Florida tracks spared major damage from Hurricane Irma
Live racing will resume at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, track officials announced Monday morning in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which passed through the area on Sunday. The facility will reopen for simulcast wagering on Wednesday.
The racetrack was scheduled to be open for training again on Tuesday.
Gulfstream Park escaped the wrath of Hurricane Irma with a minimum of damage according to P.J. Campo, general manager and vice-president of racing at Gulfstream, who cited only some minor damage to roofs on several of the older barns on the backstretch.
“First of all, people and horses are always our first priorities, and everyone is safe,” Campo said. “The horses are all well, and those who work on the backstretch and live in our dormitories are all safe. Over the past two years, we have taken precautions to help our facility by installing a flood retaining wall and pump stations, and they worked. The stables were not flooded.”
Racing was canceled at Gulfstream from last Thursday through Sunday in anticipation of Irma. More than half the horses who are stabled at Gulfstream Park were evacuated, many to the Palm Meadows training center in Boynton Beach, located about 40 miles north of the track. Others were transported to the state’s principal breeding area in Ocala, which also ended up taking a hit from Irma. Track officials said approximately 300 horses rode out the storm safely in the Gulfstream Park barn area.
Among the horses sent to Palm Meadows prior to the storm was Travers runner-up Gunnevera, who is stabled regularly with trainer Antonio Sano at Gulfstream Park West, which also came through Irma relatively unscathed.
The racing cards already drawn for Wednesday and Thursday have been scrapped. Campo will take a double draw on Wednesday for both Saturday and Sunday’s programs.
Campo said Gulfstream Park is waiting until Saturday to resume racing because “we have to wait for outside resources and utilities in the South Florida area like power, gas and clean-up to catch up.” It may also take several days for all the horses who were evacuated from the barn area to make their way back to the track.
Officials at Tampa Bay Downs said Monday that aside from losing power briefly, the track escaped Irma with no damage. Irma was still designated as a Category 1 hurricane when it passed through the Tampa area late Sunday evening.