There are few better locations to enjoy horse racing action throughout the year than Miami and Florida.
The warm weather conditions means that there is typically thoroughbred track action to enjoy throughout the calendar year, with standout Group 1s being staged throughout the year near Florida. But, what are some of the most exciting horse racing tracks to visit near Miami, Florida when you are next in the region?
Gulfstream Park
There are few more picturesque horse racing tracks in Florida than Gulfstream Park. The track is owned by Stronach Group, and has been a regular place to take in racing since 1933. The track is located in Hallandale Beach, and boasts a stunning year-long calendar of events.
It is one of the few tracks that is in operations throughout the season in the United States, with four standout meets often capturing the attention. The calendar year begins, and ends, with the Championship Meet, while the Royal Palm runs between April and September. Meanwhile, the Flamingo Festival Meet is one of the standout events to attend between October and November.
However, The biggest weekend of the year at Gulfstream Park comes at the end of January, as the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes is one of the most lucrative races on the U.S. calendar. This race is run over 1 1/8 miles, and has been won by some of the most famous horses since 2017, including Arrogate, Knicks Go, and Life Is Good.
Tampa Bay Downs
Tampa Bay Downs is also one of the standout race tracks in the United States, with the track playing host to some of the key Kentucky Derby preps throughout the early months of the season. The track is located in Westchase, Florida, just outside of Tampa. Racing takes place at the track on most Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends throughout the months of November and May.
It was first opened in 1926. The track has more history than most, with it also being used as a training facility of the United States Army in 1943. It has also helped create some of the most famous moments on the track. Those include a first winner for Julie Krone in 1981, and a record-breaking attendance of over 11,000 to watch the action on Kentucky Derby day in 2007. The 2006-07 season attracted some of the biggest stars to the track, with Tampa Bay Derby winner Street Sense landing graded success, as well as Any Given Sunday.
Nowadays, the tracks hosts 28 stakes races throughout the season, with the Tampa Bay Derby, Sam F. Davis Stakes, and Hillsborough Stakes being the standout contests on the calendar.
Hialeah Race Track
If you are looking to visit one of the most famous race tracks in the Miami area, where you can engage in TwinSpires pari-mutuel betting, then you would be hard pressed to overlook Hialeah. This course was opened in 1922, and it remains one of the oldest recreational visitors in the South Florida region. Horse racing at the track started in 1925, before it was forced to close down in 1926 following the famous hurricane in the region.
The track once again rose to prominence in 1987, as it was used to film the cult-classic Let It Ride, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Jennifer Tilly. The track has seen no shortage of stars throughout its history, with Winston Churchill also enjoying a days racing at Hialeah in 1946.
Hialeah continues to be a huge attraction for gamblers in this modern day, with the casino opening in 2013, and Quarter Horse racing taking place. But, there is no longer stakes races for Thoroughbred star at the track in the modern day.
