Races on a frozen Swiss lake are back (and you can watch)
Americans are used to watching races run mostly on the dirt. Internationally, the preferred surface is turf. Leave it to Switzerland, a nation historically rooted in neutrality, to take neither side this time of year and still provide a bucket-list destination for racing fans.
After skipping 2021 because of COVID, the White Turf Races are back for their 114th annual three-weekend run starting Sunday on Lake St. Moritz.
Not at Lake St. Moritz. On Lake St. Moritz.
Thoroughbred flat races are featured on a frozen, snow-packed, seven-furlong course that is no fewer than six inches thick in ice. They come complete with a starting gate, rails, proper timers and sometimes familiar connections.
There are harness races, but the drivers’ bikes have skids instead of wheels. There also is skikjöring (pronounced skee-YUR-ing), in which horses tow skiers.
Kickback is not dirt or mud. It is the spray of ice and snow.
“In contrast to previous years, setting up the infrastructure went without a hitch this winter,” a spokeswoman wrote last month in a news release for the races. “Lake St. Moritz froze in good time and is now covered in a thick layer of ice. Nothing should stand in the way of the first starting signal.”
That comes Sunday at 11:30 a.m. local time. That translates to 5:30 a.m. EST in the U.S., where the races may be seen via live stream on the White Turf Races website and on the White Turf St. Moritz YouTube channel with no log-in required, according to organizers. Races run until about 2:40 p.m. Central European Time, or 8:40 a.m. EST. Although there is legal betting on the races at the track, it is not available in America.
Each of the three Sunday cards includes three flat races, two more for trotters and one skikjöring event. The 82nd Grand Prix of St. Moritz, a 1 1/4-mile Thoroughbred stakes worth $108,673, is the biggest race of the meet. The 2020 running attracted 13,500 spectators.
Ulster, a 7-year-old gray gelding once owned by Godolphin, is regarded as one of the favorites against nine rivals in Sunday’s first $16,301 prep for the Grand Prix of St. Moritz. He won a similar race two years ago before finishing eighth in the big race to the late Wargrave. His only start resulted in an allowance victory in Germany last fall. On real turf.
The White Turf Races typically attract lightly raced, older horses. It is not unusual to see 8- and 9-year-olds going around on the lake, and there was a recent instance of a 15-year-old taking part.
The festival actually begins with the introduction of children’s races, which will be run each of the next three Saturdays. Admission is free, a noteworthy contrast to the $49 and $92 grandstand seats for the traditional Sunday cards. Seats in the tonier spectator tents range from $109 for a low-end season pass to nearly $11,000 for 15 years of VIP access.
With luxury-brand sponsors all around and hotel stays ranging from $300 to $6,000 a night, there is no mistaking this event for a jacket-and-jeans visit to a racetrack infield. Although there are more affordable options for passers-by, the White Turf Races have that vibe of being for the champagne-and-caviar crowd that is there to be seen.
In short, this bucket-list destination is not for the faint of wallet, especially international travelers who want to immerse themselves in the event.