The Florida Derby, a tropical classic that has produced 39 horses who have won 54 Triple Crown races, including 21 Kentucky Derbys, will have its 59th running March 27.

       The world’s premier winter race meeting begins its 68th stand Jan. 3 and runs through April 23.

       Gulfstream Park Racing Secretary Dan Bork, in his first year at the helm, said “The timing of the Florida Derby, five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, and the subsequent performances of Barbaro and Big Brown at Churchill Downs, has enhanced the race’s reputation as a barometer for Triple Crown success while further enhancing Gulfstream Park’s already solid reputation as a proving ground for future champions.”

       There will be slight modifications to the races leading up to the Florida Derby:  The $250,000 Fountain of Youth will return to 1 1/8 miles, the same distance of the Florida Derby, and the $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes will return to a mile.

       The Feb. 27 Fountain of Youth, as in years past, will be run four weeks before the Florida Derby, while the Holy Bull will be run at a mile on Jan. 23, five weeks before the FOY.

       “Horsemen indicated a desire to have a two-turn race a little closer to the Florida Derby,” Mr. Bork said, “and we believe we have accommodated them with the bump in distance of the Fountain of Youth from a mile to a mile and an eighth. With these changes – coupled with the horsemen’s pursuit of graded-stakes earnings in preparation for the Kentucky Derby – we expect the serious classic contenders to stay close to home.”

       The Fountain of Youth, which has a reputation for quality that approaches that of the Florida Derby, is a Grade 2 event while the Holy Bull – which has prepped Kentucky Derby winners Barbaro (2006), Funny Cide (2003) and Go for Gin (1994); Derby runner-up Closing Argument (2005) and Derby favorite Harlan’s Holiday (2002) – was accorded Grade 3 status.

       The Kentucky Derby victories by Barbaro and Big Brown were the most recent classic successes by Florida Derby contestants. In addition to their success in the Kentucky Derby, they have also won 18 renewals of the Preakness and 15 runnings of the Belmont Stakes.

       “One of the great treats of racing at Gulfstream Park is the chance to witness the nation’s greatest 3-year-olds sort themselves out as they prepare for the Triple Crown,” said Bill Murphy, Gulfstream Park President and General Manager. 

       Other highlights of the meeting are the Jan. 30 Sunshine Millions, and the Feb. 6 Donn Handicap and the Gulfstream Park Turf, to be run on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7. The big game will be played in nearby Miami Gardens.

          The Donn has become the world’s leading springboard to the $6 million Dubai World Cup. World Cup winners who have competed in the Donn are Cigar (1996), Silver Charm (1998), Captain Steve (2001), Roses in May (2005) and Invasor (2007). Harlan’s Holiday, the Donn winner of 2004, was a runner-up in Dubai.

          Appearing on the calendar for the first time is the Adena Springs Sugar Swirl Stakes. Owned by Frank Stronach – the Chairman of Magna Entertainment Corp., owner of Gulfstream Park – Sugar Swirl became the only filly or mare to sweep the trilogy of sprint stakes for older females: the six-furlong race now known as the Adena Springs Sugar Swirl, formerly known as the First Lady; the 6½-furlong Hurricane Bertie, and the seven-furlong Inside Information. She pulled off her hat trick in 2008.

       A stakes that reverts to its original name is the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship. Known as such from its inception in 1972, the $150,000, Grade 2 race had been conducted as the Richter Scale from 2003 through last year.

       Gulfstream Park’s 2010 stakes schedule follows: 

             

