Racing on Gulfstream Tapeta now will begin Sept. 30

After a delay involving the rail for its new Tapeta track, Gulfstream Park will begin training on the surface next Thursday and racing on it on Sept. 30.

That is a turnaround from the overnights Gulfstream posted Thursday, which indicated that racing on the track would begin next Thursday.

Aidan Butler, chief operating officer, racing operations for track owner 1/ST Racing, told Horse Racing Nation Friday that the delay is related to part of the rail that got hung up in customs on its way from the United Kingdom.

“We've had to basically get another temporary rail from somewhere which will allow us to open the Tapeta track,” he said. “So we're going to be good. It was just, I didn't want to run with the temporary rail. Temporary rails are fine for training, it's what we do every day. But I wanted to make sure before we're actually fully racing on it we have a solid rail in place. It's a COVID customs shenanigans thing. An Englishman ringing American customs gets us nowhere.”

Butler outlined the benefits of the new course.

“I think it's such a win win win. It's a win for the training because turf horses will react a lot better, especially in inclement weather. It's way better running and training on a Tapeta track than on a sealed racetrack. So that's one big upside. Two, when obviously the weather comes, then it's going to be really beneficial for turf races because we believe we'll be at a whole field size.

"But I'm hoping that it becomes a far better more product. Because when the races come off the turf, it's a nightmare, the race from a banking standpoint becomes just a bit of a crapshoot. And that's no good from a product standpoint. So I think this one, and I'm hoping we're right, yeah, I think it's a real win win win for all things – for safety, from a customer experience and from a handicapping standpoint.”

Count Mark Casse among the trainers looking forward to the Tapeta surface at Gulfstream.

“Extremely excited,” Casse told HRN this week. “I would love to see one at every race track. I haven't been bashful in my thoughts. And I've said all along, horses weren't really bred to run on the dirt. They were bred to run on the grass, and Tapeta is as close to grass as it comes. I think it's so much easier on horses. It's not as hard to get them ready to run. And it's just a safer surface – you only need to look at Woodbine and and their record to see how good it is.”

And he agreed that the new course will have financial benefits as well.

“I think that it will pay for itself in no time. I've said the same thing about New York. How many times do we see the races come off in New York and we end up with a three-horse field? I've been in races on Tapeta where you might have a horse on the AEs on the turf and not even get it in when it comes off the grass. So you know, I think especially in South Florida, we get so much rain – we've got some today. … I think it's a big, big bonus and I commend Gulfstream for doing it.”

Casse has about 32 horses at Palm Meadows in South Florida and 70 at Woodbine.

“One thing that will happen for sure is you'll see me bring a lot more horses out of Woodbine and run them in South Florida now that we have Tapeta, where I wouldn't even have attempted to run them on the dirt prior.”