Tampabay downs media guide 16-0273-JK2

2016/2017 Media Guide

Table Of Contents
Welcome to Tampa Bay Downs .…………….…………….…………….……………....................................................................3
Map, Directions, Telephone Numbers and Addresses .…………….……………........................................................................4
Media Policies .…………….…………….…………….…………….…………….….......................................................................5
Staff …………….…………….…………….…………….…………….…………….….....................................................................6
2016 - 2017 Racing Calender .…………….…………….…………….……………......................................................................7
The Track .................................................................................................................................................................................8
The Downs Golf Facility ...........................................................................................................................................................9
The Silks Power Room and Tampa Bay Downs in the Community ..........................................................................................10
Tampa Bay Downs History........................................................................................................................................................11-23
Tampa Bay Downs Logos .........................................................................................................................................................24
Jockey Profiles .........................................................................................................................................................................25-35
Trainer Profiles .........................................................................................................................................................................36-48
Owner Profiles ..........................................................................................................................................................................49-55
Track records ............................................................................................................................................................................56-59
Stakes Histories .......................................................................................................................................................................60-117
2

Welcome To Tampa Bay Downs!
Exciting Thoroughbred horse racing, daily no-limits games in The Silks Poker
Room and professional shot-making instruction and amenities at The Downs
Golf Practice Facility combine to make Tampa Bay Downs the premier multientertainment
destination on Florida’s west coast. As the track’s 91st anniversary
season approaches, its remarkable history is worth another look.
Matt J. Winn, legendary promoter of the Kentucky Derby, teamed with Ohio
investor Harvey Myers to bring horse racing to the “Top of the Bay” in 1926. Since
then, Tampa Bay Downs has provided area sports fans and visitors with live racing
action during the winter and spring months, while in 2013 adding an annual twoday
Summer Festival of Racing held each June 30 and July 1.
Originally opened as Tampa Downs, the racetrack was renamed Sunshine Park
in 1947. It entered the “modern” era that year with the installation of an electric
starting gate, photo-finish camera and electronic tote board. The racetrack
became popular with sportswriters who came to the area to cover baseball spring
training. Legendary scribes Grantland Rice, Red Smith, and Arthur Daley were
devoted regulars, with Rice nicknaming the track the “Santa Anita of the South.”
In 1965, the facility was acquired by a group of Tampa sportsmen and renamed
Florida Downs. It became Tampa Bay Downs 15 years later after another change
in ownership. The current owners assumed the reins before the start of the 1986-
1987 meeting, heralding a period of unprecedented growth that has raised the
track’s profile throughout the Thoroughbred racing world.
In the spring of 1997, Mrs. Stella Thayer, President and Treasurer of Tampa
Bay Downs, announced plans for the installation of a 7/8-mile turf course with a
quarter-mile chute. The course was completed in the spring of 1998 and the first
turf race was contested on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2, 1998. Ever since, the
track’s turf racing program has been a boon for horsemen and patrons alike.
Tampa Bay Downs launched The Downs Golf Practice Facility in 2003 as a stateof-the-art,
first-of-its-kind golf practice and wagering facility. The 22 acres of fully
lighted golf property include 270 yards of open range for full-swing shots, plus
putting and short-game areas. The Downs Golf Clubhouse features a fully stocked
pro shop, snack bar and wagering terminals, complete with numerous TV monitors
to catch all the action.
The opening of the 2003-2004 season saw the debut of The Silks Poker Room.
In July of 2007, the Florida Legislature granted Tampa Bay Downs permission to
operate The Silks Poker Room year-round. It is now open daily on the third floor of
the Grandstand from 10 a.m.-4 a.m.
The track’s profile skyrocketed in 2007 when Street Sense used his thrilling nose
victory in the then-Grade III Tampa Bay Derby as a springboard to winning the
Kentucky Derby. In 2010, third-place Tampa Bay Derby finisher Super Saver
triumphed in the Run for the Roses, and the Tampa Bay Derby was awarded
Grade II status the following spring. It is one of six graded stakes conducted
annually at Tampa Bay Downs.
During the 2011-2012 meeting, bettors heralded the introduction of Trakus, an
electronic system which displays the position and location of each horse during a
race. Prior to the start of the 2013-14 season, the grandstand was remodeled to
include a pub-style gathering place, Riders Up!, with marble countertops, a candyapple
redwood finish and a variety of craft beers, and the Metro Deli, resembling
an old-time, big-city eatery.
The improvements have continued the past few seasons with the unveiling of a
bright, redesigned circular driveway entrance, a revamped tote board and other
upgrades to fan comfort and convenience. Racing fans, horse lovers and the
Tampa Bay community embrace the Downs for its distinctive, country fair-style
charm and welcoming ambiance.
3

Contact Information
Physical Address
Mailing Address
11225 Race Track Road P. O. Box 2007
Tampa, FL 33626 Oldsmar, FL 34677
Telephone Numbers
Main Number 813.855.4401
Racing Office 800.200.4434
Main Fax 813.854.3539
Web and E-mail Address
www.tampabaydowns.com
service@tampabaydowns.com
Directions
From I-275:
Take Tampa Airport exit. Follow signs to Veterans Expressway. Take Expressway to Exit 4 (Hillsborough Avenue). Turn west on Hillsborough
Avenue. Travel approximately 10 miles to Race Track Road. Make a right on Race Track Road and travel 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs.
From Pinellas County:
On U.S. Highway 19, go to the intersection with State Road 580 at Countryside Mall; go east on State Road 580 about 6 miles to the stoplight at
Race Track Road; go left on Race Track Road, 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs.
From St. Petersburg:
Take the Bayside Bridge north to McMullen Booth Road; go east on State Road 580 about 4 miles to the stoplight at Race Track Road; turn left on
Race Track Road, 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs.
From Pasco County:
On U.S. Highway 19, go to the intersection with Tampa Road (State Road 584); go east on Tampa Road 7 miles to the stoplight at Race Track
Road; turn left on Race Track Road, 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs.
4

Media Policies
Tampa Bay Downs is extremely pleased to have you with us for our 91st anniversary season of Thoroughbred racing. Outlined below are guidelines
to assist your coverage of the current meeting that commenced on July 1, 2016 and resumes on Nov. 26:
1. In order to gain access to the stable area, all media MUST have prior approval and the proper credentials. These credentials are available in the
Publicity Office, and media members are required to wear their Press ID at all times.
2. All photographers MUST check in with the Track Photographer, Stephanie Valenti, Ext. 1246. Valenti will issue credentials to all photographers,
as well as offer advice on good locations from which to shoot, both on the front side and the stable area. These credentials are mandatory in
order to shoot from the area adjacent to the track surface; publication credentials alone will not suffice. Valenti’s office is located on the lower
level of the Grandstand adjacent to the State Licensing Office.
3. Phone lines are available in the Press Box for those who need to file their stories electronically. If any other special needs exist, please contact
the Publicity Office, Ext. 1368. Tampa Bay Downs provides free wireless access throughout the facility.
4. The Press Box is located on the fourth floor of the Grandstand.
5. Photography is NOT permitted in the Grandstand or Clubhouse Mutuel areas at any time without prior permission of Track Management.
6. On March 11, 2017 (Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Day), winning owners, trainers and jockeys will be taken to the V.I.P. Room for
interviews immediately after the presentation in the winner’s circle.
7. Parking for all credentialed media will be in the Horsemen’s Parking Lot, north of the Grandstand.
For further information or questions, contact Margo Flynn in the Publicity Office at Tampa Bay Downs
at 813-855-4401, Ext. 1368 or mjflynn@tampabaydowns.com
5

Tampa Bay Downs Officers
Track Officers
Stella F. Thayer .………………...…………..…………………….……………………………………………………...President and Treasurer
Howell Ferguson……………………………………...………………………...……………………….………….Vice President and Secretary
Peter N. Berube……………………………..………………...…………………………………………..Vice President and General Manager
Greg Gelyon……………….……………………………………..…………...…………………..…………………….Vice President of Finance
Margo J. Flynn…………………………………………………...…………...…………………...….Vice President of Marketing and Publicity
Tom McLaughlin………………………………………………………………………………..Vice President of Facilities and Track Surfaces
Operating Officials
Dennis Lima……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Association Steward
Joseph K. Lindeman……….…………………..……………………………………………………………………………..Association Steward
Allison De Luca… ……………………………………………....…………………………...………Director of Racing and Racing Secretary
Richard Grunder……………………………………………………………...…….……………………………………………..Track Announcer
Deanna Nicol……………………………………………...………………………………………………...…………………...Frontside Security
Nicole McGill…..………………………………………………………………..…..……………………………………..Director of Group Sales
Richard Toda……………………………………………………………………………………….……….…………..Director of Client Services
John Hernandez………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Information Technology
Frank White...…………………………………………………...……………...….……………………………………………..Mutuels Manager
Andy York…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Food and Beverage Director
6

Live Racing Schedule
7

The Trac k
Main Track
The main track is a one-mile oval with a sand-and-loam composition, and
is rated one of the most consistent and safest surfaces in the nation for
both training and racing. It is unrivaled in terms of drainage and cushion.
The main track is 75 feet wide, the length of the stretch is 976 feet, and the
track features a seven-furlong chute. Starting-gate schooling is available on
race days from 7:30-10 a.m., and training hours are from 6-10 a.m. unless
otherwise noted (the track is closed for harrowing from 8:30-9 a.m.). The
banking of the track is 4 degrees on the straightaways and 6 degrees on
the turns.
Turf Course
The turf course, which opened for racing in 1998, is seven-eighths of a mile
in circumference with a quarter-mile chute. The width of the turf course is
80 feet. The grass is Tifton #419 Bermuda Turf. The course supports rails
settings of 0 feet, 12 feet, 24 feet and 30 feet.
Paddock & Walking Ring Area
Located adjacent to the Grandstand at the north end of the facility, the
paddock consists of a 14-stall covered saddling area that abuts the woodchip
walking ring where the horses are united with their jockeys and
paraded prior to each race. Once the field has circled the walking ring, the
horses move onto the track for the post parade and pre-race warm-up.
Backstretch
The backstretch houses 1,460 horses in 31 barns, including two receiving
barns. The backside kitchen and Racing Office complex are located on the
south end of the backstretch along with soccer and softball fields and the
Veterinary Office. Adjacent to the entrance and exit chutes on the backside
of the track are the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association
Office, the Chaplain’s Office, main shower and restroom facilities, a tack
shop and basketball court. A feed-and-tack store is located east of the barn
area, as are paddocks available to trainers for seasonal rental.
Seating & Parking
The Grandstand seats 4,300 people and the Clubhouse seats 1,700
patrons. There are also many casual options available trackside, including
the Picnic Pavilion Area, which seats 500; the Grandstand apron benches;
and picnic-table seating. On the Clubhouse apron, bench seating is
also offered, along with the Stella Artois Trackside Garden Suite, a fully
contained private area that seats a party of 35 comfortably. There is parking
for approximately 5,000 cars on the property.
8

