Gulfstream Park is replacing sod, widening its turf track

Gulfstream Park, which rebuilt its turf surface last year, is at it again.

Mike Lakow, Gulfstream's vice president of racing operations, told Horse Racing Nation on Sunday that work is ongoing to strengthen the material under the sod and to widen the course to the inside.

“We've always wanted to add some new turf, and we can't go on the outside into Tapeta,” Lakow said.

He said the track will be widened by “about 10 to 15 feet, which will give us another lane or lane and a half, which will set up nicely for the championship meet.”

Lakow said that after last year’s improvements, the course “needed more work.”

“Last year, we ran a lot, a lot of turf. We didn't have any rain. We were never off the turf. And we felt that there is still more to do. And our turf track superintendent Leif Dickinson wanted to change the materials underneath the sod to make the turf a little bit stronger and sturdier.”

Lakow said the prep work is expected to be completed by mid-July, and then the sod will be installed. The timetable is “dependent upon the weather,” he noted. “We had some rain, but we're working around it.”

The course will be ready for racing by the time Gulfstream’s winter meet opens in December, he said.

Widening the track will provide more flexibility, Lakow said.

“Right now I have on my board a lot of double rail settings, which works for us. We decided to go seven-foot rail settings. So at one point, we had maybe 10 or 11 rail settings. So now we'll have 11 or 12.”