Gulfstream Park Promises Changes During Offseason

The MIAMI HERALD's Frank Carlson reported that Magna Entertainment's Gulfstream Park "will undergo a facelift in order to lure back fans" for next season. The park has seen average attendance drop each year since '93, drawing just 9,359 fans for its '02 meet. The park has suffered from "the availability of simulcasting around the state." To combat the attendance decline, Gulfstream officials brought in "rock bands for weekend concerts, which helped, but did not change the trend." Gulfstream also suffered from a lack of horses, as it averaged just 8.24 horses per meet, down from 8.9 a year ago. The track will undergo renovations "to take down the grandstand from the sixteenth pole back up the stretch and replace it with a simulcasting center" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/25).