The Downs Golf Practice Facility
Located just south of the racetrack, The Downs Golf Practice Facility celebrates
the Tampa Bay area’s rich golf heritage while enabling visitors to stay attuned to
the Thoroughbred action next door. The 22 acres of fully lighted property include
270 yards of open range for full-swing shots, plus putting, short-game and bunker
areas. Betting machines are available for anyone wanting to combine horses with
birdies.
The facility celebrated its 10th anniversary on March 23, 2013 with free club
fittings, clinics and pro shop discounts. It has also been the site of six weekend
Golfest events — featuring celebrities such as retired LPGA legend Annika
Sorenstam, world-renowned instructor David Leadbetter and major-championship
winner Brittany Lincicome of nearby Seminole, Fla. — as well as local qualifying
events for the annual Drive, Chip & Putt Championship for junior golfers.
“Our goal in building the range was to make Tampa Bay Downs a total
entertainment destination. With live racing, full-card simulcasting, golf, concerts
and poker, we are realizing that vision,” says Tampa Bay Downs General Manager
Peter Berube. “We currently offer facility rental, full-service dining, and group plans
tailored to our patrons’ needs, rounding out the total experience.”
The Downs is committed to offering the finest learning and practice environment
in the community, featuring 45 grass-tee stations that are rotated daily to give the
golfer near-perfect practice conditions every day. “We have developed a first-class
golf practice facility to introduce more players to the game and to help experienced
golfers keep their practice habits on the right track,” says Golf Practice Facility
Manager Jon Johnson.
The Downs Golf Academy offers top-of-the-line instructional clinics that cover
a range of topics from swing and short game to specialty shots. Matt Mitchell,
formerly of Countryside Driving, is highly respected as one of the area’s premier
instructors. With more than 30 years of experience, he is a PGA Class A
professional and conducts lessons, clinics and schools on an ongoing basis. Also
on staff is Joey DiPompo, the Assistant Teaching Professional at the Matt Mitchell
Golf Academy who graduated from Professional Golfers Career College in 2010
and excels in club fitting and club repair.
The range is uniquely designed with the look and feel of a golf course,
encouraging players to bring every club in their bag. There are numerous bunkers
and practice-green areas to help golfers fine-tune pitching, chipping and approach
shots. The nearly two-acre short game area consists of:
• 8,000 square feet of putting green surface
• 6,000 square feet of greens for practicing chipping and sand game
• 7,000 square feet of greens for approach shots from 10 to 65 yards
Best of all, golf enthusiasts can practice 363 days a year (closed Christmas Day)
while enjoying simulcast racing and wagering from the convenience of The Downs
Golf Clubhouse, a first in the nation for any racetrack or golf facility.
Johnson, formerly of All In One Golf Practice and Learning Facility in Largo, Fla.,
and the Michael Jordan Golf Center in Illinois, is a PGA Class A professional who
brings with him more than 25 years of experience within the golf community. He is
responsible for day-to-day operations including the Pro Shop, range, instruction,
food and beverage and grounds maintenance.
9

The Silks Poker Room
The Silks Poker Room offers players top-notch competition, with a variety
of high-stakes games and tournament action. Five- and Seven-Card Stud,
Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em and Three-Card Poker are only the tip of the
iceberg.
The elegant air-conditioned room is completely non-smoking and includes
30 poker tables. There are plenty of television monitors and roaming tellers,
so fans can watch, wager and win on all the live horse racing and simulcast
action. Tableside beverage service and in-house masseuses are available,
so no one has to miss a hand.
Whether patrons are experienced poker players, newcomers, or
somewhere in between, The Silks Poker Room offers a friendly, welcoming
environment. Our professional, outgoing, and experienced staff is always
willing to help.
The Silks Poker Room, which opened in December of 2003, is located
on the third floor of the Grandstand and is accessible by both stairs and
elevator. During live racing hours on weekends, players pay the track’s
regular $2.00 Grandstand admission at the gate and proceed to the Poker
Room. Guests can stop by the reception desk to reserve a spot at the table
where the game of their choice is being played.
Tampa Bay Downs
In The Community
Each season Tampa Bay Downs holds five Charity Days during its meet,
with proceeds earmarked for charitable organizations that qualify under
Florida law to receive such contributions. The recipients are in both the
Tampa Bay community and the Thoroughbred industry. Over the past 12
seasons, more than $1-million has been raised for these organizations
through Charity Days at Tampa Bay Downs and the Tampa Greyhound
Track Poker and Racebook. A sampling of the charities that have received
direct aid from Tampa Bay Downs include Rotary’s Camp Florida in
Brandon, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Upper Tampa Bay Education
Foundation, Florida Thoroughbred Charities, Oldsmar Cares, Thoroughbred
Retirement of Tampa, Inc. (TROT) and the Sulphur Springs Pool in Tampa.
In addition, Tampa Bay Downs directly contributes more than $31 million
into the community each year, while providing more than 500 employment
positions during the live racing season.
In the summer months, Tampa Bay Downs continues to support the
community by offering job opportunities to more than 100 individuals. The
track’s annual payroll exceeds $7.1 million.
The Silks Poker Room is open every day except Christmas and Easter
Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 a.m. The popular Bay Area Poker Club plays each
Tuesday night from August through May.
10

History
1926 - The track opens for its inaugural meeting under the name of
Tampa Downs. The season lasts 39 days and is headed by
Ohio investor Harvey Myers and Kentucky Colonel Matt J. Winn,
famed promoter of the Kentucky Derby. Babe Ruth,
Jack Dempsey, Gene Sarazen and John Ringling help
inaugurate the opening on Feb. 18. Torcher wins the $4,450
“Florida Derby,” which is actually a precursor to the Flamingo
Stakes at Hialeah Park.
1927- Tampa Downs reopens, but is forced to close after nine days of
a scheduled 37-day meeting due to economic reasons.
1932 - Lexington (Ky.) Herald editor-publisher Desha Breckinridge and
Major Thomas McDowell of Lexington oversee repairs and
restoration of the facility, but conflicts cause the cancellation of
the meeting.
1934 - The Tampa Turf and Field Club is formed, headed by Hal
Thompson. The track reopens as Tampa Downs. Inadequate
handles during the heart of the Great Depression force the
meeting to close after only six days.
1943 - As World War II rages on, the U.S. Army constructs barracks and
turns the track into a jungle warfare training center.
1946 - Sunshine Park Racing Association is formed and provides 650
stalls. A 1947 season is approved by referendum. New Yorker
Justin O’Connor buys the track but dies just two days before
opening.
1947 - Frank Hobbs buys the track from the O’Connor family. The modern
era begins as Sunshine Park runs its inaugural meeting. The
first official tote board is in operation, an electric starting gate is
introduced and a photo finish camera is installed.
1948 - A horsemen’s boycott is averted by increasing the daily purse
distribution by $500. Following the 1948 meeting, the Florida
Racing Commission denies a request from Sunshine Park’s
management to run at night.
1950 - Legendary sportswriters including Grantland Rice, Red Smith,
Fred Russell and Arthur Daley are regulars at the track as they
travel south to cover baseball spring training games. Rice coins
the phase “Santa Anita of the South” in his columns to describe
the racetrack. John W. Kane of Wilmington, Del., wins control of
the track following a stockholders’ squabble. A Quarter Horse
meet runs for three weeks in February.
1951 - A record crowd of 6,060 greets the return of Thoroughbred
competition on Opening Day.
1953 - A dozen barns burn but are quickly replaced. The Florida
Legislature passes a special bill allowing the track to keep 15% of
the takeout and to pay a $4,000 daily fee instead. The track begins
to show a profit for the first time and new Clubhouse construction
begins at a cost of $300,000.
1954 - The new Clubhouse opens. Four new 50-stall concrete barns are
constructed to meet demand from horsemen, increasing stable
capacity to 900 horses. The track surface is rebuilt, improving
drainage and drawing raves from trainers and jockeys.
1955 - Control of the track is passed to a syndicate headed by Frederick
Ballon, director of Yonkers Raceway; Richard West of Rhode
Island; and Frank Hobbs, a Tampa attorney.
11

History
1955 - Control of the track is passed to a syndicate headed by
Frederick Ballon, director of Yonkers Raceway; Richard West of
Rhode Island; and Frank Hobbs, a Tampa attorney.
1956 - A $1,000 minimum purse is instituted as the track celebrates
its 10th season since reopening as Sunshine Park. All 900 stalls
on the back side are occupied.
1957 - President Frank Hobbs creates the Florida Breeders’ Futurity
and is voted Florida’s Man of the Year. Champion filly Indian
Maid wins the first Futurity.
1958 - Benell captures the second running of the Florida Breeders’
Futurity.
1959 - Top owners Sanford Stud, Llangolen Farm, Gene Mori and Fred
Hooper send strings to race at Sunshine Park.
1964 - A syndicated TV show called “Let’s Go to the Races” debuts in
numerous major markets, using already-run races from
Sunshine Park to award prizes and money to game-card
holders. Track restaurants are restyled and redecorated, and
an informal fashion show produced by Priscilla Parker is held
each Thursday before the first race.
1968 - The double quinella wager is introduced, requiring bettors
to pick the first two finishers in either order in the last two races.
In September of 1968, a spectacular fire destroys the
Grandstand facility, sparing only the Clubhouse building.
1969 - A new $800,000 Grandstand with the capacity for 6,000 people
replaces the one ravaged by fire. The new building debuts with
the season opener on January 17.
1972 - Tampa industrialist Sam F. Davis takes the reins of Florida
Downs. The minimum purse is raised to $1,500 in an effort to
lure higher-class horses from Northern tracks. The track goes
into the black and season handle totals a record $11 million.
1973 - Eastern Airlines supports a series of races. An attendance
record of 5,878 is established for a single day.
1974 - Season attendance surpasses 400,000 for the first time.
1976 - A Quarter Horse meeting is curtailed after losses of almost
$500,000.
1965 - The franchise is acquired by a group of Tampa sportsmen
headed by Chester Ferguson.
1966 - The track is renamed Florida Downs and Turf Club. Purses total
$566,060. The track hosts its first sale of Thoroughbreds.
12

