The Spectacular Bid Stakes is an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually at the beginning of January at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...

race track in

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. As of the 20 ...

. An ungraded stakes race for three-year-old horses and once contested at a distance of six

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

on dirt, as of 2016 it is now run at furlongs and currently offers a purse of $75,000. With the demise of Calder Race Course's Grade III Tropical Park Derby, the Spectacular Bid, named for the great

Spectacular Bid Spectacular Bid (February 17, 1976 – June 9, 2003) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and holds the world record for the fastest 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. He won 26 of his 30 r ...

, is the first stakes race of the three-year-old

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

campaign for many

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

hopefuls, and was run on Gulfstream Park's winter season opening day. It has since been moved to March. In 2011, Gulfstream's opening day was moved to early December creating two runnings of this race in one year, the first in January 2011 and the second in December 2011.

Past winners

* 2016 - Morning Fire (1:17.16) ( Daniel Centeno) * 2015 - Barbados (1:09.40) (

Luis Saez Luis Saez (born May 19, 1992) in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Saez rode Maximum Security to finish first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby but was subsequently disqualified due to interference. The two later won ...

) * 2014 - Just Call Me Kenny (1:10.58) * 2013 - Merit Man (1:11:39) (

Joel Rosario Joel Rosario (born January 14, 1985) is a Champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing, originally from the Dominican Republic. In the space of five weeks in 2013 he rode the winners of the Dubai World Cup and the Kentucky Derby. More rec ...

) * 2012 - Ancient Rome (1:08.95) ( Joe Rocco Jr.) * 2011 - Determinato (1:11.13) (

Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Monteverde (born February 15, in Venezuela) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Coa was born and raised in Venezuela A five-time Judo Champion in his teens, He attended jockey school from 1989 to 1991 then began his pr ...

) * 2010 - A Little Warm (1:10.25) (

Jeremy Rose Jeremy Rose (born April 1, 1979 in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse jockey. He began his career as a professional rider at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Delaware and in 2001 was his breakout year and he was voted the ...

) * 2009 – Notonthesamepage (1:08.48) (

Elvis Trujillo Elvis Raúl Trujillo (born October 7, 1983, in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing best known for riding Maryfield to victory in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. He is known for being the King of M ...

) (an length win, missing the track record for six furlongs by .02 of a second.) * 2008 - NOT RUN * 2007 - Buffalo Man (1:09.60) ( Eddie Castro) * 2006 - Exclusive Quality (1:15.88) (Beat In Summation, twice winner of the El Conejo Stakes.) * 2004 - Wynn Dot Comma (1:10.6) ( Joe Bravo) (Saratoga County, a 2005

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

finalist in sprint, placed.) * 2003 - First Blush (1:10.97) (

Jorge F. Chavez Jorge F. Chavez (born November 25, 1961, in Callao, Peru) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Chavez began his career in horse racing in 1982 in his native Peru and by 1987 was his country's leading rider. In April 1988 he emigrated ...

) * 2002 - Maybry's Boy (1:12.19) (

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and both yea ...

) * 2001 - Icanseetherain (1:11.04) ( José A. Santos) * 2000 - B LS Appeal (1:10.68) (

Mike E. Smith Michael Earl Smith (born August 10, 1965) is an American jockey who has been one of the leading riders in U.S. Thoroughbred racing since the early 1990s, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2003, and has won the ...

) * 1999 - Texas Glitter (1:09.40) (wire to wire in the slop.) * 1998 - Time Limit (1:10.56) (

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an Thoroughbred Racing on NBC, NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born ...

) * 1997 - Confide (1:09.87) * 1996 - Seacliff (1:11.92) (Gomtuu, 1995

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Champion Two-Year-Old, came in third.) * 1995 - Mr. Greeley (1:10.76) (2nd in

Breeders' Cup Sprint The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...

) * 1994 - Halo's Image (1:10.39) * 1993 - Great Navigator (1:09.53) * 1992 - Return To Quarters (1:10.10) * 1991 - To Freedom ( Angel Cordero Jr.) (Running undefeated.) * 1990 -

Housebuster Housebuster (foaled March 7, 1987, in Kentucky – May 15, 2005) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was sired by graded stakes race winner Mt. Livermore and was out of the Great Above mare Big Dreams. Bred by Blanche P. Levy ...

(1:{{frac, 11, 2, 5) (

Craig Perret Craig Perret (born February 2, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in thorou ...

) (1990, 1991 American Champion Sprint Horse.) * 1989 - Halrose (1:12) (Douglas Valiente) * 1988 - Cook's Brown Rice (1:11) (Alfredo Smith, Jr.) * 1987 - Spectacularphantom * 1986 -

Groovy ''Groovy'' (or, less commonly, ''groovie'' or ''groovey'') is a slang colloquialism popular during the 1950s, '60s and '70s. It is roughly synonymous with words such as "excellent", "fashionable", or "amazing", depending on context. History The ...

(1:11.4) (

) ( American Champion Sprint Horse, 1987, last horse to break

Beyer Speed Figure The Beyer Speed Figure is a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post. First published in book form in 1 ...

of 130, earning 133 & 132 in back-to-back 6-furlong races in 1987.)

References

The 2009 Spectacular Bid Stakes at the NTRA
Horse races in Florida Gulfstream Park Recurring sporting events established in 1986 1986 establishments in Florida