Contact: Joan Lawrence, NTRA Communications, (646) 335-6833, jlawrence@ntra.comContact: Dave Joseph, Gulfstream Park (954) 457-6451, david.joseph@gulfstreampark.com

GULFSTREAM PARK EARNS REACCREDITATION

FROM NTRA SAFETY & INTEGRITY ALLIANCE 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (January 23, 2017) – The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino has earned reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance. Located in Hallandale Beach, Fla., Gulfstream Park is offering a record $25 million in stakes purse disbursement including a record $12 million purse for the world’s richest horse race, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on January 28, following up with the 66th running of the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on April 1.     

Gulfstream Park played host of the recent 46th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony on January 21 in their lavish Sport of Kings Theatre.

The reaccreditation of Gulfstream Park – owned and operated by The Stronach Group – was the culmination of a lengthy process that hosted several meetings with Alliance officials. An on-site review included inspections of all facets of the racing operations. Interviews were conducted with track executives, racetrack personnel, jockeys, owners, trainers, veterinarians, stewards and regulators.

The inspection team was comprised of Ron Jensen, DVM, veterinary and regulatory consultant, former equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board; Mike Kilpack, security and integrity consultant, past chairman of the Organization of Racetrack Investigators; Dan Fick, racetrack operations consultant and vice chairman of Racing Officials Accreditation Program and Steve Koch, executive director of the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.

Alliance certification standards address an extensive list of safety and integrity concerns within six broad areas: injury reporting and prevention; creating a safer racing environment; uniform medication and testing; jockey health and welfare; aftercare of retired racehorses; and wagering security.

Gulfstream Park received its initial Alliance accreditation in 2012. All accreditations and reaccreditations carry an effective period of two years.

“We are proud to once again earn reaccreditation from the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance. There is nothing more important than the safety of our equine and human athletes. We continue working to provide the safest environment from barn and walking ring to finish line. We want to thank the NTRA Alliance – its officials and inspectors – for their time during this reaccreditation. Safety will always be a priority at Gulfstream Park,” said, P.J. Campo, vice president of racing for The Stronach Group and general manager of Gulfstream Park.

Gulfstream Park is one of 23 racing facilities fully accredited by the Alliance that together host 90 percent of graded stakes and generate 75 percent of North American pari-mutuel handle. The others are Aqueduct Racetrack, Arlington Park,  Belmont Park, Canterbury Park, Churchill Downs, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, Indiana Grand, Keeneland, Kentucky Downs,  Laurel Park, Los Alamitos Race Course, Monmouth Park, Pimlico Race Course, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga Race Course, Suffolk Downs, Sunland Park, Turfway Park and Woodbine.

The NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance is a standing organization whose purpose is to establish standards and practices to promote safety and integrity in horseracing and to secure their implementation. Corporate partners of the Alliance include Lockton Insurance and Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. Information on the Alliance, including the Alliance Code of Standards, can be found at NTRAalliance.com.

About the NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA.com, the Eclipse Awards, the National Handicapping Championship, NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program, and Horse PAC, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).

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