The Gulfstream Park 2024-’25 Championship Meet runs from Nov. 28 to March 30 and can carry collectively one of the best trainers, jockeys, grass horses, and stakes motion at the moment of 12 months all into one must-bet meet for horseplayers and handicappers all through the winter season.
Large days shall be a giant a part of the Gulfstream championship meet as you’ll count on, and the primary headline day of the season shall be Pegasus World Cup day on Jan. 25, highlighted by eight stakes races together with the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes and the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes.
The meet will host vital prep races for the Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve, such because the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 1 and the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 1, main as much as closing weekend’s $1 million Curlin Florida Derby, which tops a day of 10 stakes races, together with 5 graded stakes, on Saturday, March 29.
Gulfstream continues its present standing as the one three-surface racetrack in America with racing carded on the grime fundamental monitor, the turf course, and a Tapeta all-weather monitor. The season usually begins with horses transport to Florida from all around the East Coast and Midwest to hitch the cream of the crop of native South Florida horses. Usually, the shippers from locations like Kentucky and New York can have an edge versus the native horses, particularly in allowance and optional-claiming races and on the grass, however occasions have modified, and the native trainers, jockeys, and horses win extra races on the meet than ever earlier than, particularly throughout the first month of the meet, in claiming races, and on the Tapeta all-weather floor. In late December and early January is once you actually see the standard of Gulfstream racing soar up a notch to the very best degree it should attain all 12 months in January, February, and March.
Gulfstream’s High Jockeys
A premier jockey colony shall be primarily based at Gulfstream for the championship meet. The main jockey eventually 12 months’s corresponding meet was Irad Ortiz Jr., who racked up 119 wins from 526 mounts for a 23% win share. The subsequent winningest jockey eventually 12 months’s meet was Jose Ortiz with 94 wins, however Jose has introduced plans to trip often at Truthful Grounds this season, so his wins will now go to different jockeys. Irad Ortiz additionally was the Gulfstream main rider at this meet two years in the past with 128 wins when he received the jockey title by greater than 50 winners over second main rider Luis Saez (71 wins). Saez was Gulfstream’s main winter rider the earlier 12 months when he ran away with the 2021-’22 title with 122 wins. Saez had 70 wins final season and, with Jose Ortiz using elsewhere, Saez ought to see his win whole climb this 12 months.
Paco Lopez is yearly a significant component within the Gulfstream jockey standings. He received 92 races final season to rank third within the win standings. Different notables within the star-studded Gulfstream jock’s room embody Tyler Gaffalione, the main rider at a number of Kentucky meets in 2023 and 2024 who received 51 races (14%) at Gulfstream final winter; Javier Castellano, the winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes who scored 34 wins (13%) at this Gulfstream meet a 12 months in the past; Junior Alvarado, who’s coming off a 35-win meet (14%) at Gulfstream final winter; and Corridor of Fame rider John Velazquez, who received 29 races eventually 12 months’s championship meet (14%). A number of Gulfstream journeymen jockeys additionally shall be distinguished within the standings together with Jorge Ruiz (27 wins, 9% eventually 12 months’s meet), Emisael Jaramillo (26 wins, 12%), Edwin Gonzalez (25 wins, 11%), Leonel Reyes (20 wins, 6%), and Miguel Vasquez (34 wins, 10%), and notably Edgard Zayas, who received 56 races (13%) eventually 12 months’s meet to put fifth within the standings.
High Gulfstream Trainers
Saffie Joseph Jr. ran away with the Gulfstream coaching title eventually 12 months’s championship meet with 66 wins for a win share of 21%. Joseph was additionally the 2022-’23 main coach with 47 winners. Joseph enters by far probably the most horses on the winter meet with 321 starters final 12 months and 238 starters two years in the past, so it’s not stunning he amasses probably the most wins. Todd Pletcher has been the second-leading coach the final couple years — he despatched out 37 winners a 12 months in the past (21%) and 41 winners two years in the past (22%). Anticipate extra of the identical this season.
The subsequent tier of Gulfstream winter trainers may be very prone to be pretty intensive and led by a few of the prime names within the recreation corresponding to Mark Casse (31 wins, 17% at this meet final 12 months), Mike Maker (17 wins, 13%), Invoice Mott (15 wins, 17%), Christophe Clement (17 wins, 18%). They are going to be part of stalwarts like Jose D’Angelo (26 wins, 14%), and Antonio Sano (18 wins, 17%), Brian Lynch (22 wins, 23%), Martin Drexler (20 wins, 21%), Fernando Abreu (19 wins, 20%), Carlos David (16 wins, 17%), Rohan Crichton (16 wins, 16%), Jorge Delgado (15 wins, 19%), and George Weaver (14 wins, 23%). Chad Brown is within the combine too, however his secure may be extra quiet than typical at the moment of 12 months, which was on show final winter when he scored 11 wins from 92 starters for a win share of solely 12%.
