Thursday, December 3, 2015
Deadline is Near forTampa Bay Downs Handicapping Contest
Tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. is the deadline for entering the Tampa Bay Downs "10 Days of Festivus" handicapping contest, and we recommend that you join in the challenge and fun.
Here are the rules
https://festivuschallenge.com/rules.php
It is a free contest in which each player must pick one horse in two designated races each of the ten race days from tomorrow, Friday Dec. 4 through Wednesday Dec. 23.
If one of your horses doesn't finish first, second or third you are out unless you have bought a lifeline.
Winners will be based on total pari-mutuel payout over the ten days. First prize is $1,000 and second prize is $500.
We like this contest because it is designed for fans who do not have big bankrolls, and it provides some added incentive in your handicapping of the always challenging Tampa Bay races.
How challenging? The horses on Friday's ten-race card ran their most recent races at a total of 21 different tracks.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Tampa Bay Preview: Large Fields Again Today
By Jim Freer
Bettors who like large fields will find them again this afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs.
The Oldsmar track will have nine races with 96 entries, including also eligibles.
First post time is 12:28 p.m. Three races are scheduled for turf, and it’s likely that they will stay on that surface because there is just a 20 percent chance of rain.
Today is Tampa Bay Downs’s first race day since opening day on Saturday. There were ten races that day with 121 entrants, including also eligibles. A total of 93 horses went to post. A large number of the scratches were in turf races that were limited to ten starters.
As usual at Tampa Bay Downs, the ten races had horses that had been shipped in from almost 20 tracks and training sites.
For one day, the handicapping puzzle produced these results: five favorites won; three horses won at odds of 10-1 or higher; four exactas paid more than $100 on a $2 bet.
Opening Day Numbers
All-sources handle on Saturday was $3,666,409. That was 20 percent higher than the $3,046,982 on last season’s opening day, which also was the last Saturday in November. There were ten races each day, with no stakes races.
Attendance on Saturday was 4,194, just above last season’s 4,095. But live handle grew 13 percent from $310,915 to $350,174.
Betting on Tampa Bay races at other locations grew 21 percent from $2,736,067 to $3,316,235. That includes horse tracks and other pari-mutuels in Florida and other states, off-track betting sites, Internet and phone wagering services and Nevada sports books.
There was no immediate explanation for the big off-site increase.
It will be hard to match those numbers today, a weekday. We will be tracking Tampa Bay handle numbers throughout the meet, and will have periodic stories and comparisons with 2014-2015.
Throughout December, our stories on Tampa Bay will have a daily and running tracking of “where the winners came from.”
This will be based on the track where each winning horse ran its last race, or where a first-time starter was training. We expect this will be helpful in determining where the competition was strongest among the numerous tracks where horses ran prior to being shipped to Tampa Bay for the winter.
On Saturday, there were two winners each from Monmouth Park, Calder (Gulfstream Park West meet) and Indiana Downs.
There was one winner each from Parx Racing, Keeneland, Canterbury and Thistle Downs.
10 Days of Festivus
This Friday at 11:30 a.m. is the deadline for registering for the “10 Days of Festivus” handicapping contest on Tampa Bay Downs races. The survivor-style contest begins Friday, December 4 and runs through Wednesday, December 23–covering ten race days.
Entry is free, and limited to one per person. Up to five lifelines may be purchased in advance, starting at $10 each, to be able to stay in the contest if you do not hit the board in a race.
You must pick a horse and an alternate in one of the two designated races each day and have your horse hit the board (win, place, or show) to continue in the contest. If your horse does not hit the board, you will be eliminated or lose a lifeline.
Standings will be based on contestants’ total mutuel payouts. There will be two prizes–one for $1,000 and one for $500.
Further details may be found on the Tampa Bay Downs Website at https://festivuschallenge.com/
— Photos by Barry Unterbrink
Tampa Bay Preview: Large Fields Again Today
Bettors who like large fields will find them again this afternoon at Tampa Bay Downs.
