HRFLA Staff Report
This Saturday is opening day for the 2020 Gulfstream Park West meet, at Calder in Miami Gardens , Fla.
First post will be 12:00 p.m. for a ten-race card, with no stakes races.
There will be a new pool on the Rainbow 6. That 20 cent per combination-only bet will be on races five to ten, with the sequence scheduled to start at 2:23 p.m.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, spectators will not be allowed at Calder (GP West) during the meet and there will be no on-track wagering.
As we have reported, Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., will have its north tent area open on Saturday and all 41 days of the GP West meet for simulcast wagering on the GP West races and on other tracks that are part of Gulfstream’s simulcast menu.
On Saturday that will include the Preakness Stakes and all other races at Pimlico in Baltimore. Post time for the Preakness is 5:45 p.m. Eastern. It will be televised live on NBC’s network stations.
Additional information may be obtained by calling the Gulfstream Park box office at (954) 457-6201.
We also have reported that this is the final year of the lease under which Gulfstream Park is holding an October-November meet at Calder (now generally called GP West for racing purposes).
And there are strong prospects that Churchill Downs Inc., Calder’s parent company, and The Stronach Group, Gulfstream’s parent company, will not extend the lease.
But before cranking up The Last Time by The Rolling Stones, here is a Call to the Post for GP West 2020.
Opening Weekend
This link https://insidefloridahorseracing.blogspot.com/ to the Equibase Web site has the GP West entries for Saturday. It has click-ons for handicapping material, some free and some for purchase.
There are 115 entries, including main track only and also eligibles.
The feature ninth race is a $20,000 claimer with a $39,000 purse. It is five furlongs on turf for Florida-bred fillies and mares 3-YO and up. We will have a preview and coverage on Saturday.
In addition we will begin a regular feature “Gettin’ Out Alive,” in which we will handicap the day’s final race. This will provide readers with an extra piece of information on the extremely important final leg of the Rainbow 6 and the Late Pick 5.
Saturday’s tenth and final race is an example of the difficult-to-figure races that Gulfstream puts at the end of its cards.
It is $6,250 claimer with a $20,000 purse at one mile and 70 yards on dirt for 3-YO and up that have not won two or more races. There are fourteen entrants, including two also eligibles.
On Sunday, GP West will have eight races, with first post of 12:00 p.m.
Schedule
The GP West meet will have 41 racing days through Nov. 28, mostly with a Wednesday through Sunday schedule.
GP West will have racing on Monday Oct. 12 which is Columbus Day. It will not have racing on Wednesday Oct. 14 or on Thursday Nov. 26, which is Thanksgiving Day.
The Gulfstream Web site shows the meet’s first two stakes races will be on Nov.7.
The $60,000 Showing Up will be one mile on turf for 3-year-olds. The $60,000 Cellars Shiraz will be one mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies.
On Nov. 14, Gulfstream will have eight stakes for Florida breds, all with $60,000 purses.
Betting on Gulfstream West races may be done on most Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) Internet and phone services. Many sports books, race tracks and OTB offices have simulcasting on GP West races.
Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah Park and Pompano Park are among Florida pari-mutuels that carry the GP West simulcast schedule.
GP West races are streamed on Gulfstream’s Web site https://www.gulfstreampark.com/https://www.gulfstreampark.com/
Among ADWs that carry GP West are Xpressbet.com, 1st/BET.com, Twinspires.com, drfbets.com and tvg.com. The first two are owned by The Stronach Group, the parent company of Gulfstream.
