The New York Times reported that the meet “got off to a flying start” and that there were so many people looking to get into the track that they had to close the gates and turn some would-be patrons away.Ĭalder bridged the gap between the winter and early spring meets that were held at Gulfstream and at Hialeah and ushered in an era of year-round racing in South Florida. That lease expires at the end of the year and TSG is in the process of putting together a 2021 racing schedule that does not include a Gulfstream Park West/Calder meet.Ĭalder opened with 16,263 fans in attendance and the handle was $712,931. Since 2014, the racing operation has been leased by Calder's owner, Churchill Downs Inc., to Gulfstream Park's owners, The Stronach Group, which renamed the track Gulfstream Park West. Barring an 11th hour reprieve from the courts, the 40-day season will be the last ever run at Calder Race Course, the meat-and-potatoes South Florida track that has been operating since 1971. Saturday's opening day at the meet rebranded as Gulfstream Park West will truly mark the beginning of an end.
