NEW-LOOK STAKES SCHEDULE DESIGNED WITH HORSEMEN, FANS IN MIND
OLDSMAR, FL. – Tampa Bay Downs is unveiling a new-look stakes schedule that promises to elevate the excitement level for horsemen, fans and bettors throughout the 2015-2016 meeting.
The track will present multiple stakes races on six Saturdays, including the 36th annual Festival Day card on March 12. Highlighting that card is the Grade II, $350,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, a Triple Crown stepping stone for 3-year-olds on the main track and part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby points series.
All told, Tampa Bay Downs will conduct 23 stakes races worth a combined $2.7-million, beginning with its Dec. 19 Cotillion Festival Day card featuring three $100,000 stakes: the Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds, the Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and the Lightning City Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf course (see stakes schedule link at the bottom of this post)
The 2015-2016 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, which began July 1, resumes Saturday, Nov. 28.
“Creating a series of big-event cards that offer outstanding purse money and top-level Thoroughbreds enables us to stimulate fan interest and increase wagering, resulting in a ‘win-win’ situation across the board,” said Peter Berube, the track’s Vice President-General Manager.
“The success of events such as the Breeders’ Cup has served as the impetus for many tracks to stage multiple stakes on a single afternoon, and it has certainly proved successful for Tampa Bay Downs with our Festival Day and Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South cards,” Berube added.
Both Festival Day and Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South on Feb. 13 will include four stakes, three of which are graded stakes.
The March 12 Festival Day card is the centerpiece of the meeting, offering a track-record $800,000 in stakes purses. Joining the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on the program are the Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies on the turf; the Grade III, $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes, for older fillies and mares on the turf; and the Challenger Stakes for older horses, featuring a purse increase to $100,000 from its previous $60,000 level.
Lambholm South, a 1,830-acre Thoroughbred facility in Reddick, Fla., just outside Ocala, is the first title sponsor of the Tampa Bay Derby in 30 years. Lambholm South also sponsors the Grade III, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes, part of the Feb. 13 Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South program.
Each of the Oldsmar oval’s Festival Day races has attracted world-class horses on a consistent basis. Street Sense (2007) and Super Saver (2010) used the Tampa Bay Derby as a springboard to victory in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs. This year’s Hillsborough Stakes winner, Stephanie’s Kitten, concluded her remarkable career last week with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland.
In 2012, Challenger Stakes winner Fort Larned went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And the 2014 Florida Oaks winner, Testa Rossi, returned to Tampa Bay Downs last winter to win the Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes.
This season’s Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South card on Feb. 13 promises to be one of the most exciting renewals in track history. The feature is the 36th running of the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds, the major prep race for the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.
Other stakes on the Feb. 13 card include the aforementioned Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes, for older fillies and mares on the turf; the Grade III, $150,000 Tampa Bay Stakes, for older horses on the turf; and the $100,000 Suncoast Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, a race won last year by subsequent Grade I stakes winner Include Betty.
The only scheduled standalone stakes during the meeting is the $100,000 Turf Dash on Jan. 9.
The 2015-2016 Tampa Bay Downs stakes schedule concludes, as is customary, with the 14th annual Florida Cup program for registered Florida-breds on April 9. Florida Cup Day will consist of six stakes worth $75,000 apiece. TBDowns_Stakes List 2015-2016
Tampa Bay Downs Releases '15 - '16 Stakes Schedule
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Hear Us at 3:45 p.m. Today on WDBFradio.com
By Jim Freer, editor
HorseracingFLA.com business manager Barry Unterbrink and I will be guests from 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. this afternoon on It’s Post Time on WDBFradio.com http://wdbfradio.com/
WDBF is an Internet station that has extensive coverage of Thoroughbred racing and has a worldwide audience.
The hosts of It’s Post Time are JJ Graci and Anita (Samm) Saint Clair.
This afternoon, we will join JJ and Samm in talking about this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup races and about the Gulfstream Park West race meet that Gulfstream Park is holding at Calder.
JJ is a former trainer who had more than 1,000 career wins. He is the all-time leading trainer in wins at Atlantic City Race Course, where his accomplishments included being leading trainer and leading owner five years in a row. Those records will not be broken because that track was closed permanently in January, 2015.
