Gulfstream hosts annual Florida Sunshine Millions stakes

6 stakes races worth a total of $1.3 million

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park hosted their Florida Sunshine Millions stakes on Saturday.

Over the course of the day, 11 races were held, six of which were stakes races worth a total of $1.3 million. Stakes attract some of the most competitive thoroughbreds in the business. The first post-time was 12:45 p.m.

"The sunshine millions has always been a very exciting event. It's great racing, we have some of the top world class horses here today," said Tim Ritvo, the President of Gulfstream Racecourse and Casino.

The most competitive of Saturday's stakes races is the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic.

The race is 1 1/8 mile and open to four-year-old thoroughbreds and older, all of whom must have been bred in the state of Florida. The purse is $400,000.

The race was planned to feature the third clash between Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's 5-year-old Mucho Macho Man and Brous Stable, Wachtel Stable and Jack Hammer's 6-year-old Ron the Greek.

In the 2012 Sunshine Millions Classic, Mucho Macho Man beat Ron the Greek by 1 1/2 lengths. The two did not meet again until the Breeders' Cup Classic in November. Mucho Macho Man finished second that day to Fort Larned. Ron the Greek came in fourth.