HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There will be few changes at the 2025-26 Championship meet at Gulfstream Park, which opens for a second straight season on Thanksgiving Day, and runs through March 29.
The stakes schedule pretty much mirrors those of the past several years and is highlighted, as usual, by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 24, along with the $1 million Florida Derby, the last and most important of three key Kentucky Derby preps to be decided here this winter and spring. The Florida Derby is preceded on the schedule by the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
The barn areas at both Gulfstream Park and its satellite training center, Palm Meadows, figure to be full once again, and the two prominent private facilities in the South Florida area, Palm Beach Downs and Payson Park, are expected to house a bevy of equine stars from the barns of such prominent trainers as Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott, Chad Brown, Brad Cox, and Shug McGaughey, just to name a few.
Field sizes were up marginally last winter from the 2023-24 meet, averaging nearly eight starters per race overall and 9.41 on turf.
“Basically we’re coming back with a very similar racing schedule and stakes program this season along with a star-studded barn area, as usual,” said Mike Lakow, Gulfstream Park’s vice president of racing operations. “A few key additions this winter include Rick Dutrow, back here for the first time in a long while; Kevin Attard returning after a two-year absence; and Will Walden, who has taken 40 stalls at Palm Meadows.”
Lakow added that the turf course is in excellent condition.
“The turf course is better than ever coming into opening day following a summer during which we had an abundance of rain that forced us to keep the course closed for extended periods of time,” he said.
Thursday’s opening day fare will begin at a special holiday post time of 11:15 a.m. with the $100,000 Wait a While Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on the turf the finale on an eight-race program. Racing will be conducted on a four-day-a-week basis, Thursday through Sunday, during the month of December.
The Wait a While lured a full field of 10, led by the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained trio of Spirit Doll, R Slew of Cash, and Day to Day. The competition will be headed by Kentucky invader Sister Troienne; the stakes-placed Devilish Grin, who will be shipping down from New York for trainer Amelia Green; and Cox’s unbeaten Amberglen.
Haute Diva, Slippers, Backgammon, and the French-bred Special Wood, making her U.S. debut, complete the body of the race with Givana looking to draw in off the also-eligible list.
Spirit Doll tops the Joseph trio, having won two of her three starts, including the Our Dear Peggy Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in an extremely impressive turf debut going one mile here on Oct. 25. Spirit Doll will be ridden by Edgard Zayas, who led the recently concluded Sunshine meet for his 10th Gulfstream Park jockey title.
“She has grass pedigree from the dam and the Tiz the Laws have run on the grass. You’re just kind of hoping she takes to the turf, but you never envision that kind of performance,” said Joseph when asked to comment on Spirit Doll’s outstanding Our Dear Peggy performance. “Especially the way she quickened. I thought it was very, very impressive.”
R Slew of Cash finished sixth after prompting the early pace over the tricky turf course at Kentucky Downs in her debut before returning home to win her maiden by 1 1/4 lengths at the same 7 1/2-furlong distance as the Wait a While.
“I thought she ran a good race at Kentucky Downs, she just got tired. Last time she tracked the pace and quickened nicely. I think the distance is ideal, but she’s going to need to improve to be competitive in this spot,” Joseph said.
Joseph, who has won 14 straight Gulfstream Park training titles, including the last four Championship meets, remained uncertain of the starting status of Day to Day.
Sister Troienne has registered a pair of one-sided victories since trainer Brian Lynch switched her to the grass, beginning with a maiden win by 4 1/2 lengths going a mile at Churchill Downs on Sept. 20. She stretched out to a mile and a sixteenth a month later and turned in an even better performance winning her entry-level allowance condition in popular fashion while earning a 78 Beyer Speed Figure, tops of any member of the Wait a While lineup.
Devilish Grin has moved forward with each start since launching her career finishing a close second going six furlongs over the turf at Aqueduct on June 29. She won her maiden in game fashion over the same course at 1 1/16 miles three months later.
“We were always looking forward to stretching her out on the turf and I was really proud of her effort last time,” said Green. “She didn’t break well and had to make a long, sustained run rather than just put in a late kick. And I think the win was something she really needed to gain confidence.”
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