Gulfstream Park’s 2026–2027 Championship Meet will feature 66 stakes races, including 27 graded contests, with the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and Florida Derby among the leading events on a packed winter programme.
The Championship Meet will open on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, and continue through March 28, 2027. The schedule will be headlined by the 11th running of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (Grade 1) and Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (Grade 1) on January 30, followed by the 76th running of the Florida Derby (Grade 1) on March 27.
The winter season at Gulfstream Park traditionally attracts accomplished Thoroughbreds, leading trainers and prominent jockeys, with a programme designed to showcase established performers and emerging talent across dirt and turf.
Pegasus World Cup Headlines Gulfstream Park Stakes Schedule
The Pegasus World Cup Invitational has built a notable record since its inaugural running in 2017, when Arrogate claimed victory after being recognised as the 2016 Longines World’s Best Racehorse. Its list of winners and participants includes two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome, along with Gun Runner, Knicks Go and Bricks and Mortar.
Other prominent names associated with the series include Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure, Breeders’ Cup Mile winner City of Light and Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Six of the first 10 Pegasus World Cup Invitational winners have also captured Breeders’ Cup races.
The Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational has drawn international competition from Japan, Ireland, the United Kingdom, South America and South Africa, reinforcing the meeting’s appeal beyond North America.
Final purse details for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (Grade 2) remain to be confirmed.
The schedule has been released ahead of those announcements, with the purse structure for the 2027 Pegasus World Cup still under review, according to the meeting organisers.
Pegasus Day Preparations Begin in December
The build-up to Pegasus Day will begin on December 26, when Gulfstream Park stages the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (Grade 3), the $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday (Grade 3) and the $150,000 Suwannee River.
The programme will also include the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man for two-year-olds and the $150,000 Ginger Brew for two-year-old fillies, providing opportunities for younger runners to make their mark during the winter campaign.
Florida Derby Anchors Three-Year-Old Series
The $1 million Florida Derby will again take centre stage in Gulfstream Park’s three-year-old series. The race has produced four of the last 11 Kentucky Derby winners and 26 overall, underlining its importance in the American spring racing calendar.
The lead-up will include the Holy Bull (Grade 3) on January 23 and the Fountain of Youth (Grade 2) on February 27.
Holy Bull Day will feature five stakes, including two graded races, with total purses of $850,000. Fountain of Youth Day will offer nine stakes, eight of them graded, with combined purses of $1.8 million.
Florida Derby Day on March 27 will bring together 10 stakes, including five graded contests, with total purses of $2.45 million.
Three-year-old fillies will have their own route towards the Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1), with the Forward Gal (Grade 3) on January 23, the Davona Dale (Grade 2) on February 27 and the Gulfstream Park Oaks (Grade 2) on March 27.
Turf Racing Adds Depth to Winter Programme
Gulfstream Park’s turf course will once again host a strong collection of races for some of North America’s leading grass performers. Pegasus Day will include the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational, alongside the W. L. McKnight (Grade 3), Christophe Clement (Grade 3) and Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint.
Fountain of Youth Day will feature six turf stakes, five of them graded: the Mac Diarmida (Grade 2), Canadian Turf (Grade 3), Honey Fox (Grade 3), The Very One (Grade 3), Herecomesthebride (Grade 3) and Colonel Liam.
Six more turf stakes are scheduled for Florida Derby Day. The programme will comprise the Pan American (Grade 3), Orchid (Grade 3), Appleton, Sand Springs, Sanibel Island and Cutler Bay.
The Championship Meet will also open with two turf stakes for juvenile runners. The $100,000 Wait a While, for fillies, and the $100,000 Pulpit will both be contested over seven and a half furlongs.
With 66 stakes spread across four months, the 2026–2027 Gulfstream Park Championship Meet will offer a varied programme, combining major Grade 1 contests with important developmental races for younger Thoroughbreds.
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