Pegasus World Cup, Florida Derby highlight Gulfstream Championship meet

The $16 million Pegasus World Cup Championship Series and the $1 million Florida Derby will again highlight the rich stakes schedule for the 2019-20 Gulfstream Park Championship meeting, which opens Nov. 29.

Gulfstream will offer 98 stakes during the meet, 39 graded, for purses totaling $28.6 million. The meet ends March 29, 2020.

The $9 million Pegasus World Cup and the $7 million World Cup Turf Invitational will be decided Jan. 25 as part of a program that also will include seven other graded stakes with total purses of $1.2 million. The nine-furlong Pegasus World Cup had its inaugural running in 2017 and in its short tenure has been won by Arrogate, Gun Runner, and City of Light. The inaugural Turf Invitational was captured earlier this year by current division leader Bricks and Mortar.

The Grade 1 Florida Derby will be held March 28, along with six other stakes, four of those graded, including the Grade 2, $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. The Florida Derby, which has produced the winners of 59 Triple Crown events during its long and storied history, is the culmination of a tradition-rich series of 3-year-old preps that includes the Grade 2 Holy Bull and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 1 and Feb. 29.

Gulfstream Park will play host to the $1.11 million Claiming Crown for the eighth consecutive year. Traditionally the highlight on opening day, the Claiming Crown has been pushed back a week to Saturday, Dec. 7. It will be followed that Sunday by the $690,000 Clasico del Caribe card, featuring the top horses from Latin America and the Caribbean. The Clasico del Caribe, to be run locally for the third consecutive season, has drawn large and raucous crowds.

“With international events like the Pegasus World Cup, the Eclipse Awards, and the Clasico del Caribe, The Stronach Group continues to modernize the sport,” Gulfstream vice president Bill Badgett said.