Gulfstream Park opens Monday

Gulfstream Park has constructed temporary facilities, such as the wagering facility pictured above, due to ongoing construction  (Gulfstreampark.com) Gulfstream Park begins its 2005 racing season on Monday. The 86-day meet will feature enlarged and reconfigured racing surfaces and temporary facilities for patrons as a result of a massive redevelopment project that began last April. Immediately following Gulfstream's 2004 meet, demolition crews razed the grandstand, clubhouse and parts of the barn area. Much of the barn area was rebuilt and a new turf course was constructed using Celebration Bermuda, a resilient strain of grass similar to that used on polo fields. The turf course is now 170 wide, more than double the width of the old course. In addition, the main dirt track was elongated from one mile to nine furlongs. With construction ongoing, temporary facilities have been erected next to the main track at the top of the stretch. They include air-conditioned tented pavilions (one for dining) with viewing decks, a Turf Club, a food court under an open-air tent and a seven-acre park area with benches and picnic tables. There are also eight wagering huts, four Jumbotron viewing screens, and strategically placed television monitors located throughout the area.

This year, Gulfstream Park will present 47 stakes races worth $8,485,000. Of

those, 30 are graded, with 16 helping to comprise four "Spectacular Saturday"

cards on the first Saturday of each month during the season.

The third annual Sunshine Millions, featuring the $1 million Sunshine

Millions Classic and seven other stakes events worth at least $250,000 for

Florida- and California-bred horses, on January 29 and the $1 million Florida

Derby (G1) on April 2 highlight the meet. The 54th running of the Florida Derby

was rescheduled from its traditional mid-March running in order to provide an

optimal path for Triple Crown hopefuls.

Other highlights include the $500,000 Donn H. (G1) on February 5 and the

$300,000 Fountain of Youth S. (G2) and $300,000 Gulfstream Park H. (G2) on March

5.

The popular Turf-Vivor handicapping contest will be held February 25-27.

Admission to the track will be free in 2005, with a $5 charge for admission

to the Wagering Tent and a $20 charge for admission to the Royal Palm Dining

Pavilion, which includes a gourmet buffet lunch on weekdays. Weekend Dining

Pavilion admission will be $25.

Gulfstream Park will conduct live racing Thursday through Sunday in January

with the exception of opening day and January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In

February and March, the Hallandale, Florida, track will operate six days per

week with Tuesdays dark, before reverting to a five-day per week schedule in

April with Mondays and Tuesdays dark.

Daily post time is 12:45 p.m. (ET), with the exception of Florida Derby Day,

which begins at noon.