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 feet 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, run in conjunction with Santa Anita with

four races at Gulfstream, including the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic, for

Florida- and California-bred horses, will be held on January 29. The $1 million Florida

Derby (G1) on April 2 is the centerpiece event of 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.