Horse Racing Betting - If It's Gulfstream Park - It's the Speed, Buster

Gulfstream Park has always had the reputation of being a speed track. Before the 1999 Breeders’ Cup, which I covered for a chain of Central Florida newspapers, there were complaints the track was too speed favoring.

During the second of three BC spectaculars at the South Florida track in ’92, four of five winners on the main track were within two lengths of the lead after a half-mile. Only the Classic was captured from off the pace.

In ’99, three horses had the lead at the half-mile pole and went on to victory. In the Sprint, Artax defeated Kona Gold by a half-length to equal the track record of 1:07 4/5 set in ’73 by Mr. Prospector. Only the Juvenile champ rallied from off the pace.

In ’04 at Gulfstream, 36 percent of winners in 209 races at six furlongs led at every call. After Gulfstream was renovated in time for the ’05 season, the figure increased to 38 percent.

Through Jan. 31 this year, 35 percent of 49 races were wire jobs equaling the same percentage in 164 contests last year.

In 173 one-turn mile races on the dirt in ’05, front-runners were victorious 27 percent. Last year, 30 percent of 176 contests went to pacesetters. So far, wire-to-wire winners also have captured 30 percent of 60 contests in January.Longer dirt races over the years have usually gone to runners coming off the pace. In ’05, front-runners at 1 1/8 miles won 29 percent of 65 races.

However, only 14 percent of 42 winners wired fields last year. Pacesetters in January were victorious 20 percent in 10 contests.

The turf has played about the same for years. Sprinters do fairly well on the lead -- 28 percent triumphed in 39 races in ’07. Not so for routers – only 14 percent of 222 winners led all the way last year compared to 13 percent of 222 winners in ’05.

Through Jan. 31, only 13 sprints were held, but about 50 percent of the winners led from the start. In 55 routes, less than 12 percent were wire jobs.

According to the Brisnet.com daily diary, Gulfstream’s main track played fair twice as many afternoons than the turf. During the first 23 days of racing from opening day Jan. 3 through Jan. 23, the dirt surface was fair 10 days when noted.

It rained a half-dozen times resulting in a sloppy main track, forcing one or all races off the turf nine times.