Gulfstream Closes, Hialeah Opens
Gulfstream Park ended its 63-day meeting on a high note as Monarcos captured the $1 million Florida Derby and vaulted to the head of the 2001 Kentucky Derby class.
Jorge Chavez easily won his third consecutive riding championship. He ended up with 81 winners, four better than last year, but 10 below his '99 numbers. Chavez also was 16 below the record 97 victories shared by Julio Pezua, '87; Wigberto Ramos, '91; and Jerry Bailey, '96.
Bailey, meanwhile, broke his record for most stakes victories in '95, winning his 13th aboard Tap Dance in the closing day $250,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes. His triumphs, including 10 graded stakes, began on Jan. 11 that included five victories that month, six in February and two in March.
Trainer Bill Mott captured his eighth title in nine years with 28 winners, 11 below his record in '96. He tied with Frank Passero Jr. in '95. Mott only lost the title once since '93 when Passero won it.
Bailey picked up where he left on Hialeah Park's opening day, riding Del Mar Show, trained by Mott, to victory in the Royal Palm Handicap.
The paying crowd of 8,063 was 3,013 more than opening day two years ago when there was free grandstand admission, but that was on a Wednesday. It was more than the first day of the 2000 Hialeah-at-Gulfstream meeting that attracted 5,283 fans, but that was on a Friday.
All opening days were on St. Patrick's Day.
The first Saturday in 1999, attendance was 6,057, about 500 less than '98.
What impressed fans the most was how good the complex looked. "Clean" was the key word. What remains to be seen is if a refurbished Hialeah can save the historic track.
Florida law legislating the racing dates expires June 30. Barring any changes by the Legislature, deregulation allows all four tracks, including South Florida's trio, to operate when they want to in 2002.
Gulfstream filed to extend its racing dates past March 16 to mid-April.
Calder Race Course filed to open in mid-April instead of May 23, one day after Hialeah usually closes.
Hialeah has three options:
*Run as usual, but probably close after a week or so.
*Challenge Calder during the spring, but probably close after a week or so like it did after 10 days in the fall of '91.
*Close and sell, maybe to Frank Stronach, who owns Gulfstream and a half-dozen other tracks.
The copyright of the article Gulfstream Closes, Hialeah Opens in Horse Racing is owned by Greg Melikov. Permission to republish Gulfstream Closes, Hialeah Opens in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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