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Gulfstream boasts record-breaking handle at meet conclusion

Discreet Dancer set the tone for the 2011-2012 Gulfstream Park meeting when he broke a track-record in his debut on the December 3 opening-day program. The action on the track and at the pari-mutuel windows kept pace throughout the 87-program meeting, culminating in record-breaking handles generated by a steady stream of world-class performances by horses, trainers and jockeys.

Gulfstream Park ended its memorable and remarkable 2011-2012 meet Sunday by setting records for on-track and all-sources handle in its new facility. The track also set a new record for the number of turf races run (393), topping the previous mark last year of 340. Meanwhile, average starters per race were 9.25.

"We're thankful our fans, both locally and globally, as well as our horsemen, embraced our racing product as well as our historic early opening," Gulfstream President and General Manager Timothy Ritvo said. "The records established this year both on and off track, as well as the new fans that came to our facility this year and returned again and again, support the vision of our chairman, Mr. Frank Stronach. Meanwhile, Florida Derby Day was truly memorable and continues to be one of greatest days of racing in the world.

"While our horsemen put on a remarkable show each and every day, the management and staff continued its efforts to make customer service a priority while continuing to build strong relationships in the community at large. We're also very proud of the work we continue doing in the Thoroughbred community, helping to raise money for The Gulfstream Park Thoroughbred After-Care Program and Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund throughout the meet.

"We also want to thank the New York Racing Association (NYRA) for their cooperation in helping to coordinate post times to give racing fans an opportunity to see the finest racing in the world. We look forward to opening for the 2012-13 season December 1 and hosting on opening day the Claiming Crown."

Race to Urga closed out a perfect meet at Gulfstream when scoring her first stakes in Sunday's Wait a While (Adam Coglianese Photography) Castleton Lyons' Race to Urga kept her record perfect at the meet when taking the closing day stakes, the $70,000 Wait a While Stakes, by three lengths under jockey Jose Lezcano. The Christophe Clement-trained four-year-old daughter of Bernstein scored by a length in each of her prior runs against optional claiming company on January 15 and March 10, and finished Sunday's 1 1/16-mile, firm turf feature in 1:40 2/5 to move her record to 8-5-2-0, $182,816. Discreet Dancer's trainer, Todd Pletcher, and jockey, Javier Castellano, reached important career milestones while coming out on top in their respective standings at the meet. Pletcher, who claimed an unprecedented ninth consecutive training title at Gulfstream with 72 trips to the winner's circle, recorded his 3,000 career victory when he saddled Spring Hill Farm for a winning performance on February 11. Castellano, who collected his first Gulfstream title by riding a record 112 winners, scored his 3,000th career success aboard Virtuously on February 24. While Pletcher and Castellano were by far the most dominant participants in Gulfstream's 53-race stakes program, they were nudged out of the spotlight in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby on March 31. Gulfstream's signature race attracted one of the strongest fields of the Kentucky Derby preps, including heavily favored Union Rags and the Pletcher-trained El Padrino. However, it was Take Charge Indy who took down the meeting's biggest prize.

The Patrick Byrne-trained colt punched his ticket for the Kentucky Derby with a sharp front-running victory under Calvin Borel, prevailing over Gulfstream Park Derby winner Reveron by a length. Union Rags finished another neck back in third after lacking running room into the stretch.

The 61st running of the Florida Derby generated record handles for the new state-of-the-art facility, where $2.9 million was wagered on-track for the day. The all-sources Florida Derby Day handle climbed to a record $26.7 million.

Bolstered by those strong numbers, Gulfstream's on-track handle for the 2011-2012 eclipsed $50 million for the first time since the completion of its facility in 2006, marking an increase of approximately 7 percent over last year's previous record of $47 million.

Total all-sources handle for the meeting, which began a month earlier than the traditional early-January opener, will be more than $673 million, up approximately $80 million or 13 percent over last year's previous record of $595 million. All sources average handle will be approximately $7.8 million, up from last year's previous record of $7.5 million.

Take Charge Indy upset Union Rags (left) in the Florida Derby (Adam Coglianese Photography) Take Charge Indy captured the centerpiece of Gulfstream's stakes program for three-year-olds, but Union Rags was the featured attraction. The Michael Matz-trained Grade1-winning colt, who had won his first three races before falling a head short of catching Hansen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last season, made a splash in his 2012 debut with a dominating four-length win in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth on February 26. The Agustin Bezara-trained Reveron won the inaugural running of the $100,000 Gulfstream Park Derby on January 1, before finishing second in the Florida Derby. The Pletcher trained, Castellano-ridden Algorithms, ran his unbeaten string to three with a commanding five-length victory in the Grade 3, $400,000 Holy Bull on January 29 before being sidelined by an injury. Although the three-year-old division gets the most attention, the older horses were particularly successful in getting noticed at Gulfstream Park, including Hymn Book, a Shug McGaughey-trained six-year-old gelding who has found a new lease on life on dirt, who captured the Grade 1, $500,000 Donn Handicap on February 11.

The Pletcher-trained Awesome Maria established herself as the top older female with a pair of dominating victories in the Grade 3 Sabin on February 25 and the Grade 3 Rampart on March 31. Awesome Maria is a homebred five-year-old owned by Joyce Robsham, whose stable was also well represented by Discreet Dancer and stakes winners Broadway's Alibi, R Holiday Mood and Soaring Stocks. Robsham-owned horses won 17 races from just 30 starts and earned more than $900,000, a meeting best. Frank Calabrese led all owners with 32 winners.

The Gulfstream meeting celebrated the return of three champions, most notably 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. The Graham Motion-trained 2011 Eclipse Award three-year-old champion returned from a long layoff to capture an allowance race on turf on February 18, only to be sidelined again by injury.

Musical Romance, the 2011 Eclipse Award female sprint champion, and Awesome Feather, the 2010 champion two-year-old filly, both returned to Gulfstream to take part in the Florida Sunshine Millions program on January 28. Although Musical Romance finished fourth in the Filly & Mare Sprint after suffering a hoof injury, the Bill Kaplan-trained Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint victress returned to her championship form while winning the Grade 2 Inside Information on March 17. Awesome Feather, the 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, remained undefeated in nine career starts with a 5 3/4-length triumph in the Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff.

Mucho Macho Man, third in last year's Kentucky Derby, was the star of Florida Sunshine Millions Day while capturing the 1 1/8-mile Classic by 1 1/2 lengths. The Kathy Ritvo-trained four-year-old turned back to a mile for the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 10 and scored by two lengths over Tackleberry, a three-time stakes winner who hadn't run in nearly 10 months.

Little Mike, who scored a trio of Grade 3 wins at the 2011 Gulfstream meeting, captured his second victory of this year's meeting with a front-running score in the Florida Sunshine Millions Turf.

In the sprint division, Force Freeze, who finished a neck second in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint, made a smashing 2012 debut with a 3 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Sprint on February 18. Apriority made a spectacular recovery after nearly falling at the start to capture the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on December 31.

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