History
1978 - The Florida Senate squashes a proposal to convert summer
Quarter Horse racing dates to Greyhound racing.
1979 - An average attendance record of 4,414 is established.
1980 - Total handle reaches $29 million. Sam F. Davis retires as
President at age 73. In a switch of corporations, the track is
renamed Tampa Bay Downs. On March 15, Richard DePass
becomes the first jockey in history to go 7-for-7 on a single card.
1981 - Paristo wins the inaugural running of the $50,000-added
Budweiser Tampa Bay Derby. He would go on to finish third
in the Preakness Apprentice jockey. Julie Krone earns her first
career victory aboard Lord Farkle on Feb. 12 for trainer Les
St. Leon, and subsequently becomes the most successful
female jockey in history with 3,704 victories and a member of
the sport’s Hall of Fame.
1982 - Trainer E.T. Clark wins with nine consecutive starters. After his
next entrant finishes third, his next two starters win.
1983 - Arabian-bred racing is introduced, making Tampa Bay Downs
the first track to hold a regular program for the breed.
Morganmorganmorgan wins the Budweiser Tampa Bay
1984 - The track adds a seven-furlong chute. In a huge upset, 88-1
shot Bold Southerner edges Rexson’s Hope in the Tampa Bay
Derby under jockey Wayne Crews.
1986 - A new dirt track is installed prior to the start of the 1985-1986
meeting at a cost of $250,000. The old base and cushion are
replaced and the track is crowned and banked to provide better
drainage and give horses a safer racing surface. Bob Clark is
named Racing Secretary, replacing Warren Wolf. Hall of Fame
jockey Bill Hartack, who rode here briefly as an apprentice when
the track was known as Sunshine Park, is named as a
steward. My Prince Charming, owned by the Aronow Stable
operation of speedboat racer Don Aronow, wins the Tampa Bay
Derby.
1987 - Stella F. Thayer and her brother, Howell Ferguson, take full
control of Tampa Bay Downs with a $16.2-million bid a month
before the start of the meeting. Tampa Bay Downs controller
Lorraine M. King is named General Manager, completing what
is believed to be the first instance of a wagering facility with
separate female ownership and management. Mike Manganello,
who won the 1970 Kentucky Derby on Dust Commander and
won seven Tampa Bay Downs jockey titles, rides career winner
No. 2,500 on Siberian Gold. The first Sunday card in the history
of Tampa Bay Downs is conducted on Dec. 7, 1986, drawing a
crowd of 5,893. Ronnie Allen, Jr., wins the second of his
four track riding crowns with 76 victories. Phantom Jet, trained
by Phil Gleaves, becomes the first horse to win the Sam
F. Davis Stakes and the Tampa Bay Derby.
1985 - Regal Remark wins the Tampa Bay Derby for owner Ernie
Samuel’s Canadian-based Sam-Son Farm, winner of seven
Sovereign Awards as Canada’s leading breeder. Richard
Grunder joins Tampa Bay Downs as track announcer. Mary
Hodge wins the training title by sending out 23 winners.
13

History
1988 - Ronnie Allen, Jr., becomes the first jockey in track history to surpass
100 victories in a meeting, winning his third title in four seasons with
102 winners. In one of the most memorable renewals of the Tampa
Bay Derby, Cefis rallies from 25 lengths off the pace to win for
legendary trainer Woodford Cefis “Woody” Stephens. Queen
Alexandra wins her second consecutive running of the Wayward
Lass Stakes. Storm Predictions, owned by Three G Stables and
trained by Luis Olivares, uses a victory in the Challenger Stakes as
a 2-year- old at the outset of the meeting to build a foundation for his
Tampa Bay Derby triumph
1989 - Inter-track wagering debuts in Florida, and Tampa Bay Downs
remains open year-round as a simulcast facility. Track owner
Stella F. Thayer is installed as the first woman president of the
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce in the group’s 103-year
history. The winner of the Florida Oaks, She’s Scrumptious, pays
$169.20 to win. Gene, a 5-year-old Florida-bred purchased the
previous year by horseman Gary Patrick for $150,wins two
starter allowance races at the start of the 1988-1989 meeting
to give him 16 victories for 1988, earning the Horsemen’s Be
nevolent and Protective Association Claining Horse of the Year
Award. Adored by Oldsmar fans, he is nicknamed “ Gene the
Racing Machine” and wins his first two starts in 1989. The Sports
Gallery opens and the Clubhouse Turn Restaurant is enlarged
and renovated. Minors are officially allowed anywhere on track
grounds except in the Sports Gallery and wagering lines.
1990 - The $1-million Tampa Premier Bonus is instituted to reward the
connections of any horse winning the Challenger Stakes for
2-year-olds, the Tampa Bay Derby, the Tampa Premier Stakes
(on closing day, April 8) and the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Ken
Blackstun marries assistant publicity director Juli Youngren in
a winner’s-circle ceremony on March 10; Blackstun wins that
day’s sixth race on Easter Hawk. Former Oakland Raiders and
Buffalo Bills head coach John Rauch, who coached Oakland
in its Super Bowl II loss against Green Bay, is employed as a
security guard. Ricardo Lopez wins the second of his three
consecutive jockey titles.
14
1991 - A new inner rail is installed, and a new Grandstand dining area
called the Silks Bistro opens, decorated with prominent silks from
all eras of the track’s history. A tornado tears through the back
side, ripping the roofs off barns and uprooting an oak tree. The
overnight disaster causes the following day’s races to be
canceled.
1992 - To the north of the Grandstand, the Picnic Area opens to give
families a chance to enjoy the Florida sunshine and a day at
the races. A Z-Alpha display board is added to the infield to
keep the patrons better informed. Tampa sends its live racing
signal to Birmingham,Ala.,the track’s first out-of-state site. More
than $2.7 million is bet at Birmingham on Tampa Bay Downs
races. Jockey Willie Martinez rides 123 winners, establishing a
single-season track record.
1993 - John E. Grady is named Vice President and General Manager.
Jockey William Henry rides 123 winners to tie the meet record.
John Reading captures his second consecutive training title.
1994 - A $2,600 Alberta-bred yearling, Prix De Crouton, which had won
previously at Northlands Park and Stampede Park, wins the
Tampa Bay Derby for owners Lorne and Kathleen Berg.
1995 - The Tampa Bay Derby and the Florida Oaks are run on the same
day for the first time in the history of the track. Don Rice wins the
first of his eight training titles.

History
1996 - The track’s first 70 years are observed in gala style, and the
Florida Oaks gains Grade III status. A record 360 simulcast outlets take
Tampa Bay Downs’ signal, and 540 take the Tampa Bay Derby card. The
Florida Legislature approves full-card simulcasting, giving pari-mutuel
facilities the option of hosting signals from out-of-state tracks. Tampa
Bay Downs takes over concession areas in the plant, providing more
flexibility and lower prices to patrons. A new barn is constructed to house
50 horses.Thundering Storm wins both the Tampa Bay Derby and the
Sam F. Davis Stakes.
1997 - The plant remains open seven days a week to host simulcast
signals for the first time. Six purse increases of 5% result in a major
bonanza for horsemen and establish the highest average purse
distribution in the track’s history. The Challenger Stakes returns to the
schedule. Attendance is up 4.3% over the previous season and the ontrack
handle jumps an additional 15.74%, while out-of-state wagering
increases 22%. Ground is broken for the turf course on May 14, and
the grass is planted Sept. 9. Road improvements allow greater access
with the Linebaugh Extension to the north. Widening and repairs also
improve Race Track Road, Hillsborough Avenue and Tampa Road.
William Henry wins the jockeys’ title for the fourth time in five seasons.
Jerry Bailey wins the Tampa Bay Derby aboard Zede for owner Allen
Paulson and trainer William Mott.
1998 - A record is set for an all-time, single-day total handle on Jan.
16 when $3,155,905 is wagered on the Tampa Bay Downs signal ontrack,
in-state and out-of-state. Tasso’s Magic Roo sweeps the Pepsi
Challenge Series and becomes only the second filly to do so since the
series began in 1988. Will Farish’s Parade Ground wins the 18th running
of the Tampa Bay Derby, and Helen Alexander’s Pantufla captures
the Grade III Florida Oaks. The unveiling of the turf course on May 2,
Kentucky Derby Day, draws a crowd of 8,669,the second largest in the
track’s history at the time. Ship Liner, owned by Phillip Williams, wins
the inaugural running of the Tampa Bay Turf Handicap and Artz Racing
Stable’s Mercedes Song prevails over fillies and mares in the Tampa
Bay Distaf Turf Handicap. Records are established during the 1997-1998
season for total handle, purses and simulcast outlets.
1999 - The conclusion of the 1998-99 racing meet once again sees
gains over the previous season as Tampa Bay Downs enjoys the most
successful season in the 73-year history of the track. The 91-day meet
produced a rise in the average daily attendance and daily on-track
handle, this during the third year of full-card simulcasting. Simulcasting
revenue also leaped to an all time high with an increase of owner
46%. Purses were additionally bolstered to record levels during the
same period, alluring top quality horses and stables to compete. Track
owner Stella F. Thayer is the first woman to be elected head of the
Thoroughbred Racing Associations in the organization’s 57-year history.
2000 - The Clubhouse is totally remodeled, with fan comfort as the
highest priority. Clubhouse renovations include new central airconditioning,
a newly refurbished elevator, paint, plush carpeting and
luxury seating. The lower floor of the Clubhouse showcases a “Sports
Book” atmosphere, with 100 individual carrels complete with private
TV monitors. A state-of-the-art sound system is installed throughout
the entire Clubhouse and Grandstand areas. Once again, new handle
records were set and purses achieve all-time levels. Secret Status, a
3-year-old filly owned by William S. Farish and partners, uses a Florida
Oaks victory as a stepping stone to winning the Kentucky Oaks. A crowd
of 6,381 attends March 4 to watch a National Steeplechase Association
race, won by Red Classic and jockey Sean Clancy.
15

