Horses Begin Training Over Gulfstream's Tapeta Surface

Training on the newly installed Tapeta track got underway Sept. 24 at Gulfstream Park, where horses galloped on the synthetic surface that is tentatively scheduled to open for races Sept. 30.

Jockey Chantal Sutherland said she was impressed with the Tapeta surface after galloping Leon McKanas-trained Thenorthremembers , a 5-year-old Violence   gelding who captured a 1 1/16-mile turf race for $25,000 claimers in his most recent start for owner Dennis Pohls.

"Of all the Tapetas and Polytracks this is, by far, one of the better ones. This is beautiful. The horse went over it effortlessly. It was super-soft, and you could not hear horses beside you making any noise on it. My horse, I couldn't hear hitting the ground," Sutherland said. "They've done a great job on it. It seemed all level and really soft, very forgiving for horses."

Polytrack is another brand of synthetic surface. It was the primary surface at Keeneland for years and remains in place at the training track there and for main-track racing at Arlington International Racecourse.

The Tapeta at Gulfstream is located between the track's turf course and its dirt track on the exterior.

Joe Orseno-trained Timmy M.  was among the first horses to gallop over the track that replaced the outer turf course. Twice stakes-placed on turf during his juvenile campaign, Timmy M., a 5-year-old son of Morning Line  owned by Sword and Shield Stable and David Rousso, has been competing in allowance optional claimers and claiming races since a fourth-place finish in November of 2019 in the Millions Turf Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West.

"He just ran the other day and we thought he was in a good spot where he could win. He didn't run very well. I was actually going to sell him, but then I said, 'You know what? Tapeta—let's try him,'" said Orseno, who was pleased with how Timmy M. looked getting over the new surface Friday. "We're going to run him at the end of the month on it, but today was just galloping for the sake of galloping. I thought it was a good experiment."

Although most horses will be entering unknown territory on the Tapeta track, the new surface provides trainers with hope that some of their horses will improve over the new surface.

"You might get that odd horse that will go right up the ladder on it. Everyone's hoping that they have the one," Orseno said.

Kathy Mongeon-trained Anonymous Source , a 4-year-old Florida-bred filly who won a $12,500 maiden claiming race on turf three starts back for owner Cuvette Racing, was the first horse to step onto the Tapeta surface Friday with veteran exercise rider Walter Blum Jr. up.

"This felt amazing on the horse I was on. I think she really loved it," Blum said. "People ask how do you know? When she first stepped on it, she was very light-footed, and when I went to pull her up, I could barely pull her up. She didn't even get tired and I let her clip around there finishing up."

Due to the closure of Gulfstream Park West, Gulfstream Park is scheduled to conduct racing year-round, prompting the construction of the Tapeta track. The new surface will provide a measure of relief to the turf course while offering a varied racing program for horses of all abilities. Gulfstream Park will become the first North American track to offer racing on dirt, turf, and all-weather surfaces. 

Thursday's program will mark the opening of the Fall Meet, during which races will not be scheduled on the turf course, which will undergo renovation for the Championship Meet. Six stakes, formerly run on turf, will be renewed on the Tapeta course.