DATE	RACE	CONDITIONS	PURSE	DISTANCE/ SURFACE
Sun. Jan. 3	Hal’s Hope (G3)	4-year-olds& up	$100,000	1 Mile
	Old Hat (G3)	3-year-old Fillies	$100,000	6 Furlongs
Sat Jan 9	Fort Lauderdale	4-year-olds & up	$100,000	1 1/16 Miles (T)
Sun. Jan 10	Marshua’s River	4-year-olds & up	$100,000	1 1/16 Miles (T)
Sat. Jan. 16	Mr. Prospector (G3)	4-year-olds & up	$`100,000	6 Furlongs
	Dania Beach	3-year-olds	$100,000	1 Mile (T)
Sun. Jan. 17	Adena Springs Sugar Swirl	4-year-olds & up F&M	$100,000	6 Furlongs
	Sweetest Chant	3-year-old Fillies	$100,000	1 Mile (T)
Sat. Jan. 23	Holy Bull (G3)	3-year-olds	$150,000	1 Mile
Sun. Jan. 24	Spectacular Bid	3-year-olds	$100,000	6 Furlongs
Sat. Jan 30	Sunshine Millions Day
	Turf	4-year-olds & up	$500,000	1 1/8 Miles (T)
	Distaff	4-year-olds & up F&M	$500,000	1/18 Miles
	Sprint	4-year-olds & up	$300,000	6 Furlongs
	Oaks	3-year-old Fillies	$250,000	6 Furlongs
Sun. Jan 31	Forward Gal (G2)	3-year-old Fillies	$150,000	7 Furlongs
Sat. Feb. 6	Donn Handicap (G1)	4-year-olds & up	$500,000	1 1/8 Miles
	Suwannee River (G3)	4-year-olds & up,F&M	$125,000	1 1/8 Miles (T)
Sun. Feb. 7	Gulfstream Park Turf (G1)	4-year-olds and up	$250,000	1 1/8 Miles (T)
	Hallandale Beach	3-year-olds	$125,000	1 1/16  Miles(T)
Sat. Feb. 13	Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship	4-year-olds & up	$150,000	7 Furlongs
Sun. Feb 14	Hurricane Bertie	4-year-olds & up F&M	$125,000	6 ½ Furlongs
	Coconut Grove	3-year-old Fillies	$125,000	1 1/16 Miles (T)
Sat. Feb 20	MacDiarmida (G2)	4-year-olds & up	$150,000	1 3/8 Miles (T)
	Sabin (G3)	4-year-olds & up F&M	$100,000	1 Mile
Sun. Feb 21	Tallahassee	4-year-olds & up FL-Breds	$75,000	1 Mile (T)
	Marion County	4-year-olds & up FL-Breds	$100,000	1 Mile (T)
Sat. Feb 27	Fountain of Youth (G2)	3-year-olds	$250,000	1 1/8 Miles
	Hutcheson (G2)	3-year-olds	$150,000	7 Furlongs
	Canadian Turf (G3)	4-year-olds & up	$150,000	1 Mile (T)
	The Very One	4-year-olds & up F&M	$100,000	1 3/8 Miles (T)
Sun. Feb 28	Davona Dale (G2)	3-year-old Fillies	$150,000	1 Mile
Sat. Mar 6	Honey Fox (G3)	4-year-olds & up F&M	$100,000	1 Mile (T)
	Sunshine State	4-year-olds & up FL-Breds	$75,000	7 Furlongs
Sun. Mar 7	Ocala	4-year-olds&upF&M FL -Bred	$75,000	1 Mile
Sat. Mar. 13	Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2)	4-year-olds & up	$300,000	1 Mile
	Palm Beach (G3)	3-year-olds	$150,000	1 1/8 Miles (T)
Sun. Mar14	Inside Information (G2)	4-year-olds & up, F&M	$150,000	7 Furlongs
	Herecomesthebride (G3)	3-year-old Fillies	$150,000	1 1/8 Miles (T)
Sat. Mar 20	Pan American	4-year olds and up	$150,000	1 ½ Miles (T)
Sun Mar 21	Orchid (G3)	4-year-olds & up, F&M	$150,000	1 ½ Miles (T)
Sat/ Mar 27	Florida Derby (G1)	3-year-olds	$750,000	1 1/8 Miles
	Swale (G2)	3-year-olds	$150,000	7 Furlongs
	Appleton (G3)	4-year-olds & up	$100,000	7½ Furlongs (T)
	Bonnie Miss (G2)	3-year-old Fillies	$200,000	1 1/8 Miles
Sat. Apr 3	Skip Away (G3)	3-year-olds and up	$100,000	1 3/16 Miles
Sat. Apr 10	South Beach	3-year-olds & up, F&M	$50,000	1 Mile (T)
Sat. Apr 17	Boynton Beach	3-year-old Fillies	$50,000	1 Mile (T)