The Oldsmar track will have nine races with 96 entries, including also eligibles.
First post time is 12:28 p.m. Three races are scheduled for turf, and it’s likely that they will stay on that surface because there is just a 20 percent chance of rain.
Today is Tampa Bay Downs’s first race day since opening day on Saturday. There were ten races that day with 121 entrants, including also eligibles. A total of 93 horses went to post. A large number of the scratches were in turf races that were limited to ten starters.
As usual at Tampa Bay Downs, the ten races had horses that had been shipped in from almost 20 tracks and training sites.
For one day, the handicapping puzzle produced these results: five favorites won; three horses won at odds of 10-1 or higher; four exactas paid more than $100 on a $2 bet.
Opening Day Numbers
All-sources handle on Saturday was $3,666,409. That was 20 percent higher than the $3,046,982 on last season’s opening day, which also was the last Saturday in November. There were ten races each day, with no stakes races.
Attendance on Saturday was 4,194, just above last season’s 4,095. But live handle grew 13 percent from $310,915 to $350,174.
Betting on Tampa Bay races at other locations grew 21 percent from $2,736,067 to $3,316,235. That includes horse tracks and other pari-mutuels in Florida and other states, off-track betting sites, Internet and phone wagering services and Nevada sports books.
There was no immediate explanation for the big off-site increase.
It will be hard to match those numbers today, a weekday. We will be tracking Tampa Bay handle numbers throughout the meet, and will have periodic stories and comparisons with 2014-2015.
Throughout December, our stories on Tampa Bay will have a daily and running tracking of “where the winners came from.”
The walking ring at Tampa Bay Downs
This will be based on the track where each winning horse ran its last race, or where a first-time starter was training. We expect this will be helpful in determining where the competition was strongest among the numerous tracks where horses ran prior to being shipped to Tampa Bay for the winter.
On Saturday, there were two winners each from Monmouth Park, Calder (Gulfstream Park West meet) and Indiana Downs.
There was one winner each from Parx Racing, Keeneland, Canterbury and Thistle Downs.
10 Days of Festivus
This Friday at 11:30 a.m. is the deadline for registering for the “10 Days of Festivus” handicapping contest on Tampa Bay Downs races. The survivor-style contest begins Friday, December 4 and runs through Wednesday, December 23–covering ten race days.
Entry is free, and limited to one per person. Up to five lifelines may be purchased in advance, starting at $10 each, to be able to stay in the contest if you do not hit the board in a race.
You must pick a horse and an alternate in one of the two designated races each day and have your horse hit the board (win, place, or show) to continue in the contest. If your horse does not hit the board, you will be eliminated or lose a lifeline.
Standings will be based on contestants’ total mutuel payouts. There will be two prizes–one for $1,000 and one for $500.
Further details may be found on the Tampa Bay Downs Website at https://festivuschallenge.com/
— Photos by Barry Unterbrink
Tampa Bay Preview: Large Fields Again Today
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
This Week at the Florida Tracks, Nov 30 - Dec 6
HorseracingFLA Staff Report
Gulfstream Park will be in the national spotlight this Saturday when it opens its 2015-2016 championship meet with thoroughbred racing’s annual Claiming Crown.
Tampa Bay Downs opened its 2015-2016 meet last Saturday. On Wednesday, it will begin a week when it also will have racing on Friday and Saturday. First post is 12:28 p.m. on each of the three days.
At Gulfstream on Saturday, first post is 12:05 p.m. Gulfstream is holding the Claiming Crown for the fourth straight year.
It is a national event, with stakes races that are open only to horses that have run in at least one claiming race for a specified price or less. There are nine Claiming Crown stakes, with total purses of $1.1 million.
Gulfstream’s championship meet follows the 40-day Gulfstream Park West meet that ended last Saturday at Calder Casino & Race Course in Miami Gardens. Gulfstream ran the meet under a lease agreement with Calder.
