Ralph Nicks began his racetrack career at age 16, and until this past year, he was always in perpetual motion. “I’m 47, and I’ve had to move at least twice a year every year since I began on the racetrack,” Nicks said. “Until this year. With Gulfstream going year-round, we’ve been able to stay here and settle down. We haven’t had to move, and, boy, I’ll tell you, it’s nice. Thirty years as a transient was enough.” Nicks could be the poster boy for the changing dynamics of the south Florida racing circuit since Gulfstream assumed the majority of the annual dates through an agreement with nearby Calder Race Course. Nicks, with a stable of 30 horses, is entrenching himself in Florida, assured of its stability and viability. After riding races for three years in his teens, Nicks went to work for his father, Morris Nicks, who still trains in Louisiana. He then went to work as a top assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott for 13 years until starting his own public stable in 2004. Through the last decade, he has traveled all over the eastern half of the United States, from Kentucky to New York to Louisiana to New Jersey and elsewhere. Now, however, he and his wife, Stacy, have a house near Gulfstream in Hollywood, Fla., and Stacy has secured work as a racing ambassador at Gulfstream. Of course, there are dozens of horsemen who have made south Florida their permanent home for years, with Calder their main base. But as Gulfstream wrested the majority of dates through contractual means last month following an aggressive head-to-head strategy initiated last year, the makeup of the south Florida trainer roster already had begun to shift in subtle fashion. “I don’t think I would’ve done this if it was still the status quo and Calder still had the majority of dates,” said Nicks. “Gulfstream has a better facility and location, and knowing that management is trying to better the racing in the summertime is very encouraging.” Nicks is not alone. A number of other trainers who traditionally have raced in Florida only during the winter months are making their presence felt at Gulfstream this summer. Mike Maker has set up a stable of six and said he is looking for more. Michelle Nihei, Michael Trombetta, Randi Persaud, Terri Pompay, and Angel Penna Jr. all are represented by strings of varying size. Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, a former New York mainstay, is now a year-round Floridian, too, although that seems more a function of his advancing age than anything else. “I got in on the ground floor last year here,” said Nicks. “You could make a living moving around as much as I did, but it could be a little frustrating and really expensive and just a tough battle all around, especially trying to compete with the bigger stables in New York. “I’d expect you’ll see more and more trainers start to realize that Gulfstream year-round is a nice setup, especially with the way the purses and everything else is headed.” Nicks ran a winner last Sunday at Gulfstream for a relatively new client, the Kinsman Stable of the Steinbrenner family. War Classic, a 4-year-old homebred gelding, held on gamely to win a first-level allowance at a mile on turf. “I’ve got four now for Kinsman,” he said. “I’m pretty sure Bill [Mott] was instrumental in me getting horses from them. He’s good that way. [War Classic] is a nice, little horse who’s improved over the last three or four months.” After winning 11 races at the long meet that ended June 30, Nicks has a solid 4-for-13 record at the new meet that began July 1. “It’s the most fun when you win,” he said, “no matter where you are.”