Threat of rain pushes turf stakes to July 31 card
The $60,000 Bay Harbor Islands scheduled for Sunday at Gulfstream Park attracted an ample number of entries, but the five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares is not part of the 10-race card because of weather considerations, according to Mike Lakow, vice president of racing operations at the South Florida track.
“We’re expected to maybe have rain Sunday, and I didn’t want to present it, then have it scratch down to just a handful,” Lakow said early Friday. “We’re supposed to have great weather next weekend, and we’d like to fold it in with our big Florida Sire Stakes races for 2-year-olds, along with another handicap,” the $60,000 3 Sons Brewing Co. Sprint for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs. “It’d all make for a great day.”
With that, the Sunday card comprises all claiming races, including five for maidens, except for a $37,000 starter-optional that serves as the nominal feature. Corey, a gray 3-year-old filly claimed from a winning last start by Peter Walder, figures to vie for favoritism with Baby Lion in a field of seven in the 6 1/2-furlong race.
A pool guarantee of about $700,000 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 5-10) can be expected for Sunday, assuming the jackpot wasn’t swept Friday or Saturday by a solo winning ticket. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern. A 60 percent rain chance is in the local forecast.
After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark until another three-day weekend starts Friday. As Lakow said, the highlights next weekend are the $100,000 Dr. Fager and $100,000 Desert Vixen, a pair of 2-year-old sprints that kick off the annual Florida Sire Stakes series on Saturday. Entries will be drawn Wednesday, with sizable fields expected for the Sire Stakes events.
Meanwhile, the three-day schedule that Gulfstream has undertaken during a six-month-long spring-summer meet that began April 1 is “proceeding very smoothly,” Lakow said.
“It’s working for us now, with everything else we’ve got going on,” he said.
Drainage work on the new Tapeta surface has been completed, said Lakow, with drainage improvements on the inner turf course happening now. The Tapeta course is scheduled for completion in about six more weeks, with racing over it starting as early as the second week of September, “depending on how weather might affect progress,” he added.
In the meantime, Gulfstream is carding five to six dirt races per card. Double settings are currently unavailable on the turf course, which has traditionally undergone heavy use.
“Everybody knows how popular the turf racing is here with horsemen and fans,” Lakow said. “We’re getting by for the time being, and everybody is really excited about how having three courses is going to make for a great racing product down the line.”