Gulfstream Park
901 S. Federal Highway
Hallandale Beach, Fla. 33009
Phones — (954) 454-7000
Gulfstream Park Website
Starting Dec. 5. Gulfstream will have racing on Wednesdays through Sundays during its winter meet that ends April 3, 2016.
In addition to live racing:
* Simulcast wagering — seven days a week with more than 30 thoroughbred and harness tracks; open for simulcasting from 11 a.m. until approximately 11 p.m.
* Casino — the two casino rooms are open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays
* Poker — 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays, and 24 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tampa Bay Downs
11225 Race Track Road, Tampa, Florida 33626
Main Phone (813) 855-4401
Toll Free (In Florida) (866)-TBDOWNS (823-6967)Tampa Bay Downs Website
Tampa Bay Downs will add Sunday racing on Dec. 20 and, with three exceptions, have four-day race weeks for most of its meet that will extend through next May 8.
It will have racing on Thursday Feb. 18 and Thursday Feb. 25 and be dark on Easter Sunday, March 27.
Tampa Bay Down’s first stakes races are scheduled for Dec. 19. It will have the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-old males and the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, each at six furlongs on dirt. Also scheduled that afternoon is the $100,000 Lightning City Stakes, for fillies and mares 3-yers-old and up at five furlongs on turf.
On days when it does not have live racing, Tampa Bay Downs is open for simulcasting and its poker room and golf range are open their regular hours.
*The Silks Poker Room hours of operation: Daily, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.
The Downs Golf Practice Facility hours of operation:Pro Shop: 8:30 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. daily (Last bucket sold at 7:45 p.m.)Range: 8:30 a.m. – dusk dailyShort Game Area: 8:30 a.m. – dusk daily (lights out at 9:45 p.m.
This Week at Florida ‘s Tracks: Nov. 30 to Dec. 6
This Week at the Florida Tracks
Gulfstream Park will be in the national spotlight this Saturday when it opens its 2015-2016 championship meet with thoroughbred racing’s annual Claiming Crown.
Tampa Bay Downs opened its 2015-2016 meet last Saturday. On Wednesday, it will begin a week when it also will have racing on Friday and Saturday. First post is 12:28 p.m. on each of the three days.
At Gulfstream on Saturday, first post is 12:05 p.m. Gulfstream is holding the Claiming Crown for the fourth straight year.
It is a national event, with stakes races that are open only to horses that have run in at least one claiming race for a specified price or less. There are nine Claiming Crown stakes, with total purses of $1.1 million.
Gulfstream’s championship meet follows the 40-day Gulfstream Park West meet that ended last Saturday at Calder Casino & Race Course in Miami Gardens. Gulfstream ran the meet under a lease agreement with Calder.
Gulfstream Park
901 S. Federal Highway
Hallandale Beach, Fla. 33009
Phones — (954) 454-7000
Gulfstream Park Website
Starting Dec. 5. Gulfstream will have racing on Wednesdays through Sundays during its winter meet that ends April 3, 2016.
In addition to live racing:
* Simulcast wagering — seven days a week with more than 30 thoroughbred and harness tracks; open for simulcasting from 11 a.m. until approximately 11 p.m.
* Casino — the two casino rooms are open from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays
* Poker — 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. on Sundays through Thursdays, and 24 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tampa Bay Downs
11225 Race Track Road, Tampa, Florida 33626
Main Phone (813) 855-4401
Toll Free (In Florida) (866)-TBDOWNS (823-6967)Tampa Bay Downs Website
Tampa Bay Downs will add Sunday racing on Dec. 20 and, with three exceptions, have four-day race weeks for most of its meet that will extend through next May 8.
It will have racing on Thursday Feb. 18 and Thursday Feb. 25 and be dark on Easter Sunday, March 27.
