Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Season’s First Horse Shipment Arrives at Palm Meadows

Palm Meadows, training grounds for two Kentucky Derby winners as well as the two most recent Horses of the Year, opened the gates to its fifth season Wednesday.

In what has become a tradition, first to enter was a large shipment of thoroughbreds conditioned by Todd Pletcher, the nation’s Eclipse Award-winning trainer the last two years. The temperature was in the low 70s at 6 a.m. when Pletcher’s horses arrived. By day’s end he was expected to have a string of 50 at the Boynton Beach training facility.

Horses trained by Nick Zito and Kiaran McLaughlin also were to arrive Wednesday.

“We expect to have more than a hundred horses on the grounds by the end of the week,” said Gary Van Den Broek, General Manager of the training facility since its opening Nov. 29, 2002.

Palm Meadows is a state-of-the-art training facility that, like Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino, is owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. Designed by MEC Chairman Frank Stronach, it is located 47 miles north of Gulfstream Park, within view of Florida’s Turnpike.

The 304-acre facility has a seven-furlong, 176-feet wide turf course, a mile and an eighth main track and a one-mile jogging path. Its 40 barns can accommodate 1,325 thoroughbreds, many of which have scaled the heights of the sport.

Kentucky Derby winners Barbaro (2006) and Funny Cide (2003) spent the early days of their campaign as 3-year-olds there. The most recent Horses of the Year, Ghostzapper (2004) and Saint Liam (2005), were also in residence.

McLaughlin’s Jazil was also there last winter. Jazil took the Belmont Stakes in June, something fellow Palm Meadows alum Birdstone had done in 2004.

Roses in May, Saratoga County, Spun Sugar and Ashado are other superstars to have been stabled at Palm Meadows.

For more information, contact Mike Mullaney, Director of Media Relations, phone: 954-457-6451, Mike.Mullaney@gulfstreampark.com