With all the action across the country, we couldn’t organize any schedules to get a Gulfstream pod out this week. Never fear, because...
Free Gulfstream Park picks from In the Money Media, including John Pinder’s Late Pick 5 sequences, plus the key dates of the 2026–27 Championship Meet, last year’s leading trainer and jockey, and our guide to how races are won at Gulfstream. Our latest Gulfstream posts are just below this guide.
2026–27 Championship Meet at a Glance
The Championship Meet opens Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2026, and runs through March 28, 2027, with live racing Thursday through Sunday. (Source: Gulfstream Park.)
Pegasus World Cup: Saturday, January 30, 2027. See our 2027 Pegasus World Cup guide for the full card and every past winner.
Road to the Kentucky Derby preps at Gulfstream
| Race | Date | Derby points |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Bull (G3) | January 23, 2027 | 20-10-6-4-2 |
| Fountain of Youth (G2) | February 27, 2027 | 50-25-15-10-5 |
| Florida Derby (G1) | March 27, 2027 | 100-50-25-15-10 |
Big days of the meet: 66 stakes, 27 of them graded. Opening day (Thursday, Nov. 26) has the $100,000 Wait a While for 2-year-old fillies on turf, and the $100,000 Pulpit for 2-year-olds on turf follows on Friday, Nov. 27. The Aventura and the Hallandale Beach (for fillies), both $200,000 for 2-year-olds at a mile on dirt, are on Saturday, Nov. 28. Holy Bull day (Jan. 23) also has the Forward Gal (G3). Pegasus World Cup day (Jan. 30) has 10 stakes, seven of them graded, led by the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1). Fountain of Youth day (Feb. 27) has nine stakes, eight of them graded. Florida Derby day (Mar. 27) has 10 stakes, five of them graded, including the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). (Source: Gulfstream Park’s 2026–27 stakes schedule; race days are subject to change.) Follow every Derby prep on our Road to the 2027 Kentucky Derby page.
Top Connections
Last year’s leaders: Saffie Joseph Jr. was the leading trainer of the 2025–26 Championship Meet with 45 wins from 255 starters, his fifth straight Championship Meet title. Irad Ortiz Jr. was the leading jockey, with 82 wins from 312 mounts (26%). (Source: Gulfstream Park.)
2025–26 Championship Meet leaders: trainers
| # | Trainer | Starts | Wins | Win % | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saffie A. Joseph Jr. | 255 | 45 | 18% | $4.84M |
| 2 | Mark E. Casse | 200 | 32 | 16% | $1.77M |
| 3 | Carlos A. David | 130 | 29 | 22% | $977K |
| 4 | Brian A. Lynch | 96 | 27 | 28% | $1.64M |
| 5 | Jose Francisco D’Angelo | 200 | 25 | 13% | $1.25M |
| 6 | Brad H. Cox | 65 | 21 | 32% | $2.42M |
| 7 | Victor Barboza Jr. | 125 | 21 | 17% | $753K |
| 8 | William I. Mott | 104 | 20 | 19% | $1.64M |
| 9 | Rohan G. Crichton | 71 | 19 | 27% | $579K |
| 10 | Todd A. Pletcher | 135 | 18 | 13% | $1.59M |
2025–26 Championship Meet leaders: jockeys
| # | Jockey | Mounts | Wins | Win % | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | 312 | 82 | 26% | $3.94M |
| 2 | Tyler Gaffalione | 436 | 68 | 16% | $5.41M |
| 3 | Edgard J. Zayas | 348 | 54 | 16% | $2.49M |
| 4 | Javier Castellano | 300 | 50 | 17% | $2.99M |
| 5 | Miguel Angel Vasquez | 319 | 42 | 13% | $1.59M |
| 6 | Junior Alvarado | 247 | 38 | 15% | $2.95M |
| 7 | Jorge Ruiz | 300 | 38 | 13% | $1.90M |
| 8 | John R. Velazquez | 210 | 36 | 17% | $2.45M |
| 9 | Edwin Gonzalez | 206 | 33 | 16% | $1.20M |
| 10 | Jose E. Morelos | 312 | 32 | 10% | $1.32M |
How Races Are Won at Gulfstream
Last 3 Race Days
Coming once the 2026–27 Championship Meet opens on November 26.
Where were the winners at the second call? Our baseline profile uses last year’s Championship Meet (2025–26), with off-turf races counted as dirt. We’ll update it through the 2026–27 meet as results come in.
| Surface / distance | Races | Led | Up to 2 lengths back | 2–5 lengths back | 5+ lengths back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirt sprints | 227 | 48% | 35% | 14% | 3% |
| Dirt routes | 184 | 34% | 41% | 22% | 2% |
| Turf sprints | 61 | 43% | 39% | 16% | 2% |
| Turf routes | 122 | 32% | 32% | 25% | 11% |
- Short dirt sprints favor speed. At 5½ furlongs, 64% of winners were on the lead at the second call and 98% were on the lead or within 2 lengths (47 races). At 7 furlongs those numbers drop to 29% and 69% (42 races).
- Turf routes are the place for closers. One in nine winners was more than 5 lengths back at the second call, the most of any category.
- Five-furlong turf sprints play like dirt sprints. 92% of winners were on the lead or within 2 lengths at the second call (40 races).
Source: Total Performance Data (TPD) GPS tracking, processed by In the Money Media. Positions at each call are worked out from GPS timing, not from official chart calls. Last updated Nov. 8, 2026.
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