History
2001 -Tampa Bay Downs celebrates its 75th Anniversary season on Feb
18th, 2001, a day that highlights a meeting of record-breaking purse
levels and an increase in average intra-state wagering on Tampa Bay
Downs for the seventh consecutive year. Peter Berube is named Vice
President and General Manager on June 10th, 2001. A new single day
co-mingled handle is achieved on Tampa Bay Derby Day, March 18th
2001 with $3,877,477 wagered on the Tampa signal.
2002 - The Tampa Bay Derby regains Grade III status. Various maintenance
projects continue throughout the year, including a new Grandstand
roof, repaved backstretch roads, and a remodeling of the General
Office. Handle on live races from all sources averages almost $2.1-million
a day. The track posts record-breaking purses for the eighth consecutive
year. Live racing is canceled in December of 2001 on Opening Day
due to street and parking-lot flooding caused by county drainage issues.
2003 - Tampa Bay Downs launches a state-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind
Golf Practice and Wagering Facility. The 22 acres of fully lit property
include 270 yards of open range, plus putting and short-game areas.
The Downs Golf Clubhouse features a fully stocked Pro Shop, Snack
Bar and wagering terminals, complete with TV monitors to catch all the
action. The racing season concludes with purses at their highest level
($128,620 a day) and a new record for average all-sources live handle
($2,550,096). Tampa Bay Downs once again posts a new single day
co-mingled record of $3,880,693, and Florida Cup Day debuts, offering
six $75,000 stakes races on the one-day card.
2005 - Bucking national trends that have seen tracks across the nation
experience declines in either handle, attendance, or both, Tampa Bay
Downs concludes its 79th season by establishing 10 records in handle,
attendance and purses. Increases include an all-time high attendance
of 10,246 on Festival Day, which features Sun King winning the Grade
III Tampa Bay Derby. Before the season starts, the track continues its
expansion of and improvements to the track’s highly popular picnic area;
adds a new luxury suite called the Trackside Garden Suite; and adds
daily Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments in the Silks Poker Room. Horsemen
benefit from a handsome new winner’s circle, a new outside rail, and a
new receiving barn.
2006 - Explosive growth in on-track wagering, total handle and purse
payouts, along with record-high attendance, highlight the track’s 80th
year of Thoroughbred racing. As they did in 2004-2005, bettors on-track
and nationwide continue to embrace Tampa Bay Downs’ full fields and
improved racing quality on turf and dirt. Tampa Bay Downs receives the
Large Business of the Year Award for 2006 from the Upper Tampa Bay
Regional Chamber of Commerce on May 10, 2006. The award is based
on community involvement and support, and pays tribute to the tremendous
growth the facility has recently undergone. Local racing fans, treated
to an average of 9.57 horses per race, send the on-track handle up
nearly 7 percent to $30,192,981, the highest since 1991; and the daily
average on-track handle of $321,202 is the highest since 1994.
2004 - Tampa Bay Downs enjoys an incredibly successful meet with
track records set in 10 statistical categories, including double-digit
increases in total live all-source handle (24%increase) and total attendance
(11%). The track distributes a record $12,622,650 in purses
($135,727 per day), which leads to fields that average 9.4 starters per
race, an all-time high for the Oldsmar oval. Horsemen also halter a record
$2,418,250 worth of horses at the claims box. Track improvements
include a permanent tent over the popular picnic area, a new seven-furlong
chute, and the opening of The Silks Poker Room, the track’s card
room, which is an immediate hit with local poker enthusiasts.
16

History
2007 - Prior to the commencement of the 2006-2007 season, a
Daktronics 16:9 ratio jumbo video board is installed in the
infield, providing patrons with a state-of-the-art flat-screen
monitor on which to view the live racing action. In front of a then
record-high, single-day crowd of 10,593, Street Sense
wins the Grade III, $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby by a nose in track
and stakes-record time of 1:43.11 for 1 1/16 miles. Festival
Day also marks the track’s largest co-mingled handle of
$10,916,634 wagered. Tampa Bay Downs welcomes its largest
crowd to date on May 5, 2007 when 11,014 fans cheer on Street
Sense as he crosses the wire in front in the 133rd Kentucky
Derby, becoming the first Tampa Bay Derby participant to win the
Run for the Roses. Allison De Luca takes the reins as Racing
Secretary, and the meeting ends with Tampa Bay Downs
boasting record increases in total live-sources handle, purses
paid, number of turf races offered, and total amount of horses
claimed. Trainer Jamie Ness captures the first of his record nine
consecutive Tampa Bay Downs titles.
2008 - Tampa Bay Downs’ 82nd season is highlighted by records set
in both attendance and out-of-state wagering handle. On Festival
Day,March 15, 2008, a record 12,746 fans arrive at the
Oldsmar oval to witness Big Truck capture the Grade III Tampa
Bay Derby. Tampa Bay Downs has three Eclipse award winners
compete during the 2007-2008 meeting. Rosemary Homeister,Jr.,
who won the Outstanding Apprentice award in 1992, is a regular
fixture in the jockeys’ room at the Oldsmar oval, finishing the
season as the second- leading ridr overall. Dreaming of Anna,
who was the Champion Juvenile Filly of 2006, wins the Grade III
EndeavourBreeders’ Cup and the Grade III Hillsborough Stakes
on the grass. War Pass, who was the 2007 Two-Year-Old
Champion,competes in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby.
Jockey Daniel Centeno establishes a track record by riding 144
winners. Before the 2007-2008 race meeting began, Tampa Bay
Downs underwent several renovations, including the installation of the
Grandstand elevator and the introduction of the all-new Silks Poker
Room, located on the third floor of the Grandstand. The Party Suite,
adjacent to the Silks Poker Room, was also updated with new flatscreen
TVs installed. The Legends Bar, which includes a museumquality
exhibition of famed Thoroughbred Seabiscuit, became the newest
feature on the second floor of the Grandstand. Horsemen enjoyed
improvements to the Paddock area, with all-new stalls in the saddling
barn ensuring the safety and comfort of horses and their connections.
Other facility upgrades at the Oldsmar oval include a refurbished Racing
Office on the backstretch, as well as a renovated track kitchen.
2009 -Tampa Bay Downs sees horses graduated from its stakes
program make up one-fourth of the Kentucky Derby Presented by
Yum! Brands field, with Grade III Tampa Bay Derby winner Musket Man
placing third in the Run for the Roses. Musket Man also finishes third
in the Preakness. Prior to the opening of the 2009-2010 race meeting,
Tampa Bay Downs renovates all tack rooms in the barn area and forms
an alliance with Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa, Inc., (TROT), a
non-profit organization dedicated to re-homing and transitioning the
Oldsmar oval’s equine athletes to new careers after their racing days are
over.
17

History
2010 - The outset of the 2009-2010 race meeting heralds a reduction in
takeout for exacta, Pick-3, Pick-4, Super High-5 and Pick-6
wagering at the Oldsmar oval. A second Tampa Bay Derby
graduate, third-place finisher Super Saver, wins the Grade I
Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Other national
performers competing at the Oldsmar oval in the 2009-2010
season include Grade I winners Dr. Zic and Karelian and dual
Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti, as well as Musket Man, Uptown
Charly Brown, Rule, Schoolyard Dreams, Odysseus and Phola,
among others. Despite a slumping economy, Tampa Bay Downs
concludes the season with its comingled all-sources handle
increasing by 1.8%, bucking national trends for wagering across
the nation. The season also features the implementation of the
track’s social media networks, with Tampa Bay Downs starting
profiles on both Facebook and Twitter. Prior to the beginning of
the 2009-2010 meeting, Tampa Bay Downs officially affiliates
itself with the Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa, Inc., (TROT),
a 501(c) (3) organization dedicated to repurposing Tampa Bay
Downs Thoroughbreds into show and pleasure horses as their
careers on the racetrack end. Additionally, the 2009-2010
season saw the arrival of Mouse, the Tampa Bay Downs
mascot. Mouse, a 3-year-old Miniature Horse, was rescued by
an affiliate of TROT and rehabilitated by the staff of Tampa Bay
Downs and quickly grew in popularity both locally and nationally.
In July of 2010, Florida state legislation allows for expanded
hours and no-limit games in the Silks Poker Room. In the months
following the 2009-10 meet, the Tampa Bay Derby receives
a purse boost to $350,000 and is awarded Grade II status; also,
the Tampa Bay Stakes for older horses on the turf, formerly the
Tampa Bay Breeders’ Cup, is awarded a Grade III classification
for the first Daniel Centeno wins his fourth consecutive riding title
with 133 victories, giving him 540 at the track over the past four
campaigns.
2011 - The Oldsmar oval’s 85th racing season ends with across-theboard
increases. Handle, attendance, claims, and field size all
expand; additionally, the Tampa Bay Derby achieves Grade II
status for the first time, as well as an expanded purse of
$350,000. The TampaBay Stakes (formerly the Tampa Bay
Breeders’ Cup) is awarded Grade III status, also a first. Local
trainers finish 1-2 in the Tampa Bay Derby, as the Kathleen
O’Connell-trained Watch Me Go edges Crimson Knight from the
barn of Gerald Bennett. Luis Garcia rides the 43-1 shot Watch
Me Go to victory. The Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies is run on
turf for the first time, with Dynamic Holiday under jockey Ramon
Dominguez winning for owner Augustin Stable and trainer
H. Graham Motion. Ness and Bennett tie for he training title
with 61 victories apiece. It is the fifth consecutive title for Ness,
who tied O’Connell the previous season with 51 victories. On the
jockeys’ side,Ronnie Allen Jr. claims his fourth riding title at
Tampa Bay Downs — and first since 1987-88 — with 109
victories, 30more than runner-up Daniel Centeno. Average daily
wagering handle during the 90-day meeting is a record
$4,572,074,an increase of 9.2 percent from the previous
season. The Tampa Bay Derby card attracts a record all-sources
wagering handle of $10,949,948, of which $876,063 is wagered
on track. Average daily attendance is 3,195. A $1.5-million capital
improvements project which includes the addition of a CREE
LED lighting system throughout the Clubhouse and Grandstand
and a “Cool Roof” coating system represents an early step in the
track’s goal to provide a “net-zero impact” on the environment.
18

