Racing Dates

The season at Tampa Bay runs November through June with live racing scheduled on around 90 days of the year. Racing meets tend to be every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during this time. The track is open for simulcast racing on all but three days during this schedule also.

About Tampa Bay Downs

Tampa Bay Downs is the only thoroughbred race track on Florida’s west coast and was raised in profile in 2007 when Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger successfully ran his Champion Two-Year-Old colt Street Sense in the Tampa Bay Derby en route to winning the Kentucky Derby.

After this, fellow HoF handler Bill Mott used the track as the starting point of filly Royal Delta’s 3yo campaign here on TVG before winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff as well star 4yo Drosselmeyer before winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2011.

Tampa Bay Downs History

With development masterminded by investors Harvey Myers and Colonel Matt J. Winn, the track opened up as the West Coast Jockey Club in 1926 and operated as such until 1943 when the US Army took it over to use it as a training facility during the War.

The track was given an overhaul three years later; renamed Sunshine Park and adapted with electric starting gates, photo finishes and a tote board. A further name change occurred in 1965 as the facility became Florida Downs and Turf Club and carried on largely unchanged until 1980 when it became what we know it as now – Tampa Bay Downs.

From 1983 and for 20 years thereafter, Tampa operated Arabian races as well as thoroughbred heats with only a dirt track at the facility, though by 1998 a turf track was added to diversify the range of races offered.

Stars both human and equine to have graced the track at Tampa include Julie Krone, Street Sense and Any Given Sunday and this has led to some significant success with over $10.9million handled on Tampa Bay Derby day in 2007 and again in 2011.

A poker room was added to the facilities in 2003 and in time for the 2011-2012 season a new tool was added when Trakus was installed – a system for tracking the exact position of runners on TV monitors.

Tampa Bay Downs continues to go from strength to strength and can yet be the starting point for potential three-year-old Triple Crown contenders, especially during Festival Day each season.

Tampa Bay Downs Track Details

The main track at Tampa is a standard dirt oval of one mile round with a seven furlong turf track to the inner which has a quarter-mile chute.

Biggest Races

Tampa Bay’s big meet is the Festival Day in March which features the following races:

Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2) - $350,000 for 3yo’s at 1 1/6 miles
Hillsborough Stakes (Grade 3) - $150,000 4yo+ fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf
Florida Oaks (Grade 3) - $200,000 for 3yo fillies at 1 1/16 miles

Wager On Races At Tampa Bay With TVG!

Now you know all about the track, don’t forget you can wager on races there with TVG. Head to our schedules page to check out the latest race times then bet and watch live!

Address

11225 Race Track Rd, Tampa, FL 33626, USA

Contact

webaccess@tampabaydowns.com