In what is best described as a small sacrifice in the present for a better overall product in the future, work is scheduled to begin next Monday at Gulfstream Park on the installation of a Tapeta synthetic racing surface over what is currently the outer third portion of the turf course. The Tapeta track is the major focus of an ambitious project that includes the installation of a new infield tote board, renovation of the drainage system on the inside of the turf course, and construction of additional barns at the Palm Meadow training center to replace stalls lost by the recent closing of Gulfstream Park West, the former Calder. :: Bet the races with confidence on DRF Bets. You're one click away from the only top-rated betting platform fully integrated with exclusive data, analysis, and expert picks. As a result of the vast nature of the venture, which will take place in conjunction with the ongoing spring-summer meet at Gulfstream, live racing will be reduced from four to three days a week, Friday through Sunday, beginning the week of June 7. In addition, five-furlong grass races will be taken off the table during the first three weeks of the project. Aidan Butler, chief operating office for Gulfstream owner 1/ST Racing, said if all goes well, the racing schedule should be able to return to normal by the first week of September. “Obviously, weather will play a big factor, but we have a pretty good team working on this project, real pros who have done this work at other tracks,” Butler said. “We spoke with the horsemen and they agreed going to three days a week makes a lot of sense. And while it may not sound like a lot, the extra day off gives us more of a comfort level that we can get this done on schedule while still being able to offer full fields and some very good betting opportunities racing three days a week. In a perfect world, we could do this without impacting our current racing schedule. But it’s a small price to pay now for the benefits we will reap afterwards.” Butler said the decision by 1/ST Racing to install the Tapeta track at Gulfstream turned out to be pretty much a no-brainer. “We looked at all the pros and cons and decided it was definitely the right move for Gulfstream Park as a whole, giving us the ability to offer great racing with full fields year round,” Butler said. “With the closing of Calder, we are now a year-round racing circuit, one that often gets a lot of rain, and the turf course gets used a hell of a lot, which on one hand is what makes Gulfstream Park so special. But using the turf for an elongated period of time has its problems. With overuse, the course can get a little rough, and there has been criticism about the quality of the turf from an optic standpoint. Having the synthetic surface will now allow us to protect what we will have left of the turf course, even in good weather.” Butler termed the entire process, which will ultimately result in races being carded over three different surfaces beginning in the fall, “a learning curve for horsemen, racing officials, and bettors alike.” :: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more. “It will likely be a complex issue, at first, handicapping races over the Tapeta,” he said. “It’s hard to predict how many of these horses will react, form-wise, going from turf or dirt to the synthetic track. But I don’t think it will take bettors long to get the hang of it. We’ve also spoken to a lot of northern horsemen who ship down for the Championship meet, and while many are nonplussed about the synthetic as a racing surface, most love to have it as a training surface. We feel it will be a really valuable asset to have and makes a lot of sense, especially from a weather perspective, when we have to take races off the grass. It will definitely help us maintain field sizes, which maintains handle and purses as well.” Among those with opinions regarding the synthetic track are Hall of Famers Mark Casse and Todd Pletcher. Casse is a major proponent, while Pletcher is not quite as ardent in his support. “I’m not a big fan of having it when it is the main option for racing,” Pletcher said. “Being a third option, as it would be here, might be okay. You don’t have to run over it if you don’t want. What’s going to be interesting is the kind of menu of races they have. A lot of the better dirt races are already compromised by horses who want to run on the turf. So now if you offer a third option, it’s whether that would compromise those races even further that concerns me.” Butler feels the Tapeta will be an especially valuable asset when Gulfstream Park picks up the racing dates in October and November that had been run at Gulfstream Park West the past six years, while giving the turf course a chance to rejuvenate prior to the Chammpionship meet. “I don’t see it being a problem running here year round, especially if we can save the turf course by adding the synthetic track,” Butler said. “Calder, in its closing days, wasn’t the shining light it once was, and bringing that meet to Gulfstream proper should improve everything. “We will have to do a bit of work on the purses, with the major conversation still to be had being what races will be written for the turf and which ones might be carded, going forward, over the Tapeta. Overall I find this project exciting as a whole, one that will only help to solidify Gulfstream Park’s position as one of the leading tracks in the country.”