History
2012 - Spectacular on-track accomplishments highlight a season in
which Tampa Bay Downs is again the fourth most popular winter
simulcast signal in the country. Eight track records are set — four
apiece on the main dirt track and the turf course. It’s Me Mom,
a 4-year-old filly owned by area residents Thomas and Jean
Bosch, is the equine star of the meeting, winning three of her
four starts, including the Minaret Stakes and the Florida Cup
Hilton Garden Inn Sprint against males. In the latter, she set a
six-furlong track record of 1:08.67. Jamie Ness wins his sixth
consecutive training title, saddling a record 79 winners. His
horses earn $875,384 and he ties a track record by saddling four
winners Jan. 19. Ness trained exclusively for Midwest Thoroughbreds,
Inc., which captures a third consecutive owners’ title for
Richard and Karen Papiese with 79 victories.Leandro Goncalves
is the leading jockey with 88 victories, eight more than defending
champion Ronnie Allen, Jr. Goncalves rides his 1,000th career
winner Dec. 28. The top apprentice jockey is Erik Barbaran, who
rides 27 winners. Veteran rider Scott Spieth joins the 4,000-victory
club April 6 aboard 4-year-old filly Ula. Owner John C. Oxley’s
3-year-old colt Prospective wins the 32nd running of the Grade
II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby in 1:43.35, the second-fastest renewal
to that time. The Tampa Bay Derby draws a season-high
crowd of 9,247 and total wagering of $9,183,788. Zagora, a
5-year-old mare owned by Martin Schwartz, wins both of the
track’s graded stakes for older fillies and mares on the turf, the
Endeavour and the Hillsborough. Zagora sets a then-course record
of 1:46.97 in the mile-and-an-eighth Hillsborough and goes
on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
Other Tampa Bay Downs participants to experience Breeders’
Cup glory were Challenger Stakes winner Fort Larned, who wins
the Classic; trainer William Bradley, who captures the Filly and
Mare Sprint with Groupie Doll; and past leading jockey Willie
Martinez, who wins the Sprint on Trinniberg. A new mile-anda-sixteenth
turf record is set by Lentenor, a full brother to 2006
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Tampa Bay Downs introduces
Trakus, an electronic system which displays the position and
location on the track of each horse during a race and provides
handicappers with a wealth of valuable information.
19

History
2013 - Numerous firsts enhance Tampa Bay Downs’ reputation as a
major player on the winter-spring Thoroughbred racing scene
during its 87th season. For the first time, the top three finishers
in the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby — Verrazano, Java’s
War and Falling Sky, the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes winner
— compete in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands
(Verrazano also won the Grade I Wood Memorial and Grade I
Haskell Invitational and Java’s War captured the Grade I Toyota
Blue Grass). Tampa Bay Downs stages three graded stakes on
a single card for the first time on Feb. 2 after the then-$150,000
Florida Oaks, a turf race for 3-year-old fillies, was awarded
Grade III status by the American Graded Stakes Committee
of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. In
addition to the Oaks, the Festival Preview Day program includes
the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds
and the Grade III, $150,000 Endeavour Stakes on the turf for
older fillies and mares. Jockey Daniel Centeno wins his fifth
title, riding 90 winners, and Jamie Ness is the first trainer to
capture seven consecutive crowns, saddling 46 winners. Twotime
Eclipse Award finalist Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., also
with 46 winners, wins its fourth consecutive owners’ title (Ness
trained exclusively for Midwest). The leading apprentice jockey
is 20-year-old Ricardo Mejias from Puerto Rico. For the second
straight year, Tampa Bay Downs conducts 25 stakes worth
$2.6-million in purse money, highlighted by the Tampa Bay Derby
on Festival Day, March 9. The 33rd renewal draws a crowd of
10,476, the fifth-largest in track history; total all-sources handle
of $10,291,827.76 is the fourth-highest ever. Verrazano’s jockey,
Hall of Fame member John Velazquez, rides five winners on the
Festival Day card, tying six other jockeys for the second-most
in track history. Tampa Bay Downs reached an agreement with
TVG, America’s Horseracing Network, to broadcast the meeting,
spreading the track’s signal to countless new viewers. In addition
to Verrazano’s victory, trainer Todd Pletcher scores two additional
graded-stakes triumphs with his 5-year-old mare Old Tune, who
wins the Endeavour and the Grade III, $150,000 Hillsborough on
the turf, both times under Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Joel
Rosario. The rider was also aboard Florida Oaks winner Tapicat
for Hall of Fame trainer William Mott. Combining to win two of
the track’s six graded stakes were trainer John Terranova II and
jockey Jose Espinoza, who won the Sam F. Davis with Falling
Sky and the Grade III, $150,000 Tampa Bay Stakes with Swift
Warrior. The 11th annual Florida Cup Day on April 6 attracts
many top Florida-breds, with James and Nannette McCullough’s
4-year-old gelding Wild About Chrome remaining unbeaten
(5-for-5) in the Hilton Garden Inn/ Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint.
In winning the Super Stakes on Feb. 23, Thomas Shank and
Stan Young’s 6-year-old gelding Good Lord sets a seven-furlong
track record of 1:22.03. Phase Two of the track’s ongoing green
initiative continues to gain momentum with the introduction of
a state-of-the-art geothermal HVAC system designed to save
energy and costs while requiring almost no maintenance. The
water and energy-saving system uses the constant below-ground
temperature of soil or water to cool homes, commercial buildings
and public facilities.On Feb. 16, the track holds the “Walk for Roz”
to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fight against breast
cancer in memory of former Tampa Bay Downs Association
Veterinarian Rosalyn Randall.
20

History
2014 - The 88th anniversary season of Thoroughbred racing officially
begins July 1, 2013, the second day of Tampa Bay Downs’
inaugural Summer Festival of Racing. The Summer Festival
was formed to enable Tampa Bay Downs to control its simulcast
income by becoming a year-round, live-racing facility. By the
time the horses return for the December restart, horsemen and
fans observe a new look on the first floor of the grandstand.
The enhancements included the Riders Up! Pub, featuring a
variety of craft and domestic beers and liquor, and the Metro
Deli, offering pizza, Cuban sandwiches, roast beef, ham, corned
beef and turkey. On the racing front, a record $2,695,000 is
paid out in stakes purses. The purse for the Grade III Florida
Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on turf was increased $50,000 to
$200,000; the race joined the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay
Derby and the Grade III, $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes on turf
on the annual Festival Day card. Increases of $25,000 for the
Turf Sprint and Lightning City Stakes, from $75,000 to $100,000,
gives Tampa Bay Downs a record 11 races worth six figures.
Jamie Ness wins his record eighth consecutive training title by
sending out 53 winners. The late Don Rice is the only other
conditioner to win eight titles, but they were not consecutive.
Antonio Gallardo, a native of Spain, wins his first jockeys title
by riding 124 winners and surviving a ding-dong battle over the
final several weeks with four-time leading jockey Ronnie Allen,
Jr. Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., the ownership group of Rich
and Karen Papiese, captures its fifth consecutive owners title
with 45 victories. Track officials establishe the Tampa Bay Downs
Million Dollar Derby Bonus, with $1-million to be awarded to
the owners of any horse winning the Grade III, $250,000 Sam
F. Davis Stakes, the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby and
the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Vinceremos
— owned by WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables
— wins the Davis and finishes second to Ring Weekend in the
Tampa Bay Derby before fading to 17th in the Kentucky Derby.
Additionally, a fan who picked Vinceremos in the Davis is
given an opportunity to win a $100,000 bonus. The Tampa
Bay Derby winner, Ring Weekend, is owned by St. Elias
Stable and West Point Thoroughbreds, trained by H. Graham
Motion and ridden by Daniel Centeno. In tandem with Equus
Technology Group, Tampa Bay Downs institutes the Live It Up
Challenge handicapping contest, won by Glenn Wilson of nearby
Westchase. Wilson is the only player to stay alive through the
duration of the event; he wins $1,500 and a seat at the 2015
Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association
National Handicapping Championship in January in Las Vegas.
On March 29, Tampa Bay Downs plays host to the first Jockeys
and Jeans barbecue luncheon to benefit the Permanently
Disabled Riders Fund. Among those attending are seven-time
Tampa Bay Downs leading jockey Mike Manganello; Hall of
Famers Pat Day, Walter Blum, Jacinto Vasquez and Bill Boland;
Ramon Dominguez; Dr. Eddie Donnally; early female pioneers
Barbara Jo Rubin, Diane Crump and Mary Russ; and disabled
former riders Eibar Coa, William Klinke, Julia Brimo, Jose Diaz
and Michael Straight. On Feb. 21, in what is believed to be a first,
brothers Fernando, Walter and Juan De La Cruz all ride winners
on a single card. L.J. McKanas, a trainer competing at Tampa
Bay Downs for the first time, delights race goers by appearing
as a contestant on the CBS reality show Survivor. Announcer
Richard Grunder marks his 30th season at Tampa Bay Downs.
21

History
2015 - As part of its ongoing capital improvements initiative, Tampa Bay
Downs unveils a bright, redesigned circular driveway entrance in
front of the Grandstand. Featuring tree-lined pathways, garden
landscaping, enhanced lighting, benches and automatic sliding
doors, it signals a friendly “welcome back” to all when the 89th
anniversary meeting resumes Nov. 29. The racing action is fast
and furious from the outset, as jockey Antonio Gallardo rides five
winners on the first stakes Saturday of the season and 2-year-old
Catalina Red sets a stakes record of 1:09.32 in the six-furlong
Inaugural Stakes. Gallardo’s success is a recurrent theme
throughout: The native of Cadiz, Spain rides five winners again
on Dec. 31 and finishes the meeting with 147 to set a new track
record and win his second consecutive title. Gallardo is joined at
the top by trainer Jamie Ness, who captures an unprecedented
ninth consecutive Oldsmar crown with 46 victories. The Nesstrained
6-year-old gelding Brother Pat becomes the first horse
to sweep all four legs of the Tampa Turf Test starter handicap
series, never trailing at a single point of call in any of his
victories. Trainer Todd Pletcher wins the Tampa Bay Derby for
the third time, capturing the Grade II, $350,000 showcase with
Carpe Diem. The colt is owned in partnership by Stonestreet
Stables, which also owns Ocean Knight, winner of the Grade
III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes. The 35th renewal of the
Tampa Bay Derby headlines a March 7 Festival Day program
that includes the Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks, the Grade
III, $150,000 Hillsborough Stakes and the $60,000 Challenger
Stakes, making it the richest day in track history. A crowd of
10,379, the 10th largest in track history,watches Carpe Diem
and fellow Tampa Bay Derby participant Danzig Moon compete
in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands via simulcast
on May 2.The outstanding stakes program at Tampa Bay Downs
produces several record-breaking performances. Trainer Chad
Stewart’s Catalina Red sets a stakes and track record in winning
the Dec. 27 Pasco Stakes for 2-year-olds, speeding home seven
furlongs in 1:21.40 under jockey Daniel Centeno.
That same day, 2-year-old filly Irish Jasper sets a stakes mark
of 1:22.41 in the Gasparilla Stakes for trainer Derek Ryan. Bold
Thunder establishes a course and stakes record of 54.63 in the
five-furlong Turf Dash, the fifth victory in the race for Centeno.
Evidently, a 4-year-old filly trained by Roy Lerman, sets a stakes
mark in the Florida Cup Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf
of 1:40.93 for a mile-and-a-sixteenth. The 4-year-old gelding
Special Envoy sets a mile-and-an-eighth turf course record
of 1:46.55 on March 18. On March 28, trainer Gerald Bennett
saddles career winner No. 3,500, the 3-year-old filly Once More
for Love. New York native Andrew Demsky is named host for the
track’s “Paddock Preview” show, taking over from Vice President
of Marketing & Publicity Margo Flynn, who continues in her
executive role while shifting her focus to other responsibilities.
On Dec. 15, seven members of the Tampa Bay Downs jockey
colony travel to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg to
visit children with potentially life-limiting diseases. The group
includes Ronnie Allen, Jr.; Dean Butler; Janelle Campbell; Daniel
Centeno; Keiber Coa; Antonio Gallardo; and Pablo Morales.
Tampa Bay Downs purchases the Tampa Greyhound Track in
January. Major League Baseball fans — specifically, New York
Yankees rooters — cash in when horses named Mecke Mantle
and Yogi Berra both win on the Dec. 21 card. The Downs Golf
Practice Facility is recognized by the Golf Range Association of
America as one of the nation’s top-50 ranges. Joseph Ricciardi
of New Port Richey, Fla., wins a top prize of $500,000 playing the
JACKPOT scratch-off game on the first floor of the grandstand.
The Vietnam War veteran is a regular in The Silks Poker Room.
22

