Gulfstream Park Aims to Protect its Turf With Tapeta

Already known as a premier winter horse racing destination, Gulfstream Park moved to racing year-round in 2021. That status, however, presented a dilemma: How can the quality of Gulfstream's turf course be maintained with little to no downtime in South Florida's subtropical climate that includes high temperatures and periods of intense rain? The answer? A new synthetic surface, Tapeta Footings. Gulfstream debuted its new, one-mile-and-70-yard Tapeta course Sept. 30 to become the only North American pari-mutuel facility sporting all three types of surfaces for racing: dirt, turf, and synthetic. The scenic racetrack assumed full-time racing this year following the closure of Gulfstream Park West (Calder Race Course), which had been hosting an annual fall meet that offered the Gulfstream turf a chance to regenerate. "Everybody loves turf racing, it's becoming more and more prevalent, but the turf course year-round could only handle so much," said Aidan Butler, chief operating officer for 1/ST Racing, a division of The Stronach Group. "What we found was it was really difficult to keep the turf course in good shape for that length of time." Gulfstream officials decided to install a synthetic course, making it the fifth track in North America with Tapeta. The other tracks with this surface—Golden Gate Fields, Presque Isle Downs, Turfway Park, and Woodbine—rely on the synthetic instead of dirt tracks while Gulfstream's synthetic surface will help give its turf a break. Besides crediting Stronach Group CEO, president, and chairman Belinda Stronach and CEO of racing operations Craig Fravel for signing off on the new layout, Butler commended Bill Badgett, executive director of Florida racing operations, and Mike Lakow, vice president of racing operations at Gulfstream, for championing the $10 million project. "They understand the population in Florida, and they understand the ramifications of bad weather on the turf," said Butler, who mentioned the reduced fields that often occur after races are taken off the turf. Gulfstream officials, who also are seeing a new tote board installed, hope the Tapeta course also improves fields for its winter Championship Meet. "I think we'll pick up some horses that really like Tapeta, and we also hope to get more turf horses because the turf course will be in better shape," Butler said. 1/ST Racing also owns and operates Santa Anita Park, The Maryland Jockey Club tracks of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, and Golden Gate Fields, which implemented a Tapeta course in 2007. Prefacing with a "bigger conversation" still was needed, Butler said a Tapeta course was "highly likely" for Laurel Park and the Stronach team was "still working on a plan" for Santa Anita. Laurel Park has a similar layout to Gulfstream Park, with a 1 1/8-mile dirt course outside its turf course. Synthetic, if implemented at those places, would complement the current surfaces. "We're lucky, because we're one of the few racing companies that's had Tapeta for a long, long time at Golden Gate Fields," Butler said. "So, I'm pretty aware of what these things need, although this is the new version of it. "We really put a high priority on horse safety and welfare, and synthetic tracks have been proven to be extremely safe." Joan Wakefield, vice president at Tapeta Footings, worked with the Gulfstream team to develop the right mixture for an ideal surface in South Florida. Tapeta typically is comprised of silica sand, wax, and fibers, though the particular climate and care can make for different results at different locations. With a new synthetic surface, time will be needed to determine the best methods by which to maintain an honest track, and for horsemen and riders to learn the nuances of the new course. Butler made a point to say that Tapeta also will offer another training surface, though trainers have been asked not to use the track for workouts initially. Early feedback generally was positive, with much optimism for the future. Jockey Chantal Sutherland, who had previous experience on Tapeta at other venues, said Gulfstream's first-day synthetic layout was "super fluffy, soft. It might get firmer as it goes. "Times are going to be slower, and many horses are using different muscles, but I think it's forgiving for them, and I think it's going to be better," Sutherland said. "I think it's nicer (than other Tapeta tracks)—it's got a lot of bounce to it. People say, 'Oh, I'm going to get tired on it,' but I don't think it's so much getting tired. It's just getting used to a lot of bounce, like running on a trampoline. You can't really go fast, but it's not going to hurt you." Sutherland added that jockeys will need time to understand how the weather affects the track. "I think you have to really watch the heat, how hot the day is; or if it really cools off," Sutherland said. "If it rains, that will change the wax." Cristian Torres guided Strategy Queen to victory in an about 5 1/2-furlong race that drew nine 2-year-old fillies on Gulfstream's inaugural Tapeta card. In two previous starts on dirt, the daughter of Fed Biz ran fourth and second. Torres and Sutherland both said riders will need to show patience in the saddle. "It's a surface where if you use a lot of horse in the beginning, you're not going to have the same kind of horse at the end," Torres said. Synthetic surfaces are known for producing less kickback, something Torres witnessed on his first-ever trip around Tapeta. "The filly I rode proved it," Torres said. "The first time she ran on the dirt, she didn't like the kickback. This time, she ran on the Tapeta. She was behind horses, and she finished out real nice." During Tapeta's four-race debut, Gulfstream officials sprayed water on the track after the early races, and that helped reduce kickback even more. Trainers also were taking notes on the new surface. "It seems the horses are coming back safe, and that's the most important thing with any surface," said Saffie Joseph Jr., who conditions Strategy Queen for All In Line Stables. "And they're separating a bit, (the surface) is heavy. "A horse we ran, we thought she would like it because her dad won on it three times and her sister won. She carried it over—it's playing true to form, and that's a good aspect." Kathleen O'Connell trained the first winner on Gulfstream's Tapeta course. Emoji Guy, a 4-year-old chestnut son of Khozan and owned by J S Stables, ran about 1 1/16 miles in 1:48:08 to win the $12,500 claiming race that attracted eight starters. "This surface is definitely different than most. It was supposed to be specially made for the factor of the heat and so on," said O'Connell, who ran horses at Presque Isle Downs for three years. "The one at Presque Isle is very, very hot, so I'm hoping this one doesn't get as bad. It's going to be a learning process for everyone." O'Connell insisted she wasn't concerned with slower times. "I'm all-in for slow, because I think slower is safe," she said. "So, if it's a slower type track and the horses are fit, it's not going to bother me. I just want it safe." Butler understood that not all early feedback on Tapeta likely would be positive. "You're always going to get the naysayers about synthetic tracks," he said, "but we've got all three surfaces. So, there's an opportunity for everybody."