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Gulfstream Park has always had the reputation of being a speed track. Before the 1999 Breeders’ Cup, which I covered for a chain of Central Florida newspapers, there were complaints the track was too speed favoring.
During the second of three Breeders’ Cup spectaculars at the South Florida track in ‘92, four of five winners on the main track were within two lengths of the lead after a half-mile. Only the Breeders’ Cup Classic was captured from off the pace.
In ‘99, three horses had the lead at the half-mile pole and went on to victory. In the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Artax defeated Kona Gold by a half-length to equal the track record of 1:07 4/5 set in ‘73 by Mr. Prospector. Only the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champ rallied from off the pace.
In ‘04 at Gulfstream Park, 36 percent of winners in 209 races at six furlongs led at every call. After Gulfstream was renovated in time for the ‘05 season, the figure increased to 38 percent.
Through Jan. 31 this year, 35 percent of 49 races were wire jobs equaling the same percentage in 164 contests last year.
In 173 one-turn mile races on the dirt in ‘05, front-runners were victorious 27 percent. Last year, 30 percent of 176 contests went to pacesetters. So far, wire-to-wire winners also have captured 30 percent of 60 contests in January.
Longer dirt races over the years have usually gone to runners coming off the pace. In ‘05, front-runners at 1 1/8 miles won 29 percent of 65 races.
However, only 14 percent of 42 winners wired fields last year. Pacesetters in January were victorious 20 percent in 10 contests.
The turf has played about the same for years. Sprinters do fairly well on the lead — 28 percent triumphed in 39 races in ‘07. Not so for routers – only 14 percent of 222 winners led all the way last year compared to 13 percent of 222 winners in ‘05.
Through Jan. 31, only 13 sprints were held, but about 50 percent of the winners led from the start. In 55 routes, less than 12 percent were wire jobs.
According to the Brisnet.com daily diary, Gulfstream’s main track played fair twice as many afternoons than the turf. During the first 23 days of racing from opening day Jan. 3 through Jan. 23, the dirt surface was fair 10 days when noted.
It rained a half-dozen times resulting in a sloppy main track, forcing one or all races off the turf nine times.
When it has been wet and drying out, the dirt track has played somewhat slower in terms of pace fractions and final times.
On opening day, according to Brisnet.com, “the track and turf both played rather fair. The better horses ran a little faster than the slower ones, which is the mark of a fair track. Horses were able to win from up front or the back if good enough.”
The main track was fair for the first three days. The longest stretch was five days, Brisnet.com noted, from Jan. 14 through Jan. 19. Another three-day period was Jan. 25-27.
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Greg Melikov has been handicapping and writing about horses for decades. His articles and columns appear in print and on the Internet around the world. Greg is a retired newspaperman who became a racing fan at 13 when he saw 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, his favorite horse, whip 20 older horses at old Arlington Park.
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Greg Melikov has been handicapping and writing about horses for decades. His articles and columns appear in print and on the Internet around the world. Greg is a retired newspaperman who became a racing fan at 13 when he saw 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, his favorite horse, whip 20 older horses at old Arlington Park.
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