History
2016 - The popularity of the Tampa Bay Downs simulcast signal
continues to spread, with a 5.1-percent increase in average
daily interstate wagering to $3.71 million. That results in a
3.5-percent increase in all-sources average daily handle to
$4.16 million. A new-look stakes schedule fuels interest, with
the creation of six “big-event” cards featuring multiple stakes,
outstanding purse money and the appearance of numerous toplevel
Thoroughbreds, trainers and jockeys. Lambholm South, a
1,830-acre Thoroughbred facility in Reddick, Fla., becomes the
first title sponsor of the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby in
30 years. The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby for 3-yearolds
is the centerpiece of the richest day in track history, a March
12 Festival Day card also featuring the Grade II, $200,000
Hillsborough Stakes for older fillies and mares on the turf, the
Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the turf
and the $100,000 Challenger Stakes for older horses. Another
lucrative afternoon takes place on Feb. 13, with the Festival
Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South card offering three
graded stakes and total stakes purse money of $650,000. Destin,
a 3-year-old colt owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables and
trained by Todd Pletcher, becomes the first horse since Burning
Roma in 2001 to win both the Sam F. Davis Stakes and the
Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. Destin’s Tampa Bay Derby
time of 1:42.82 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth is both a stakes and
track record. He finishes sixth in the Kentucky Derby Presented
by Yum! Brands and second by a nose to Creator in the Belmont
Stakes. The track’s two biggest days also see the reigning
Eclipse Award Champion Grass Female, 5-year-old mare Tepin,
delight bettors and Thoroughbred lovers with two outstanding
victories in the Grade III, $150,000 Lambholm South Endeavour
Stakes and the Hillsborough. The Robert E. Masterson-owned
and Mark Casse-trained Tepin sets a course record of 1:46.26 in
the mile-and-an-eighth Hillsborough. Gerald Bennett saddles 51
winners to capture the training title, ending a nine-year run atop
the standings by Jamie Ness. Bennett and
Ness tied for first place during the 2010-2011 meeting. Bennett’s
best horse is 4-year-old gelding Fast Flying Rumor, who sets
a Tampa Bay Downs record — dirt or turf — by earning a 108
Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the $100,000 Turf Dash
on Jan. 9. On March 5, Bennett ties a track record by saddling
four winners from four starters. Antonio Gallardo rides 135
winners to win his third consecutive jockeys’ title. Gallardo wins
five races on Feb. 24 (including a dead-heat), marking his third
five-victory performance at the Oldsmar oval. Ness claims the
Leading Ownertrophy, as the Jagger, Inc., operation he runs
with wife Mandy sends out 15 winners. Chad Lindsay is the top
apprentice jockey with 11 victories. On Dec. 30, 7-year-old El
Grande Rojo equals Catalina Red’s seven-furlong main track
record of 1:21.40. Danny Lobato is named Ambassador of The
Silks Poker Room, becoming a liaison between players and the
Director of Poker, Patrick Murphy, and his staff, with an emphasis
on bringing in new business and creating additional opportunities
for players. Appearances by actor Christopher McDonald, who
played Shooter McGavin in the movie Happy Gilmore, and threetime
PGA Tour winner Chris DiMarco highlight the sixth annual
Golfest Presented by Valspar Championship at The Downs Golf
Practice Facility. Three jockeys achieve career milestones during
the meeting. On Feb. 14, Jose Ferrer won back-to-back races to
reach the 4,000 club. His big win came on Rocket Bottle, owned
and trained by Robert G. Smith, who also celebrated his 50th
birthday. On April 10, Scott Spieth earns victory No. 4,500 on
Awesome Indeed, a 4-year-old filly trained by his fiancée, Aldana
Gonzalez. Dean Butler grabs his 2,000th career triumph on April
22 on Impromptu, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Bernell Rhone.
A crowd of 10,443 attends the May 7 racing card, the third largest
in track history to view the simulcast of the Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands.
23

Tampa Bay Downs Logos
24

Jockey Profiles
25

Leading Jockeys
YEAR JOCKEY WINS YEAR JOCKEY WIN
2015-2016 Antonio Gallardo 135 1997-1998 Jesse Garcia 63
2014-2015 Antonio Gallardo 147* 1996-1997 William Henry 78
2013-2014 Antonio Gallardo 124 1995-1996 Jorge Guerra 97
2012-2013 Daniel Centeno 90 1994-1995 William Henry 93
2011-2012 Leandro Goncalves 88 1993-1994 William Henry 97
2010-2011 Ronnie Allen, Jr. 109 1992-1993 William Henry 123
2009-2010 Daniel Centeno 133 1991-1992 Willie Martinez 123
2008-2009 Daniel Centeno 138 1990-1991 Ricardo Lopez 106
2007-2008 Daniel Centeno 144 1989-1990 Ricardo Lopez 92
2006-2007 Daniel Centeno 125 1988-1989 Ricardo Lopez 114
2005-2006 Jose Lezcano 92 1987-1988 Ronnie Allen, Jr. 102
2004-2005 Jesus Castanon 101 1986-1987 Ronnie Allen, Jr. 76
2003-2004 Jesus Castanon 87 1985-1986 Richard DePass 61
2002-2003 Joe Judice 117 1984-1985 Ronnie Allen, Jr. 54
2001-2002 Manoel Cruz 91 1983-1984 Rick Luhr 62
2000-2001 Derek Bell 93 1982-1983 Heriberto Rivera, Jr. 70
1999-2000 T.D. Houghton 80 1981-1982 Heriberto Rivera, Jr. 74
1998-1999 T.D. Houghton 81 1980-1981 Benny Feliciano 67
26
*Tampa Bay Downs Record

Jockey Profiles
Mike Allen
Born: August 9, 1967
Birthplace: Detroit, MI
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Wife, Lisa; daughter, Alexis; sons, Garrett and Connor
First Win: More Crafty, Tampa Bay Downs, 1986
Circuit:
Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs
In typical unsung fashion, Allen is approaching the 2,000-victory mark for
his career while recently surpassing $20-million in total purse earnings.
Allen has often ridden in the shadow of his older brother, four-time Tampa
Bay Downs track champion Ronnie Allen, Jr., but the younger Allen has had
more than his share of memorable days at the Oldsmar oval. One of his top
moments at Tampa Bay Downs came in the 2006 Budweiser Challenger
Stakes. Riding the 6-year-old gelding Cherokee Prince for his father, trainer
Ronald Allen, Sr., Mike piloted the Kentucky-bred to a 6 3/4-length, wire-towire
victory at odds of 29-1. Allen was aboard later that year when Cherokee
Prince won the Labor Day Stakes at Mountaineer. After tying for 15th in
last season’s Oldsmar standings with 16 victories, Mike spent most of the
summer and early fall competing at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa. A top
rider in Washington state from 1992-99 and at Prairie Meadows in Iowa
from 2003-07, he rode more than 100 winners every year from 1993-96 and
again in 2006 and 2007. He won the Grade III Budweiser Mile Handicap
(formerly the Longacres Mile) at Yakima Meadows in 1995 on L J Express.
In 2007, Allen celebrated career victory No. 1,500 at Tampa Bay Downs with
friends and family in attendance.
Ronnie Allen, Jr.
Born: April 24, 1964
Birthplace: East Liverpool, OH
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Son, Christopher; brothers, Mike and Kevin; sister, Kimberly
First Win: H.’s Shady Lady, Detroit Race Course, 1983
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs
The jockey nicknamed “Rock and Roll” had another outstanding season
during the 2015-2016 Oldsmar meeting, riding 74 winners to finish third in the
standings, before moving his tack to Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa. Included
among his victories was a triumph in the $100,000 Turf Dash aboard trainer
Gerald Bennett’s Fast Flying Rumor, which achieved a 108 Beyer Speed Figure
in the 5-furlong fixture, the highest BSF in track history. A four-time Tampa Bay
Downs riding champion, Allen achieved a career milestone in 2013 at Presque
Isle when he posted victory No. 3,000 on Ghost Flower, a 3-year-old filly
trained by his fiancée, Maria Bowersock. Allen has won more than 80 stakes,
including the 1993 Tampa Bay Derby and Sam F. Davis Breeders’ Cup Stakes
aboard Marco Bay. He rode Sport Jet in the 1985 Preakness. His brother Mike
is also a jockey, and their father, Ronald Allen, Sr., has saddled almost 1,500
winners over a 39-year career, winning the Grade II Alcibiades Stakes in 1994
with Post It. In the 1980s, young Ronnie was a major force in the Tampa Bay
Downs jockey colony. So it was especially rewarding in 2010-11 when he won
his fourth Tampa Bay Downs riding title with109 victories, 23 years after he
was last on top. During the 2013-14 Oldsmar meeting, he rode 110 winners,
second in the standings. In 2012-13 at Tampa Bay Downs, Allen finished third
with 57 victories despite a late-season spill in which he suffered fractured ribs,
a punctured lung, a lacerated liver and head abrasions. He is approaching
3,500 career victories. When he’s not in the irons, Ronnie plays golf or takes it
easy, relishing the peace that comes from knowing hard work and dedication to
his craft are their own best rewards. His agent is a former Tampa Bay Downs
jockey, Paula Bacon.
27

