Gulfstream Park increases purses for spring-summer meet
Gulfstream Park’s spring-summer meet will offer substantial increases in overnight purses as well as bonuses in open stakes and Florida-bred races and stakes as part of a $6 million Florida-bred incentive fund.
The meet, which runs through Aug. 30, will offer total stakes purses of $2.9 million plus an additional $575,000 ($25,000 per race) to any Florida-bred finishing in the top five in 23 summer stakes. The percentage of purse money for those top five Florida-breds will be 50%-30%-11%-6%-3%.
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On the heels of the memorable 2025-26 championship meet that wound down Sunday, Gulfstream Park will usher in the spring-summer meet with a nine-race program Thursday. A Thursday-through-Sunday racing schedule will be conducted through April, and Thoroughbred racing will continue Friday through Sunday through August.
Purses in maiden special weight races for Florida-breds will climb from $43,000 last summer to $65,000 this summer, and allowance races will climb from between $54,000 to $58,000 last summer to $65,000 and $75,000 this summer. The purses of all claiming races will see a $2,000 increase. Increases will be for all ages.
Once again, the winners of the $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and $125,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies on May 9 will earn automatic entry into one of Royal Ascot’s six 2-year-old races in addition to a $25,000 travel stipend. The Royal Ascot meet runs June 16-20.
On April 25, Gulfstream will offer six $100,000 stakes races restricted to Florida-breds.
Thursday’s program marks the return of popular jockey Paco Lopez, who has five mounts, including Fear in the race 8 feature, a 5 1/2-furlong allowance for Florida-bred 3-year-olds on Tapeta. The Carlos David-trained son of Win Win Win, a winner on turf, finished third against open company on the all-weather surface last time out. Jose D’Angelo-trained Bronze Bullet, the 7-5 morning-line favorite who finished first twice on Tapeta, returns to the all-weather track with Luis Saez aboard after a pair of show finishes on turf.
Samy Camacho also rejoins the jockey colony, which will be missing Edgar Zayas, a two-time spring-summer meet champion who has switched his tack to New York. Camacho has six mounts on Thursday’s card.
Leonel Reyes, who was just three wins away from his 1,000th victory in North America when he sustained a broken left ankle Nov. 3, is nearing a return to pursue the milestone.
Fresh off claiming his fifth consecutive championship meet title, Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will pursue his 16th Gulfstream Park title in a row while chasing another spring-summer meet championship.
The 20-cent Rainbow 6 starts anew Thursday after Sunday’s mandatory payout, which returned multiple $41,654.20 payoffs. The multi-race wager will span races 4-9, including a five-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up on turf in race 6. Joe Orseno-trained I’m Not Surprised, a son of Leinster will make his debut with Lopez up. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse is represented by first-time starter Mystical Dance.