Gulfstream Dust Dash Observe Developments
The prevailing working fashion desire in Gulfstream grime races favors horses with early velocity, or at the very least tactical velocity, in any respect distances. Deep closers typically don’t do effectively on this fundamental monitor, particularly in grime sprints and one-mile races (one flip), and that was on full show on the 2023-’24 Championship meet, the place closers carried out exceptionally poorly and burned a whole lot of their supporters’ cash.
In Gulfstream grime sprints on the 2023-’24 championship meet, closers coming from 4 lengths or extra off the lead have been horrible bets, accounting for wins in solely seven of the 161 grime sprints run on the meet. This stat was related two seasons in the past when closers received solely eight grime sprints your complete meet. In the meantime, velocity horses on or near the tempo, as outlined for this text as racing on the lead or inside one size of the entrance on the first name, received 85 of the 161 grime sprints accounting for 53% of the races. Stalkers racing between one and 4 lengths of the lead received 69 of the sprints to account for 43% of the wins. There gave the impression to be no favoritism by way of submit positions for any of the varied working types.
Dust Mile and Route Preferences
Gulfstream grime mile races are run round one flip and are extra like lengthy sprints than routes. These can’t be lumped in with the opposite sprints, nevertheless, as a result of whereas the front-end benefit nonetheless exists, it isn’t as sturdy of a bias as in sprints. Horses on or near the lead received 51% of the 57 grime miles run final season. Notably, closers even have a barely higher probability at this distance, the place they received 14% of the miles final season.
When handicapping mile races, give an edge to confirmed milers or horses stretching out from sprints versus horses reducing again from 1 1/16 or 1 1/8 miles.
Gulfstream two-turn grime routes are principally run on the distances of 1 1/16 miles and 1 1/8 miles however these races have gotten increasingly rare with solely three races at 1 1/8 miles and 15 races at 1 1/16 miles final season. The most important long-term pattern for handicapping two-turn grime routes at Gulfstream favors inside posts and inside working paths. Something outdoors post-position #5 is a foul draw.
Gulfstream Park Turf Suggestions
A big a part of the winter motion at Gulfstream Park takes place on the grass. The long-term stats for Gulfstream turf routes present little or no benefit or drawback to both inside or outdoors posts at Gulfstream, so don’t draw back from a contender in case your horse attracts post-position #11 or #12. They’ll win from approach outdoors at Gulfstream.
When trying to find the popular working fashion in turf routes, Gulfstream has been recognized by way of the years as a turf course the place it’s troublesome to win going wire-to-wire, however the turf routes run at each the 2022-’23 and 2023-’24 Championship meets have been exceptionally honest each by way of submit place and working fashion. Horses on or near the lead managed to win 46 of the 143 turf routes run final season to account for almost a 3rd of the winners.
Gulfstream runs a whole lot of 7 ½-furlong turf races, that are round two turns and play like routes, not sprints. The odd distance with a brief run to the primary flip is definitely extraordinarily widespread, with 32 races run at 7 ½ furlongs eventually 12 months’s meet. Counterintuitively, the surface posts did one of the best in these races with 14 winners breaking from submit #7 and better to account for wins in 44% of the races on the distance. Closers did OK at 7 ½ furlongs two years in the past, however final 12 months betting closers in these races was like lighting your cash on fireplace once they received simply 3 of the 32 races. Preserve a watch out for the way it’s enjoying this season.
In Gulfstream turf sprints run at 5 furlongs, velocity is king. The turf dashes are sometimes dominated by horses on or near the early lead. In 43 turf sprints run eventually 12 months’s meet, 22 have been received by front-runners. At most meets that quantity is definitely even larger. Don’t wager closers in Gulfstream turf sprints as a result of it’s troublesome for horses from the again half of the sphere to win and even make a dent. Solely six winners in 43 races eventually 12 months’s championship meet closed from extra 4 lengths behind, and two years in the past solely there have been solely 4 closing winners in 46 turf sprints.
Gulfstream Tapeta Developments
The Gulfstream Tapeta all-weather floor has had a couple of years to break-in and appears to play honest. The commonest distances are 5 ½ furlongs for sprints and 1 mile and 70 yards in routes.
In Tapeta sprints at Gulfstream, velocity is the popular working fashion and closers do terribly. In 181 Tapeta sprints run at Gulfstream at this similar meet final 12 months, front-runners received 57% of the races whereas closers received simply 4% (8 wins in 181 races). Publish positions play honest.
In Tapeta route races, from a pattern of 196 races run eventually 12 months’s championship meet, the monitor performed pretty by way of working types and submit positions. The slender benefit goes to stalkers racing between one and 4 lengths off the tempo, who received 92 of 196 to account for successful 47% of the races. The perfect time to wager velocity on Tapeta is in moist circumstances, however sadly moist Tapeta is just not a situation notated within the charts or previous performances.
We want you an incredible Gulfstream championship winter meet. Get pleasure from one of the best racing of the season at Gulfstream Park and good luck!