Jockey Profiles
Dean Butler
Born: March 21, 1971
Birthplace: Saratoga Springs, NY
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Daughters, Kayleigh and Kendall
First Win: Rexson’s Express, Suffolk Downs, 1993
Started Riding: 1992, Aqueduct
Circuit:
Tampa Bay Downs, Canterbury Park
Emotions ran high in the winner’s circle on the afternoon of April 22 after Butler
earned career victory No. 2,000 on Impromptu, a 4-year-old gelding owned by
Empire Racing and trained by Bernell Rhone. On hand for the milestone were
the Saratoga Springs’ native’s father, Ted, and his brother Dan, one of Dean’s
seven older siblings. Butler had a typically strong season at the Oldsmar oval,
hitting his best stride in the final month to finish seventh with 34 victories. Butler,
who has won four track titles apiece at Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing)
and Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., and one at Atlantic City, led the
Canterbury riding colony in purse earnings in 2014 and 2015, setting a track
record in earnings the latter year with $1,719,247. Butler began his career in
1992 at Aqueduct after learning the game from the ground up from Hall of Fame
trainer Jack Van Berg, conditioner of the great Alysheba and Preakness winner
Gate Dancer. After apprenticing under Van Berg on his Ghent, N.Y., farm and
in southern California, Butler won his first race in 1993 at Suffolk, then moved
to Philadelphia. One of Butler’s biggest scores came in the 2011 Remington
Park Oaks aboard 25-1 shot Tourmaline for trainer Rhone. Butler and Rhone
have proven a tough combination to beat at both Tampa Bay Downs and
Canterbury. Butler rode the prominent gelding Poor But Honest, who finished
second to the great Cigar and jockey Jerry Bailey in the 1995 Massachusetts
Handicap. Poor But Honest and Butler won a pair of Grade III stakes that year
and finished second in the Grade I Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth and the Grade
I Meadowlands Cup. Butler enjoys spending time with his two girls, 9-year-old
Kayleigh and 5-year-old Kendall.
Samy Camacho
Born: May 27, 1988
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Residence: Miami, FL
Family: Wife, Kismar Torcat; son, Samir Andres
First Win: Calder Race Course, 2012
Started Riding: La Rinconada, Caracas
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park
Camacho hails from a race-riding family. His father, Samuel Camacho, Sr.,
rode his entire career in Venezuela, scoring more than 900 victories. Younger
brother Samuel Camacho, Jr., rides in New York. Samy rode 32 winners in
south Florida and at Monmouth in New Jersey as an apprentice in 2012 before
returning to Venezuela for more seasoning. His career took off at Tampa
Bay Downs last season when he won the Hampton Inn & Suites Jockey of
the Month Award during a period when he was commuting to Tampa Bay
Downs from a morning job exercising horses at GoldMark Farm in Ocala. His
momentum continued throughout the duration of the meeting, and he finished
in 14th place with 20 victories. Several of his winners were trained by veteran
Margaret Wetherington. Camacho returned to Tampa Bay Downs for the fourth
annual Summer Festival of Racing and Music and won five races over two days
to claim first place in the $5,000 Jockeys’ Challenge. “I like the fact he puts
horses in good positions whether it’s going short or long, on dirt or turf,” said
trainer Robert G. Smith. “He rides a very smart race, and he doesn’t have a
problem coming out in the mornings and working hard.”
28

Jockey Profile
Daniel Centeno
Born: December 18, 1971
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Son, Daniel; daughter, Jazmyn
First Win: Big Jack, Venezuela, 1990
Started Riding: 1990 (Venezuela), 2003 (Ohio)
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park, Laurel, Delaware Park
First and foremost, Centeno is a student of the sport. His attention to detail
— working horses each morning, studying past performances and watching
replays — has kept him atop the Tampa Bay Downs jockey colony for much
of the past 10 seasons. He rode 98 winners here last season to finish second
in the standings. Centeno was aboard two stakes winners: Hidden Treat in
the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes and Morning Fire in the $100,000 Pasco.
In 2014, Centeno won the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby for the second time
aboard Ring Weekend for trainer H. Graham Motion. He had won the 2009
Tampa Bay Derby on Musket Man. During the summer of 2014, he notched
his 2,000th victory in the United States at Parx Racing on 4-year-old gelding
Forest Rim for owner George Strawbridge and trainer Jonathan Sheppard. At
Oldsmar the following season, he was aboard Catalina Red when the then-2-
year-old set the Tampa Bay Downs 7-furlong record of 1:21.40 in winning the
2014 Pasco Stakes. Centeno begins the current meeting with more than 2,300
career victories, including five graded-stakes scores. From 2006-10, Centeno
strung together four consecutive Oldsmar riding crowns while averaging 1.48
winners per performance. During the 2007-2008 meeting, he booted home a
record-setting 144 winners (since bettered), including six stakes victories. That
year he amassed $2,145,528 in purses, setting a track record. He won his fifth
Tampa Bay Downs riding title during the 2012-2013 meeting with 90 victories.
Centeno began race riding in Venezuela in 1990, assembling a successful
14-year career that eventually took him to the United States to stay in 2003 (he
had ridden briefly at Calder in 1996). Centeno cites retired jockeys Eibar Coa
and Ramon Dominguez as major influences. With his distinguished record,
professional approach and almost $45-million in purse earnings, Centeno
himself is a jockey worth emulating.
Keiber J. Coa
Born: October 30, 1992
Birthplace: Caracas, Venezuela
Residence: Davie, FL
Family: Father, Eibar Coa; mother, Kathy Sarabia; sisters, Kleibany and
Sienna
First Win: Five Star Cruise, Santa Anita, 2012
Started Riding: 2011, Gulfstream Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Coa reached a crossroads in February of 2011 when his father, Breeders’ Cup
Sprint-winning jockey Eibar Coa, was seriously injured in a riding accident at
Gulfstream Park. Keiber had just enrolled in the Laffit Pincay Jockey School in
Panama City, and the teenager suddenly had to fly home to be with his father.
Although the elder Coa elected to retire, Keiber made the decision to follow in
his father’s footsteps and devote himself to a career as a jockey. Now his father,
who has made nearly a full recovery from his injuries, supports Keiber in his
quest to forge his own trail toward success. Keiber grew up playing baseball
and basketball, but he began working intensely with his father on becoming a
jockey in 2010, the same year Eibar Coa won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill
Downs on Big Drama. Keiber earned his first stakes victory in July of 2015
at Delaware in the CRE Run Oaks Arabian Distaff on RB FRYNCH BROAD.
Keiber incurred a hairline fracture of his pelvis on the final day of that season’s
Delaware Park summer meeting when a horse reared and landed on him, but
he made a speedy recovery to be ready to compete at Tampa Bay Downs, epitomizing
his desire to succeed.
29

Jockey Profile
Pedro Cotto, Jr.
Born: June 4, 1984
Birthplace: Santurce, Puerto Rico
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Daughters, Yarelis and Genesis; nephew, Marcos
First Win: Sugar Hall, Philadelphia, 2003
Started Riding: 2003, El Comandante
Circuit:
Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
Cotto’s days of flying beneath the radar here may have ended last season
when he posted 24 victories from a mere 94 starters, good for the best
winning percentage among jockeys with 40 or more mounts. He finished 12th
in the standings – not bad for someone whose mother wanted him to be an
accountant. His biggest victory at the Oldsmar oval came aboard Ishaq, which
won the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes for owner St. George Stable and trainer
Efren Loza, Jr. Ishaq won despite his blinkers coming loose, a mishap that
might have affected his vision during the stretch run. Cotto posted 188 victories
over the 2007-2008 campaigns. A fixture at the summertime Monmouth Park
meeting in New Jersey, Cotto finished in the top 10 in victories each season
from 2008-2013. One of his best horses was Our Tune; he teamed with the
filly to win the 2004 Numbered Account Stakes at Aqueduct and several other
races. In 2009, Cotto won the Charles Hesse III Handicap with Hermosillo. He
won stakes races three years apart at Monmouth aboard the New Jersey-bred
gelding Hop Skip and Away. Cotto’s father, Pedro Cotto, Sr., is an exercise rider
at Belterra Park in Ohio. Cotto attended the same jockey school as fellow riders
Luis Garcia and Jose Lopez.
Manoel Cruz
Born: May 20, 1970
Birthplace: Ninas Gerais, Brazil
Residence: Miami, FL
Family: Sons, Victor and Brian
First Win: Reason, Hipodromo de Cidade Jardim
Started Riding: 1989, Hipodromo de Cidade Jardim, Brazil
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park West
Cruz, who is closing in on 2,800 career victories in North America, ranked
fourth nationally in wins each year from 2005-2007, including a career-best
323 in 2006. After capturing the 2001-2002 Tampa Bay Downs riding title with
91 victories, he won five titles at Calder and two at Tropical at Calder. His list
of graded stakes winners is impressive, including D’Wildcat Speed, Mambo
Meister, Twilight Eclipse, Smooth Air, Point Prince and Splendid Blended. Cruz
rode Smooth Air in the 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. They
finished in the middle of the pack, but teamed that year to win the Grade II
Hutcheson Stakes and the Grade II Ohio Derby. Cruz rode about 1,200 winners
in his native Brazil before coming to the United States. When he returned from
school as a boy, he tossed his books and homework assignments in a corner,
choosing to care for the animals on his family’s farm. As a 14-year-old, he
started riding show jumpers but soon gravitated to the racetrack, enrolling in
Brazil’s jockey school at the Hipodromo de Cidade Jardim racetrack in Sao
Paulo. In his return to the Oldsmar oval last season, Cruz lived up to his press
clippings and became known for his exceptional ability on the turf. He won
the $75,000 Sophomore Turf on Florida Cup Day aboard Life Imitates Art for
trainer Chad Brown. Cruz finished fifth in the 2015-2016 Oldsmar standings
with 43 victories despite injuring his neck in the latter portion of the meeting.
He underwent surgery June 9 and was expecting to make a full return by
September.
30

