Gulfstream Park's construction of a Tapeta surface on the outer section of its turf course will begin June 7, two weeks earlier than originally proposed, the track noted on its May 30 overnight.
Racing will be reduced to three days a week for three months over the project, taking place on Fridays through Sundays, according to a tweet from the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. The South Florida track had been running Thursdays this spring and will also run on Memorial Day, May 31.
The new surface will give Gulfstream Park the options to race on dirt, turf, and synthetic. Once installed, Tapeta may reduce wear on Gulfstream's turf course and allow it to maintain field size when races have to be taken off the grass due to rain.
Other racetracks in North America that have synthetic surfaces include Woodbine, Presque Isle Downs, Golden Gate Fields, Arlington International Racecourse, and Turfway Park—though the synthetic surfaces at those facilities serve as their main tracks. Gulfstream Park's main track is and will remain dirt.
Synthetic tracks have lower rates of fatalities compared to turf and dirt, according to The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database.
According to Gulfstream Park, five-furlong turf races will not be carded for a two- or three-week stretch during the construction, but two-turn grass races will not be affected.
