By T. D. Thornton
The nearly 6 1/2-furlong Tapeta training track at Santa Anita Park is being considered for racing in 2025 as an off-the-grass or wet-weather option.
Nate Newby, the track's general manager, disclosed the work-in-progress plan after being prompted for an update on the nearly six-month-old surface by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) during Thursday's monthly meeting.
“Horsemen have been working over it for a couple months,” Newby said. “Feedback is really strong. As Tapeta personnel would tell us, those tracks need a little bit to break in. But feedback has just gotten stronger and stronger. So we are looking, not during the autumn meet, but maybe next year, of using it as an inclement weather option.”
At 4,200 feet, the infield track that opened for training Mar. 2 is just shy of 6 1/2 furlongs in circumference.
In terms of width, Newby described it as “very similar to the [60-foot] width of the Gulfstream synthetic track,” which is one mile and 70 yards around and first opened for racing in September 2021.
Gulfstream's Tapeta track is between its main dirt track and turf course. Santa Anita's Tapeta track is the innermost of those three ovals.
Newby said Santa Anita's Tapeta surface could accommodate two-turn races at 6 1/2, seven and 7 1/2 furlongs, plus the “about” distance of a mile. He added that cutouts are being incorporated into the inner rail to allow a starting gate to be pulled into the infield once a race starts.
Gregory Ferraro, DVM, the CHRB's chairman, asked if the concept of running on a tighter track was “a little dangerous, or not?”
Newby replied, “It's done at a lot of tracks. [Nationally recognized track maintenance consultant] Dennis Moore, as you know, probably has more experience than anybody in the country, and so he's come up with the plans. Again, we'll test everything before we get to that stage. It's not something we're looking at for the autumn meet.”
Newby continued: “It was put in 'racing grade.' We re-did the grade. A new safety rail was put in. So everything is to racing standards, and that's something we're looking at, talking to horsemen with, if there's an off-the-turf day, would we look at that as an option to maintain field size and still be able to operate.”
Newby said trial races could be a next step.
“It's something we want to continue to talk to horsemen about,” Newby said. “And we'd run some trial races and let them test it. Obviously, they've been [training over] it for quite a bit. But we continue to test it with gates and bigger fields and [would want to] make sure everybody's comfortable before we did anything.”
Ferraro asked Newby to check back with the CHRB before Santa Anita management decided to run any actual races over the Tapeta track.
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