race signaling a big performance in the near future. #11 TIK TOK FAMOUS (7-2) has to be respected based on the connections. #10 YOLANDA’S PRIDE (8-1) looks to have to have kept the best company in the previous starts. #14 COREY (15-1) is worth a look here given edges in record at the distance & pace numbers.

Selections: 3-11-10-14

Gulfstream Park Race 9

Post: 3:59 PM ET; Purse: $39,000 Starter Optional Claiming, 6 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 9

#5 LARA’S LADY (6-1) should be competitive today based the recent speed figures & current form. #8 BLAME IT ON ROSE (4-1) merits consideration in this spot given edges in stamina & class. #6 ARROW SHAPE (15-1) is in with a great chance based on the record at the distance. #4 ANNA’S DREAM (9-2) comes from a barn that will have her well prepared today.

Selections: 5-8-6-4

Gulfstream Park Race 10

Post: 4:32 PM ET; Purse: $75,000 Pulpit S., 1 Mile on Turf; Entries: 12

#5 RED DANGER (5-2) makes sense on paper. My only concern is that this one is 2nd or 3rd best in almost every metric. I will definitely use, but will want additional coverage. #2 ELDON’S PRINCE (6-1) is in with a great chance based on the horse’s overall power rating. #1 BIZ BIZ BUZZ (5-1) looks to have to have kept the best company in the previous starts. #11 CONCRETE GLORY (20-1) merits consideration given the speed figures.

Selections: 5-2-1-11

Gulfstream Park Race 11

Post: 5:05 PM ET; Purse: $24,000 Claiming, About 1 Mile 70 Yards on All Weather Track; Entries: 16

#10 K. K. ICHIKAWA (9-2) has been in good form and has the speed ratings to beat this group. #7 OCEAN RIDE (3-1) is worth a look here given the connections that he goes out for. #2 SKILLFUL (10-1) is worth a look here given the overall power rating. #4 GONNA BE EPIC (15-1) is interesting at a price to increase value in the vertical exotics.

Selections: 10-7-2-4

Handicapping Tools

Betting News continues to offer free handicapping tools to horse players. Among the tools are speed, pace, and class graphs, track bias profiles, jockey/trainer stats, and expert selections. Players can find these tools for every race at Gulfstream Park at no charge by going to the Betting News Horse Racing page.