Limited number of fans may be allowed for Fountain of Youth card

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With social distancing and mandatory face masks required throughout the plant, Gulfstream granted ontrack admission to a little more than 2,000 ticketed customers during the Pegasus card on Jan. 31, marking the first time since the global pandemic began last March that fans were permitted to attend races here.

Billy Badgett, executive director of Florida racing operations for The Stronach Group, said a similar arrangement is in the works for the track’s next big marquee day, the Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth, pending favorable circumstances.

“It’s still in the talking phase, but we are hoping to have fans in limited numbers for the Fountain of Youth, too,” Badgett said. “We’re keeping a close eye on all the positive [COVID-19] cases in Florida and trying to be very responsible about the pandemic situation. A lot of our plans depend on how that all goes in the next few weeks.”

Badgett said he was unsure as to when Gulfstream “might start filtering in fans” on a daily basis. Tampa Bay Downs across the state has been permitting spectators in limited numbers since opening its 2020-21 meet in late November.

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