In the mid-1960s, real estate developer Stephen A. Calder envisioned summertime
horse racing in Florida; in 1965, on the advice of Mr. Calder, the
Florida Legislature approved a bill allowing for it. Prior to this time, a fall meet was held at
Tropical Park Race Track in
Miami and winter / spring meets at
Hialeah Park, and
Gulfstream Park in
Broward County. In 1970, Stephen Calder received a permit for summertime racing but the meet was run at Tropical Park because construction was not complete at Calder. On May 6, 1971 Calder Race Course held its first day of racing. When William L. McKnight became the new owner of Tropical Park, he stated his intentions of closing the track and switching the dates to the Calder track, in which he was one of the principal investors. Racing ceased at Tropical Park in 1972. The 1980s brought about renovations and expansions and two purchases. The first purchase was by
Bertram R. Firestone and the second was by Kawasaki Leasings, Inc. In 1992 the "Festival of the Sun" was introduced. By 1997,
simulcasting was introduced (so bets could be placed at Calder on races from other tracks). The handle increased significantly; the track increased purses. In January 1999,
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) purchased Calder Race Course for approximately $86 million. In the first years of the new century the track introduced the "Florida Million" and the "Summit of Speed". Calder's Summit of Speed has produced several
Breeders' Cup champions and
Eclipse Award winners since its start in 2000. (The Eclipse award is the highest honor bestowed in American racing). In its short history, the Summit of Speed attracted some of the country's top sprinters, including
Cajun Beat and Orientate who both went on to win
Breeders' Cup Sprint championship races (Orientate 2002, Cajun Beat 2003). In 2005,
Lost in the Fog won at Calder, although was later defeated in the Breeders' Cup. The Summit of Speed turned out to be the single biggest day in the history of Calder. In 2004, over $10.8 million was wagered on the event. It was previously in the Lake Lucerne
census-designated place. In 2003, the
unincorporated area where Calder is located became the City of Miami Gardens, the third-largest city in Miami-Dade County. On June 4, 2005, jockey
Eddie Castro set the North American record for the most wins in a day at one track, winning 9 races at Calder. The world record for the most spent on a Thoroughbred at sale took place at Calder in 2006 when a two-year-old horse sold for $16 million. The horse was later named
The Green Monkey. In late 2009, Calder changed its official name to Calder Casino & Race Course. The grand opening of the Calder Casino was celebrated in January 2010. On August 24, 2013, jockey
Antonio A. Gallardo set the record for the most stakes wins in a day and in a row, winning 4 consecutive stake races in the Juvenile Showcase. After head-to-head racing between Calder and nearby
Gulfstream Park in 2013 and 2014, CDI and the Stronach Group announced an agreement where the Stronach Group would manage Calder's racing operations, and CDI would operate the Calder Casino. After the agreement, Gulfstream announced it would operate a two-month meet at Calder in the fall under the name
Gulfstream Park West. Under the changes, the track's code for official racing programs was changed from
CRC to
GPW. In April 2015, CDI demolished approximately 1,400 stalls in an area marked for non-racing commercial re-development. In July 2015, Gulfstream Park was informed that the Calder grandstand – owned by CDI – will not be open to the public for the 2015 Gulfstream Park West meet except for racing officials, and that the seven-story structure will be demolished once the meet has concluded. Demolition was completed in October 2016 and The Stronach Group recommended everyone watch and wager at Gulfstream Park. ==Physical attributes==