JJ is an adviser to many of his friends in racing. Samm is a long-time thoroughbred breeder and owner.
It’s Post Time is on Mondays through Fridays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
JJ and Samm are on site at Gulfstream on broadcast days when that track has live racing. On other days, they do It’s Post Time at the WDBF studios in Fort Lauderdale.
It’s Post Time carries the live audio of races at Gulfstream, Belmont Park, Parx Racing and several other tracks. JJ and Samm provide handicapping and post-race analysis.
They also are the hosts of JJ and Samm in the Morning, weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
The show has news and discussions on a variety of topics, including thoroughbred racing.
Starting Nov. 11, Barry and I are scheduled to be on It’s Post Time each Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern. During many of these segments, JJ and I will interview leading trainers, jockeys and other newsmakers in Florida horse racing.
JJ will write occasional guest columns for HorseracingFLA.com, and he will be a source of information for our news coverage. In addition, wdbf will be a partner with www.horseracingFLA in other projects.
Hear Us at 3:45 p.m. Today on WDBFradio.com
East Hall, Flutterby Head Saturday Stake Fields at GP West
By Jim Freer
East Hall, a winner of two “Derbys” last year, and Flutterby, a star filly sprinter trained by “94-years-young” Jerry Bozzo, will be top attractions Saturday on the Gulfstream Park West stakes day for Florida-breds.
Fields were announced late Wednesday afternoon for the eight stakes races that will be run at Calder Casino & Race Course. For the second straight October-November, Gulfstream Park is holding a race meet at Calder under a lease agreement and calling it Gulfstream Park West.‘
All eight stakes races are restricted to Florida-breds and have $100,000 purses, with $25,000 for each race coming from the Ocala-based Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Gulfstream is calling Saturday the “Sunshine Millions Preview,” expecting that many of the horses will run back in Sunshine Millions races at Gulfstream on Jan. 16.
East Hall almost pulled off a double in 2014-2015. He won the Millions Classic Preview and two months later finished second in the Sunshine Millions Classic.
(Note: photo in Preview is East Hall Winning the 2014 Millions Classic Preview
On Saturday, the 4-year-old gelding likely will be favored to repeat his victory in the Millions Classic Preview at 1 1/16 miles on dirt for 3 year-olds and up.
East Hall is trained by Bill Kaplan and is known nationally for his wins last year in the $200,000 Ohio Derby and in the $500,000 Indiana Derby (Grade 2)
Flutterby will be among favorites in the Millions Distaff Preview at seven furlongs on dirt for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
This past May 30, Flutterby made Bozzo (then 93) the oldest trainer to win a stakes race in North America. She did that with a victory in the 6 ½ furlong Sea Lily Handicap at Gulfstream on May 30.
Bozzo also is the breeder and owner of the 4-year-old Flutterby. Their feel-good story kept getting better this summer and fall at Gulfstream when Flutterby won two more stakes and finished second in the Princess Rooney (Grade 2).
Over the next several days, we will have preview stories on Saturday’s stakes races on this Web site and on our blog
Here is the order in which they will be run:
* Millions Turf Preview–second race, scheduled post
1:05 p.m.; 1 1/16 miles on turf; 3-year-olds and up.
* Juvenile Filly Sprint–third race, scheduled post 1:35 p.m.; 6 ½ furlongs in dirt; 2-year-old fillies
* Millions Turf Sprint Preview — fourth race; 2:05 p.m.; 5 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up
* Millions Classic Preview — fifth race; 2:35 p.m.; 1 1/16 miles on dirt; 3-year-olds and up
* Millions Distaff Preview — sixth race; 3:05 p.m., 7 furlongs on dirt; fillies and mares 3-years-old and up
* Juvenile Turf — seventh race; 3:35 p.m.; one mile 2-year-olds
* Juvenile Filly Turf — ninth race; 4:35 p.m.; one mile; 2-year-old fillies
* Juvenile Sprint — tenth race; 5:05 p.m.; 6 ½ furlongs on dirt; 2-year-olds
East Hall, Flutterby Head Saturday Stake Fields at GP West
East Hall, a winner of two “Derbys” last year, and Flutterby, a star filly sprinter trained by “94-years-young” Jerry Bozzo, will be top attractions Saturday on the Gulfstream Park West stakes day for Florida-breds.
