How Gulfstream’s New Surfaces Are Playing


Some horsemen were upset in 1997 that Gulfstream Park's main track favored speed. During the early part of that meeting, two track and three stakes records were broken.

Complainants argued the track would play more even if renovated. So during off-season, management complied, digging up six inches of the base and making sure the surface was 85 ½ percent sand and 14 ½ percent clay - the perfect ratio maintained today.

Not unlike the previous season, speed ruled even though only one sprint record was established. During the early days of the '98 meeting, 80 percent of winners in 49 sprints were on the lead or a close second after a half-mile while the figure was 70 percent of winners in 33 routes.

In '99, the same trend continued as 35 percent of all pacesetters in 341 races at six and seven furlongs reached the winner's circle.

This year, following expansion of the main track to 1 1/8 miles during off-season, speed still prevails at six furlongs. Last year, 36 percent of winners in 209 races led all the way. So far, the figure for 35 races during the initial 14 days of the meeting is 43 percent.

Last year, 30 percent of 148 winners at seven furlongs led at every call. So far, only 10 percent of 21 races have wired the field.

On the meeting's first six days, no matter the distance, winners and runner-ups were either on the lead or second in a majority of races.

On opening day, winners were first or second after half-mile in six of eight races. On Jan. 9, the winner was no worse than second in seven of nine races.

On Jan. 13 and 14, there were no wire-to-wire winners and only four were first or second after a half-mile in 16 races. But on Jan. 21, six of seven winners in sprints were no less that second after a half-mile. On Jan. 22, four of five winners were first or second after a half-mile.

While horses breaking from the inside at six furlongs are doing great, the place to be for 6 ½ furlongs is on the rail even though only 14 percent of winners in 14 races went wire to wire. However, horses going seven furlongs do better starting from mid-track or outside.

Posts 2, 7 and 8 produced the most winners - eight out of 111 races. Post 4 had seven victories, followed by posts 1, 3 and 5 with six each and post 9 had 5. Posts 10 through 12 accounted for 10 percent of the winners.
The copyright of the article How Gulfstream’s New Surfaces Are Playing in Horse Racing is owned by Greg Melikov. Permission to republish How Gulfstream’s New Surfaces Are Playing in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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