Gulfstream to renovate turf course at end of meet

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – General manager Billy Badgett announced Thursday that the Gulfstream Park turf course will undergo an extensive overhaul following the conclusion of the championship meet, April 1.

Turf racing at the spring-summer meet, which begins April 5, will not be interrupted. The inner half of the turf course will be renovated while racing continues over the outer half, and then the outer half will be renovated with racing over the inner half.

Badgett said an outside contractor will handle the renovation, with work ongoing through the six-month spring-summer meet, which runs through Sept. 30. He would not disclose the cost of the renovation.

The Gulfstream turf course has not undergone a major change since 2004, when it was expanded from 80 feet to 170 feet to become one of the widest courses in North America.

Nearly 50 percent of races here are run over the turf course, with the wear and tear of that constant action having become visible in tire-track impressions and divot marks.

Gulfstream races 10 months a year. After the spring-summer meet, local action moves over to Gulfstream West for October and November. The four-month 2018-19 championship meet begins Nov. 28.