gulfstream park championship meet | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gulfstream Adds Pegasus F/M Turf; Bumps Triple Crown Prep Purses

Gulfstream Park has added another lucrative race to its Pegasus World Cup card and increased the purses of its Road to the Triple Crown series, the track announced Friday while releasing the stakes schedule for its 2021-2022 championship meet, scheduled for Dec. 3 through Apr. 3. The $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf will be joined on Jan. 29 by the $500,000 GIII Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, a 1 1/16-mile event that will replace the GIII Marshua's River. The 70th running of the GI Curlin Florida Derby, slated for Apr. 2, will carry a $1-million purse–up $250,000 from last year. In total, 76 stakes (37 graded) will carry purses of $14.260 million. No stakes have been scheduled for the newly installed Tapeta course, but turf races that come off the grass will be conducted over that all-weather surface. Click here to view the full stakes schedule.

The post Gulfstream Adds Pegasus F/M Turf; Bumps Triple Crown Prep Purses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Irad Ortiz Jr. Sets New Championship Meet Win Record At Gulfstream Park

Irad Ortiz Jr. set the single-season Championship Meet win record in style Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., guiding St. Elias Stable's homebred Known Agenda to a 2 ¾-length victory in the $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

It was the first career win in Gulfstream's signature race for the 28-year-old Ortiz and his 138^th during the country's premier winter stand, surpassing Luis Saez's mark of 137 set in 2017-18. Ortiz approached the record in 2018-19, but finished with 135.

“It means a lot. We work so hard. I feels so good to get the feedback from the owners and the trainers. They support me. I say thanks to all of them,” Ortiz said. “When I say all of them, I mean all of them – from the claiming races to the stakes races. We have a lot of respect for Luis. It wasn't easy. He wins a lot of races here, too. We are so happy.”

Ortiz also was tops with 115 wins in 2019-20, and is now only the fourth jockey in history to win at least three consecutive Gulfstream riding titles joining Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who won five straight from 2011-12 to 2015-16, Jorge Chavez (1999-2001) and Jeff Fell (1977-79).

Earlier Saturday, Ortiz tied the record aboard Joseph Imbesi's Sweet Bye and Bye in the $100,000 Sand Springs. He now has 14 stakes wins at the meet, including Grade 1 triumphs in the Florida Derby and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, the latter with Colonel Liam. Both Known Agenda and Colonel Liam are trained by Todd Pletcher.

The three-time defending Eclipse Award winner as champion jockey, Ortiz has posted 43 multi-win days at Gulfstream this winter, including a six-win effort Feb. 6 that fell just one short of the track's single-day record shared by Saez, Tyler Gaffalione and Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey.

Represented by agent Jay Rushing, Ortiz has also registered five five-win days, seven four-win days and nine three-win days during the Championship Meet.

“It means a lot. We ride a lot of races here and I always like to win. We try all the time but we can't win every meet. We try so hard and it's special,” Ortiz said. “My agent does hard work and I get a lot of support from the owners and trainers and I appreciate that. It means a lot honestly. I really like this meet. It's like summer, good weather, and the people here are big fans. They support all the jockeys so I'm really happy.”

The post Irad Ortiz Jr. Sets New Championship Meet Win Record At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Entries Drawn For Wednesday’s Opening Day Of Gulfstream Park Championship Meet

A 10-race card was drawn Friday for Wednesday's opening day of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park.

Luis Saez, who was edged out for the riding title by Irad Ortiz Jr. by one and two wins, respectively, the past two Championship Meets, will try to get off to a fast start for the 2020-2021 meet, accepting nine mounts on Wednesday's opening-day card.

Saez, who won back-to-back titles in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, is scheduled to ride Ashaar for defending training titlist Todd Pletcher in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Race 8.

Ashaar, formerly trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, hasn't seen action since finishing seventh in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream. Ournationonparade, a stakes winner trained by Kathy Ritvo, is scheduled to make his first start since finishing fifth in the Sept. 5 Smile Sprint (G3).

In the co-featured Race 9, a five-furlong optional claiming allowance on turf for fillies and mares, Mark Casse-trained Catch a Thrill will look to breakthrough with a victory after finishing second in all three 2020 starts, including a Belmont race between two Gulfstream races. The 4-year-old daughter of City Zip finished second in the Melody of Colors Stakes at Gulfstream last season.

The post Entries Drawn For Wednesday’s Opening Day Of Gulfstream Park Championship Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mandatory Payouts To Spice Final Weekend At Gulfstream Park West

As the 2020 Gulfstream Park West meet winds down in South Florida, anticipation for the start of the 2020-2021 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park continues to build.

Eighty-four days of world class racing at the historic Hallandale Beach racetrack will be kicked off next Wednesday, Dec. 2, but two days of racing remain at Gulfstream Park West with programs scheduled for Friday and Saturday following a day off for Thanksgiving.

Saturday's closing-day program at Gulfstream Park West will feature a mandatory 20-cent Rainbow 6 payout. The carryover jackpot stands at $309,455.81 entering the card on Friday, but the jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $450,000.

A 10-race program is scheduled at Gulfstream Park West for Friday, when Eddie Plesa Jr.-trained Itsmyluckycharm will try to recapture her 3-year-old form in the Race 4 feature, a mile optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares. The 4-year-old daughter of Itsmyluckyday, who captured three stakes (one on turf) during her sophomore campaign, will make her second start off an eight-month layoff. Friday's Rainbow 6 sequence (Races 5-10) will follow.

Races 8 and 9 will also be included in Friday's Stronach 5, which will offer a carryover of $94,481.74 heading into betting on the popular Pick 5 wager that will also include Races 7, 8 and 9 at Laurel Park.

There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $3,149.69 heading into Friday's card.

On Saturday's closing day program featuring a mandatory payout, the Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10.

The GPW jockey and trainer title races have been contentious throughout the meet. Although he pulled into a dead heat with defending champion Edgard Zayas with a four-win day Sunday, Miguel Vasquez had already scheduled to take off the remainder of the meet, forgoing an opportunity to win his first South Florida title. Zayas moved back into the lead with his 40^th winner of the meet Wednesday when he scored aboard Honorable ($3.40) in Race 3. Emisael Jaramillo rode three winners on Wednesday's card to sit just three wins behind Zayas heading into Friday's program.

Entering Friday's card Rohan Crichton holds a 17-15 edge over both defending champion Saffie Joseph Jr. and Antonio Sano.

Following the conclusion of the Gulfstream Park West meet Saturday, live racing in South Florida will return at Gulfstream Park next Wednesday with the start of the Championship Meet. The stakes schedule will be kicked off Saturday, Dec. 5 with the Claiming Crown, a program of nine stakes restricted to horses that have raced for a claiming price at least once during the past two years. Jesus's Team, the runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) last time out, and Math Wizard, the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner, are scheduled to clash in the featured $150,000 Jewel.

A total of 75 stakes are scheduled for the Championship Meet, highlighted by 35 graded stakes, including the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) on Jan. 23, as well as the $750,000 Florida Derby (G1) March 27.

The post Mandatory Payouts To Spice Final Weekend At Gulfstream Park West appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post