Fields were announced late Wednesday afternoon for the eight stakes races that will be run at Calder Casino & Race Course. For the second straight October-November, Gulfstream Park is holding a race meet at Calder under a lease agreement and calling it Gulfstream Park West.‘
All eight stakes races are restricted to Florida-breds and have $100,000 purses, with $25,000 for each race coming from the Ocala-based Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Gulfstream is calling Saturday the “Sunshine Millions Preview,” expecting that many of the horses will run back in Sunshine Millions races at Gulfstream on Jan. 16.
East Hall almost pulled off a double in 2014-2015. He won the Millions Classic Preview and two months later finished second in the Sunshine Millions Classic.
(Note: photo in Preview is East Hall Winning the 2014 Millions Classic Preview
On Saturday, the 4-year-old gelding likely will be favored to repeat his victory in the Millions Classic Preview at 1 1/16 miles on dirt for 3 year-olds and up.
East Hall is trained by Bill Kaplan and is known nationally for his wins last year in the $200,000 Ohio Derby and in the $500,000 Indiana Derby (Grade 2)
Flutterby wins the Gold Mover at Gulfstream–August 22, 2015
Flutterby will be among favorites in the Millions Distaff Preview at seven furlongs on dirt for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
This past May 30, Flutterby made Bozzo (then 93) the oldest trainer to win a stakes race in North America. She did that with a victory in the 6 ½ furlong Sea Lily Handicap at Gulfstream on May 30.
Bozzo also is the breeder and owner of the 4-year-old Flutterby. Their feel-good story kept getting better this summer and fall at Gulfstream when Flutterby won two more stakes and finished second in the Princess Rooney (Grade 2).
Over the next several days, we will have preview stories on Saturday’s stakes races on this Web site and on our blog
Here is the order in which they will be run:
* Millions Turf Preview–second race, scheduled post
1:05 p.m.; 1 1/16 miles on turf; 3-year-olds and up.
* Juvenile Filly Sprint–third race, scheduled post 1:35 p.m.; 6 ½ furlongs in dirt; 2-year-old fillies
* Millions Turf Sprint Preview — fourth race; 2:05 p.m.; 5 furlongs, 3-year-olds and up
* Millions Classic Preview — fifth race; 2:35 p.m.; 1 1/16 miles on dirt; 3-year-olds and up
* Millions Distaff Preview — sixth race; 3:05 p.m., 7 furlongs on dirt; fillies and mares 3-years-old and up
* Juvenile Turf — seventh race; 3:35 p.m.; one mile 2-year-olds
* Juvenile Filly Turf — ninth race; 4:35 p.m.; one mile; 2-year-old fillies
* Juvenile Sprint — tenth race; 5:05 p.m.; 6 ½ furlongs on dirt; 2-year-olds
East Hall, Flutterby Head Saturday Stake Fields at GP West
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Pre-Race Coverage Underway for Saturday GP West Stakes
HorseracingFLA Staff Report
The fields will be announced this afternoon for Saturday’s eight stakes races for Florida-breds on “Sunshine Millions Preview Day” at the Gulfstream Park West meet.
We will provide extensive coverage, prior to and on race day, here on our HorseracingFLA site and on our companion blog. nsidefloridahorseracing.blogspot.com
We already have stories on our blog, with trainers telling us of plans to enter horses for Saturday races.
We invite you to log in to our Web site and blog, and we invite you to tell your friends to turn to us for coverage of thoroughbred
Pre-Race Coverage Underway for Saturday GP West Stakes
The fields will be announced this afternoon for Saturday’s eight stakes races for Florida-breds on “Sunshine Millions Preview Day” at the Gulfstream Park West meet.
We will provide extensive coverage, prior to and on race day, here on our HorseracingFLA site and on our companion blog. nsidefloridahorseracing.blogspot.com
We already have stories on our blog, with trainers telling us of plans to enter horses for Saturday races.
We invite you to log in to our Web site and blog, and we invite you to tell your friends to turn to us for coverage of thoroughbred
Pre-Race Coverage Underway for Saturday GP West Stakes
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