Dan Hurtak Birthdate: Nov. 3, 1949 Birthplace: Johnstown, Pa. Residence: Plantation, Fla. Family: Single

2008 Gulfstream Record

Career:

• One of the best players in the claiming game in South Florida, Hurtak is just a few seasons removed from one of his strongest winter campaigns when he ranked second in starters and wins in 2006 
• He was the leading trainer at Gulfstream in 1991 tying with John Tammaro with 23 victories
• Also owns training titles at Hialeah in 1997, at Calder in 1994, 1995, 1996 and at Calder’s Tropical meet in 2001 
• Regularly among the most active trainers at the claiming box, Hurtak’s best claim was Spirit of Fighter who won 17 stakes and over $800,000 after his claim from a 1985 maiden race
• In the last two years he has turned former claimers Jet Propulsion and Siphon City into graded stakes winners. Jet Propulsion went from a $25,000 maiden-claiming spot in 2005 to a victory in the 2007 Miami Mile at Calder and third in the Appleton Handicap last year. Siphon City developed after a $75,000 Gulfstream claim into the winner of three straight stakes in 2006 including the Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows
• Clients include Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player, a friend from Hurtak’s days as a professional golfer. Hurtak trained GP’s Black Knight, a horse named for and partly owned by Player, to stakes wins in 2004
• Hurtak was the leading owner at Calder’s summer meet in 2008 while finishing fourth in the trainer’s standings
   

Other: Father owned and operated a bar across the street from Hialeah Park when Dan was a teenager, and he began walking hots and grooming horses while still in high school … Graduated from Biscayne College with business administration degree, then took out trainer’s license in 1977 … Turned to training full-time in 1982 and won with the first horse he saddled, Reasonable Concept, at Gulfstream.