Tampa Bay Down’s first stakes races are scheduled for Dec. 19. It will have the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-old males and the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, each at six furlongs on dirt. Also scheduled that afternoon is the $100,000 Lightning City Stakes, for fillies and mares 3-yers-old and up at five furlongs on turf.
On days when it does not have live racing, Tampa Bay Downs is open for simulcasting and its poker room and golf range are open their regular hours.
*The Silks Poker Room hours of operation: Daily, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.
The Downs Golf Practice Facility hours of operation:Pro Shop: 8:30 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. daily (Last bucket sold at 7:45 p.m.)Range: 8:30 a.m. – dusk dailyShort Game Area: 8:30 a.m. – dusk daily (lights out at 9:45 p.m.
This Week at Florida ‘s Tracks: Nov. 30 to Dec. 6
This Week at the Florida Tracks
Local Papers Showed Little Interest in Tampa Bay Downs's Opening Day
Comments Welcome Below
By Jim Freer and Barry Unterbrink
We launched HorseRacingFLA six months ago to report on thoroughbred racing throughout Florida, with a goal of filling a void left by newspapers and other media that are continuing to reduce their coverage of the sport.
Our coverage of Saturday's opening day at Tampa Bay Downs is an example of how we are carrying out that mission.
As far as we could tell, we were the only members of the print media who attended Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar. The only other people in the press box were track employees.
When we weren't at those desks and writing we were around the building and track, gathering news for stories for this blog and for our Web site http://www.horseracingfla.com/
That followed our preview stories on the Tampa Bay Downs meet.
Our Two-Coast Coverage
We are based in South Florida and our primary locale for live coverage is Gulfstream Park. However, on many weekends one or both of us will be at Tampa Bay Downs. We are in the process of adding a staff correspondent in the Tampa Bay area to cover Tampa Bay Downs racing and other pari-mutuel news.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to cover the racing and other news at Tampa Bay Down via phone and Internet communications with officials at Tampa Bay Downs and our numerous other sources in Florida's racing industry.
Here's a look at the coverage that the Tampa Bay area's daily newspapers provided on opening day at Tampa Bay Downs.
* On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Times ran a preview story about opening day and the meet. It also ran the Tampa Bay Downs Saturday entries, right next to the Saturday entries and Friday summary results for the Derby Lane greyhound track in St. Petersburg.
On Sunday, the Times did not have any stories or even a brief about Tampa Bay Downs. It ran a gate-type summary results that showed the first three finishers, their prices and the prices on all exotic bets. It ran those results next to the summary results of Derby Lane's afternoon and evening race cards.
* On Saturday, the Tampa Tribune did not have a story about Tampa Bay Downs. It ran the Tampa Bay Downs entries, next to the Derby Lane entries and results.
The Tribune did not have a story on Tampa Bay Downs in its Sunday edition. It ran the summary results, in a way similar to the Times.
* Our review of each paper's Web site showed no additional coverage of Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday or Sunday.
Busy Weekend
There were no stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. But it was opening day for the local track that has been improving the quality of its racing and building its national recognition.
Still, the area's two biggest newspapers basically ignored it.
Florida newspapers give huge amounts of space to football. Tampa Bay Downs opened on a weekend that included Saturday's Florida State - Florida game. But some people wondered why there was no space for Tampa Bay Downs, celebrating its 90th anniversary and on most winter days in the top five in handle among U.S. tracks.
Tampa Bay is among markets where daily newspapers in recent have reduced their coverage of thoroughbred racing. The trend is toward fewer Saturdays of on-site coverage, along with saving space by running summary results rather than full charts.
Interest From Fans
But the cutbacks in newspaper coverage are not preventing an average of about 4,000 people from finding Tampa Bay Downs on race days.
Tampa Bay Downs is in Oldsmar, Fla., on the north side of Tampa Bay. Oldsmar is in Hillsborough County (Tampa) and is immediately east of the border with Pinellas County (St. Petersburg).
