Enhanced Schedule Includes 76 Stakes – 37 Graded Stakes
$500,000 F&M Turf Added to Jan. 29 Pegasus World Cup Program
April 2 Curlin Florida Derby Purse Boosted to $1 Million
Purses for All Florida Derby Preps Receive Increases
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A major race will be inaugurated, and a significant purse increase for a tradition-rich Triple Crown prep will be introduced in Gulfstream Park’s 2021-2022 Championship Meet stakes schedule released Friday afternoon.
A total of 76 stakes (37 graded) worth $14.260 million, more than $1 million than the previous year, will be run during the prestigious winter meet that will get underway Dec. 3 and run through April 3.
The $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3) will debut on the Jan. 29 program that will be co-headlined by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up, and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up on turf. The 1 1/16-mile turf event for older fillies and mares, which will replace the Marshua’s River (G3) on the new schedule, will be one of seven graded stakes worth $5.2 million on a World Class Thoroughbred racing program that will be supported by high-end entertainment, cutting-edge fashion, and fine dining.
For more information on Pegasus tickets and festivities for Pegasus World Cup visit pegasusworldcup.com. the week of Oct. 11.
Purses for all 3-year-old stakes on Gulfstream Park’s Road to the Triple Crown have been increased, most notably the 70th running of the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) on April 2. The historic 1 1/8-mile stakes, which has produced the winners of 60 Triple Crown races, will be renewed for a purse of $1 million, a $250,000 increase over last season. The Florida Derby will be supported by six graded stakes, including the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and the $200,000 Kitten’s Joy Pan American (G2), a 1 ½-mile turf event for older horses. Total purses for 10 stakes races on Florida Derby Day will be $2.2 million.
The Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) will be renewed for $400,000, up from last season’s purse of $350,000, on a March 5 program that will feature nine graded-stakes. The 1 1/16-mile key prep for the Florida Derby, will be supported by three other Grade 2 stakes, including the $200,000 Davona Dale, a mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies; the $200,000 WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile (G2), a mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up; and the $200,000 Mac Diarmida, a 1 3/8-mile turf event for older horses.
The Mucho Macho Man, a mile race for 3-year-olds, will kick off Gulfstream’s Road to the Triple Crown Jan. 1 with a $50,000 purse increase to $150,000. The Holy Bull (G3), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for Florida Derby and Triple Crown hopefuls, will be renewed Feb. 5 with a $400,000 purse, a $50,000 increase over last season. The Holy Bull will be supported by the $100,000 Claiborne Swale (G3), a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds; the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3), a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies; the $100,000 Kitten’s Joy (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds; and the $100,000 Sweetest Chant (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies.
The Claiming Crown, the nine-race event for the blue-collar horses that have run for claiming prices, will be held for the 10th consecutive year at Gulfstream Park Dec. 4. The $125,000 Jewel, the 1 1/8-mile headliner for 3-year-olds and up, was won last season by Jesus’ Team, who went on to finish second behind Knicks Go in the Pegasus World Cup.
The first multi-graded-stakes program is scheduled for Dec. 13, featuring the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up. The card with five graded stakes will also include the $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday (G3), 1 1/16-mile event for 3-year-olds and up that received a $50,000 purse increase; the $100,000 Rampart (G3), a mile race for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up; the $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3), a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up; and the $100,000 Suwannee River (G3), a mile turf event for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up.
In addition to the Pegasus World Cup, Pegasus World Cup Turf, and the Pegasus F&M Turf, the Jan. 29 program will offer four other graded stakes – the $200,000 Inside Information (G2), a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares; the $150,000 William L. McKnight (G3), a 1 ½-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up that received a $50,000 purse boost; the $150,000 La Prevoyante (G3), a 1 ½-mile turf race for older fillies and mares; and the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3), a mile event for 4-year-olds and up.
The Florida Derby Day program will offer 10 stakes for a total of $2.2 million in purses. In addition to the Florida Derby, Gulfstream Park Oaks and the Kitten’s Joy, graded-stakes action will include the $100,000 Ghostzapper (G3), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds and up; the $100,000 Appleton (G3), a mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up; and the $150,000 Orchid (G3), a 1 ½-mile turf event for older fillies and mares that received a $50,000 purse boost.
There are no stakes scheduled for the newly installed Tapeta course, but the all-weather racing surface will be employed in the event stakes are transferred from the turf due to inclement conditions.
For info on the Best Breeders’ Cup Seminar click HERE
Gulfstream Park Press Release
