First Tapeta races delayed at Gulfstream
The much-anticipated opening of the new Tapeta racing surface at Gulfstream Park, scheduled for next Thursday, has been postponed for approximately one week, track management announced early Friday morning. Entries for the first day of Tapeta racing were scheduled to have been drawn Friday afternoon.
“The permanent railing for the Tapeta course got stuck in customs coming over from the UK,” said Aidan Butler, chief operating officer for 1/ST Racing. “We have a temporary rail we can take from the turf course, but we didn’t want to actually conduct races with that. We’ve spent so much time, money, and effort on this thing there was no sense rushing around for the sake of another week.
“We’d also like to give horses the opportunity to gallop and work over the Tapeta, to allow them to get used to the new surface. Our intent at the moment is to open the track for galloping on or before the 23rd and aim to start racing on the Tapeta track on the 30th.”
Butler said no firm decision has been made just yet regarding the actual training schedule for the Tapeta course and how that might coincide with the main-track schedule. The main track is currently open for training from 5:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. daily.
“We’re in discussions about training schedules for the two tracks at the present time,” Butler said. “One thing I’d like to emphasize is that all decisions regarding the Tapeta course are being made in unison with the horsemen.”