The track is about 25 miles north of downtown St. Petersburg and about 17 miles north of downtown Tampa.
On Saturday 4,194 people went to Tampa Bay Downs, and they bet $350,174 on the day's ten races. That was part of all-sources handle of $3,666,409.
All of those figures are higher than for the track's opening day last year, on Saturday Nov. 29.
Later today on our blog and Web site, we will have more stories with information on the racing and the business side atTampa Bay Downs.
By Jim Freer and Barry Unterbrink
We launched HorseRacingFLA six months ago to report on thoroughbred racing throughout Florida, with a goal of filling a void left by newspapers and other media that are continuing to reduce their coverage of the sport.
Our coverage of Saturday's opening day at Tampa Bay Downs is an example of how we are carrying out that mission.
As far as we could tell, we were the only members of the print media who attended Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar. The only other people in the press box were track employees.
When we weren't at those desks and writing we were around the building and track, gathering news for stories for this blog and for our Web site http://www.horseracingfla.com/
That followed our preview stories on the Tampa Bay Downs meet.
Our Two-Coast Coverage
We are based in South Florida and our primary locale for live coverage is Gulfstream Park. However, on many weekends one or both of us will be at Tampa Bay Downs. We are in the process of adding a staff correspondent in the Tampa Bay area to cover Tampa Bay Downs racing and other pari-mutuel news.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to cover the racing and other news at Tampa Bay Down via phone and Internet communications with officials at Tampa Bay Downs and our numerous other sources in Florida's racing industry.
Here's a look at the coverage that the Tampa Bay area's daily newspapers provided on opening day at Tampa Bay Downs.
* On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Times ran a preview story about opening day and the meet. It also ran the Tampa Bay Downs Saturday entries, right next to the Saturday entries and Friday summary results for the Derby Lane greyhound track in St. Petersburg.
On Sunday, the Times did not have any stories or even a brief about Tampa Bay Downs. It ran a gate-type summary results that showed the first three finishers, their prices and the prices on all exotic bets. It ran those results next to the summary results of Derby Lane's afternoon and evening race cards.
* On Saturday, the Tampa Tribune did not have a story about Tampa Bay Downs. It ran the Tampa Bay Downs entries, next to the Derby Lane entries and results.
The Tribune did not have a story on Tampa Bay Downs in its Sunday edition. It ran the summary results, in a way similar to the Times.
* Our review of each paper's Web site showed no additional coverage of Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday or Sunday.
Busy Weekend
There were no stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. But it was opening day for the local track that has been improving the quality of its racing and building its national recognition.
Still, the area's two biggest newspapers basically ignored it.
Florida newspapers give huge amounts of space to football. Tampa Bay Downs opened on a weekend that included Saturday's Florida State - Florida game. But some people wondered why there was no space for Tampa Bay Downs, celebrating its 90th anniversary and on most winter days in the top five in handle among U.S. tracks.
Tampa Bay is among markets where daily newspapers in recent have reduced their coverage of thoroughbred racing. The trend is toward fewer Saturdays of on-site coverage, along with saving space by running summary results rather than full charts.
Interest From Fans
But the cutbacks in newspaper coverage are not preventing an average of about 4,000 people from finding Tampa Bay Downs on race days.
Tampa Bay Downs is in Oldsmar, Fla., on the north side of Tampa Bay. Oldsmar is in Hillsborough County (Tampa) and is immediately east of the border with Pinellas County (St. Petersburg).
The track is about 25 miles north of downtown St. Petersburg and about 17 miles north of downtown Tampa.
On Saturday 4,194 people went to Tampa Bay Downs, and they bet $350,174 on the day's ten races. That was part of all-sources handle of $3,666,409.
All of those figures are higher than for the track's opening day last year, on Saturday Nov. 29.
Later today on our blog and Web site, we will have more stories with information on the racing and the business side atTampa Bay Downs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)