Tampa Bay Downs Creating Big Event Saturdays
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Tampa Bay Downs is following the model set by other tracks and creating a series of six stakes-heavy Saturdays from December through April.
In all, the Gulf Coast Florida track will offer 23 stakes worth $2.7 million. The marquee day in the series will be the March 12 Festival Day card, which will feature the $350,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II); the $200,000 Florida Oaks (gr. IIIT); the grade III, $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes, for older fillies and mares on the turf; and, the Challenger Stakes for older horses, offering a $100,000 purse, up from $60,000 a year ago.
"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 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."
The 2015-2016 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, which began July 1, resumes Nov. 28.
Tampa Bay Downs' stakes schedule concludes with the 14th annual Florida Cup program for registered Florida-breds April 9. Florida Cup Day will consist of six stakes worth $75,000 apiece.