A series of strong storms have been rocking South Florida since June 12, causing flooding in Gulfstream Park's oldest section of the barn area that caused the evacuation of about 300 horses June 13.
"We had 20 inches of rain which is unheard of," said Gulfstream's executive director of racing Billy Badgett. "The poor people that live in Hollywood and Hallandale, their houses are underwater. It's pretty bad."
Trainer Nolan Ramsey's barn 11 was one of several older wooden barns to be flooded by the storms.
"Thankfully we got all the horses out (Wednesday) night," Ramsey said. "The last two or three we got out, we were swimming them through the water, it got up almost to their chest."
Ramsey was able to move his horses into other barns on higher ground while many other horses were evacuated to Palm Meadows Training Center, about 50 miles north, throughout the day Thursday. According to Badgett, Palm Meadows was not being hit as hard by the storm.
"We got about 90 horses moved this morning into the receiving barn, we got another 60 into the tents, and the rest of them are in the process of going to Palm Meadows," said Badgett.
Intense rain conditions caused many problems moving the horses Wednesday night. Flooded roads, dead cars on the road, and debris caused hazardous conditions.
According to Ramsey, Gulfstream Park maintenance and management were out early in the morning pumping out water, and the levels gradually decreased as the day went on. As they did, horses were able to be loaded onto trailers and taken to Palm Meadows.
"To my knowledge, most of the horses that were in trouble are out," Ramsey said.
While the horses were able to be moved out, many of the backstretch workers remain. Although the dormitories that house a solid portion of the backstretch workers were not impacted, many workers lived in the impacted barns and the trailer park just outside the track that was also flooded.
For those who lived off-site, getting to the barns this morning was a process. Many had to walk in as the parking lot was flooded this morning. The track itself has not been flooded and acted as a road for people to drive and walk between the frontside and the backstretch.
Several trainers were in Ocala, Fla., at the Ocala Breeders' June 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale and had to monitor conditions from afar. Trainers David Fawkes and Saffie Joseph Jr. both are stabled on higher ground and were not impacted by the flooding, but received updates from their assistants throughout the day.
"It's frustrating for all those guys, and I feel for them," Joseph said.
Although many trainers were not directly impacted by the flood waters, their horses are still taking a toll from the storms as training and racing have been canceled June 13-14.
"That's the most difficult thing right now," Joseph said. "We'll try to keep them as calm and relaxed as possible. It's very unusual that they stay in the stall that many days without training, so they know something's up also."
Trainers are adjusting to exercising their horses inside the barns as much as possible while they wait to see whether more evacuations or cancellations are to come as the rain continues to fall.
"They're calling for another 10-12 inches tonight," Ramsey said. "It will be interesting to see what it looks like in the morning."
Through the dark storm clouds, a light has shown through: the resilience of the backstretch community. Those who were not impacted by the flooding immediately jumped into action to help secure the safety of the horses and humans inside the flooded barns.
"I want to express my gratitude for those who jumped in and helped us and the rest of the backstretch community last night and today as well," Ramsey said. "From track maintenance, vets, track management, and the entire backstretch workforce, everyone was there and helping.
"We may compete with each other on a daily basis, but when the horses and horsemen and women are in need I've always had a lot of respect for the backstretch community—the way everyone puts their personal needs aside and pitches in.
"I know a lot of people have had their vehicles flooded, homes flooded, and families strained. But every one of my employees was on-site helping and that doesn't just go for me and my team. It's truly a special community to be a part of and I'm very grateful for it."
