From Polytrack To Tapeta

After fixtures on both Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening, track resurfacing began promptly on Wednesday. From Monday 11 August we will be racing on Tapeta, which is most famously known for being the surface raced on at Meydan in Dubai, this will make Wolverhampton Racecourse the first racecourse in the UK to race on Tapeta, soon to be followed by fellow Arena Racing Company racecourse, Newcastle.

Diggers are currently pulling up the Polytrack surface and piling for sale. The mile long track will then be swept clean before the process of laying the Tapeta can commence. The construction of Tapeta is similar to Polytrack but with slightly different components, Tapeta uses a selection of specifically blended fibres, waxes, PVC and sand depth of up to 7 inches, check out the diagram below to show how the innovative all-weather surface will lie.

Many owners, trainers and jockeys are very positive about the surface, having raced on it at Meydan, Presque Isle Downs and Golden Gate Fields. All-Weather Championship winning trainer Mark Johnston explains, "In the early part of 2009 I trained on Tapeta, Polytrack and the famous Middleham High Moor turf gallops. Since June, although I still had other options, I chose to train almost exclusively on Tapeta. Our Tapeta gallop is second to none and has made a huge contribution to the year's achievement and to the health of the team."

The final winner on our Polytrack surface was Arabian Comet (pictured below), with Silvestre De Sousa aboard, trained by William Haggas and owned by Abdulla Al Mansoori. Who will be the first winner of the first Tapeta race in the UK? Join us on Monday 11 August to find out!

Our fixtures scheduled for May to July have been moved to Lingfield Park and Southwell Racecourse, click on the links to visit their websites and book your next all-weather raceday. As for us, after the first afternoon meeting on Monday 11 August, we have 4 evening meetings in August, hopefully accompanied by the glorious summer sunshine, finishing off with evening racing before UB40 live on Friday 29 August.

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