Gulfstream Park's total handle on Saturday's opening day program for the Championship Meet, highlighted by the 18th edition of the Claiming Crown, was a record $11.115 million.
The previous record Claiming Crown handle of $10.362 million was set last year, also on Gulfstream's opening day program. Handle has risen all five years that Gulfstream has hosted the Claiming Crown. Handle in 2013 was $8.8 million and handle in 2014 was $10.06 million
Saturday's 11-race program was highlighted by Royal Posse (Posse)'s win in the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel for the second consecutive year.
“We're extremely pleased with the opening of what promises to be an historic Championship Meet,” said P.J. Campo, Vice President of The Stronach Group and General Manager of Gulfstream Park. “The support from horsemen throughout North America for Saturday's Claiming Crown was extraordinary. We had full, competitive fields and some spectacular performances by horses and riders. The crowd on-track was full of energy and they enjoyed the changes we made at our state-of-the-art facility. We're looking forward to many days like this, including the Jan. 21 Sunshine Millions and Eclipse Awards, Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup and Apr. 1 Florida Derby.”
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