Jockey Profile
Fernando De La Cruz
Born: June 24, 1986
Birthplace: Huancavelica, Peru
Residence: Greenfield, IN
Family: Wife, Rosa; son, Brian; daughter, Norma
First Win: Santelmo, Hipodromo de Monterrico, Peru
Started Riding: 2006
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Indiana Grand
His sterling record and outgoing personality make De La Cruz one of the
Oldsmar oval’s most popular jockeys. By late summer of 2016, he was headed
toward a sixth consecutive season with purse earnings in excess of $3-million,
as well as a riding title at Indiana Grand. He finished fourth in the 2015-2016
Oldsmar standings with 68 victories, winning the Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn/
Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint on Catalina Red. No one in the riding De La Cruz
family will forget the afternoon of Feb. 21, 2014 at Tampa Bay Downs. After
watching his brothers, Juan and Walter, win races earlier on the card, Fernando
completed the unique trifecta aboard 5-year-old gelding Rocky Gap. It is
believed to be the only time in Thoroughbred history three brothers have won
races on a single card. The 2013-14 meeting was memorable for De La Cruz
for other reasons as well. He rode his 1,000th career winner aboard Jungle
Princess for trainer Jamie Ness and captured the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes
on My Sweet Dove for trainer Monte Thomas. De La Cruz missed several
weeks after fracturing a bone in his arm early in the meeting, but returned
in time to climb to fourth in the standings with 66 victories. Healthy for that
summer, De La Cruz ran away with the jockeys’ crown at Indiana Grand, riding
129 winners. During the 2012-13 TBD meeting, De La Cruz won the $75,000
Super Stakes aboard 6-year-old gelding Good Lord in then-track-record time of
1:22.03 for seven furlongs. His stakes success continued in the 2015 Wayward
Lass Stakes for owners Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Michael Maker
aboard Awesome Flower in stakes-record time. He is one of eight siblings.
Ricardo Feliciano
Born: August 4, 1976
Birthplace: Cleveland, OH
Residence: Cleveland and Tampa, FL
Family: Wife, Lady; sons, Benny and Armani
First Win: Clever Express, Mountaineer Park, 1997
Started Riding: 1997, ThistleDown
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs, ThistleDown
As he nears his 21st year in the irons, the ultra-consistent Feliciano, who
was closing in on 2,000 victories by late summer, continues to strengthen his
reputation as a strong gate rider, savvy judge of pace and excellent finisher. He
has averaged more than 100 victories over the last nine years. It seems as if
Feliciano was born to ride. His father Benny Feliciano was the leading jockey
at Tampa Bay Downs during the 1980-1981 meeting and is currently training.
Ricardo’s uncle Miguel Feliciano is also a successful trainer, primarily in Ohio,
and has saddled almost 1,400 winners. Ricardo rode his first race when he
was 11 at Classic Mile in Ocala, Fla., describing it as “part of a country day at
the races.” He grew up around ThistleDown outside Cleveland, and says of
his early years around the oval, “I was fascinated by it. I went a lot when I was
really young, and then I went back when I was about 15 or 16 and I carried
on. I started galloping horses in the morning, and then I was a (jockey’s) valet
for three years. After that, I got my license and started riding.” First, though,
his father required him to complete his education, although he was allowed
to gallop horses. Among the top horses he has ridden is the venerable mare
Pay the Man, an Ohio-bred trained by his uncle. She won more than $1-million
and 21 stakes, the majority with Ricardo in the irons. He competes primarily at
ThistleDown in the summers, occasionally switching his tack to Presque Isle
Downs in Erie, Pa.
31

Jockey Profile
Jose C. Ferrer
Born: March 31, 1964
Birthplace: Santurce, Puerto Rico
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife, Steffi; sons, Derek Gregory and Joseph
First Win: Meadowlands, 1983
Started Riding: 1982, Monmouth Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
The Feb. 14 card, 2016 was one to remember for Ferrer. He captured backto-back
races that day, with the second victory, aboard Rocket Bottle for
owner-trainer Robert G. Smith, No. 4,000 in the rider’s illustrious career. The
entire jockey colony, family and friends descended on the winner’s circle to
congratulate the popular veteran, who has built an enviable record since
arriving on the scene in 1982. Ferrer finished ninth in the standings with 30
victories. He has 26 graded-stakes victories, none bigger than the Grade I
Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga in 2000 on Stormy Pick. The victory aboard
the Ben Perkins, Jr.-trained 2-year-old filly came a week after Ferrer had won
the Grade II, $350,000 Iselin Handicap at Monmouth on Rize. Ferrer prides
himself on staying in top condition, crediting his exercise regimen with helping
him successfully compete against jockeys half his age. Ferrer began his U.S.
riding career at Calder Race Course in Miami before heading north to New
Jersey. Later that year, he became the first jockey to win five races on a single
card at Meadowlands. Ferrer was the leading jockey in 2015 at the month-long
Meadowlands meeting with eight victories and placed sixth at Monmouth Park
with 41 winners. “I’m naturally pretty light, and that helps a lot,” said Ferrer, who
also credits his family and his faith for keeping him strong
Antonio A. Gallardo
Born: July 18, 1987
Birthplace: Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Spain
Residence:
Family:
First Win:
Started Riding:
Circuit:
Tampa, FL
Wife, Polliana; son, Carlos; daughter, Christa
Teifani, Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol, Malaga, Spain
Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs, Monmouth Park
The hard-driving Spaniard is a man on a mission. After posting 320 victories
in 2015 to finish second in North America to Eclipse Award winner Javier
Castellano, Gallardo was again in the running for national honors by late
summer. He has won three consecutive jockey titles at Tampa Bay Downs,
setting a track record with 147 winners during the 2014-2015 meeting, and
appeared well on his way to a third consecutive crown at Presque Isle Downs
while also winning races at Monmouth. In July, he rode his 1,000th winner
at Presque Isle, and a few days later he captured his first career gradedstakes
victory on Front Pocket Money in the Grade III Jersey Shore Stakes at
Monmouth. Gallardo has won five races on a card at Tampa Bay Downs three
times, most recently on Feb. 24. Trainer Kathleen O’Connell might have said
it best after Gallardo set the Tampa Bay Downs single-season victory record
aboard her 5-year-old gelding Silver Halo at the tail end of the 2014-2015
meeting. “He’s relentless in his work ethic. I don’t care if there is one horse to
breeze, he comes out for whoever’s horse it is,” O’Connell said. “He is very
astute at studying horses and films, and he is just a wonderful person to work
with.” During the 2015-2016 Oldsmar meeting, Gallardo won the Gasparilla
Stakes on R Girls a Charmer and captured two Florida Cup Day stakes: the
Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore on Imperial Hint and the Tampa Turf Classic
on Go Around. Gallardo emerged as a force to be reckoned with at Calder Race
Course on Aug. 24, 2013 by winning four consecutive stakes, the last three for
O’Connell. Gallardo’s first victory came in the Lindsay Frolic Stakes for 2-yearold
fillies on Flat Out Charming. He and O’Connell then teamed to capture the
Catcharisingstar Stakes with sophomore filly Secret Kitten; the Florida Stallion
Susan’s Girl Stakes with 2-year-old filly Scandalous Act; and the Florida Stallion
Affirmed Stakes with My Brown Eyed Guy.
32

Jockey Profile
Chelsey Keiser
Born: February 6, 1992
Birthplace: Piqua, Ohio
Residence: North Star, Ohio
Family: Parents, Mike and Deb Keiser; sister, Mandy
First Win: Smileforthecamera, Laurel Park, 2013
Started Riding: 2013, Laurel Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
Growing up in North Star, Ohio, horses were always a part of Keiser’s life.
She competed in barrel racing as a youngster, but when she began exercising
horses on the family farm at 14, she made up her mind to become a jockey.
“There is something addictive about racing Thoroughbreds,” she said. “When
you win a race, it’s the best feeling in the world and you want to do it again, and
when you get beat you’ve got to do it again because you want to win.” Keiser
has a unique ability to transmit her joy and love of horses to the public, and her
winner’s-circle celebrations are always festive occasions. Now, staying healthy
is the major obstacle to her ongoing success. In 2015 at Monmouth Park, she
suffered a broken collarbone that kept her out of action almost four months.
She won her first two races upon her return to the saddle, one at Indiana Grand
and one at Mountaineer, and wasted no time making an impact at Tampa Bay
Downs last season, winning the first race on the Nov. 28 Opening Day card on
Category. She finished the meeting in 13th place with 21 victories and moved
her tack to Monmouth, where she was again injured, suffering a fractured
sternum when her horse clipped heels with another that drifted into their path.
Keiser was expected to be out at least two months, but is eager to return to
competition and regain her form from the 2015-2016 Oldsmar meeting.
Victor Lebron
Born: July 21, 1984
Birthplace: St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Residence: Florence, KY
Family: Wife, Ruth; daughters Maya, Leslieann, Lea and Jaslean; twin boys,
Jayden and Akilies
Started Riding: St. Croix
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
Lebron has established himself in the top rank of Tampa Bay Downs jockeys
during the past two seasons. He was sixth in the 2014-2015 standings with 33
victories, including a triumph aboard Irish Jasper in stakes-record time in the
seven-furlong Gasparilla Stakes for owner-trainer Derek Ryan. He was also
sixth last season with 35 victories. Lebron has a knack for making a strong first
impression. He won the first graded stakes he ever rode, piloting 21-1 shot
Swift Temper to victory in the Grade III Gardenia Handicap at Ellis Park in 2008.
And in his first season at Tampa Bay Downs two years ago, he won the Super
Stakes on Our Double Play for trainer Phil Bauer. Lebron, who won 263 races
in 2008, has surpassed the 1,500-mark in career victories. He won the Grade II
Indiana Oaks in 2013 aboard Pure Fun for trainer Ken McPeek. It was another
McPeek runner that gave Lebron his most memorable moment in racing. After
riding Frac Daddy to a second-place finish in the 2013 Arkansas Derby, Lebron
got to ride him in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, becoming
one of a small number of African-American riders to compete in the Run for the
Roses. Also in the field was his St. Croix Central High School classmate Kevin
Krigger, also African-American, aboard Goldencents.
33

Jockey Profile
Pablo Morales
Born: September 5, 1988
Birthplace: Lima, Peru
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife, Erin; daughter, Sophia; son, Camilo
First Win: Alena’s Boy, Gulfstream Park, 2005
Started Riding: 2004, Monterrico, Peru
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs
Precocious is one word used to describe Pablo Morales. He earned his first
North American victory at Gulfstream in 2005 before his 17th birthday; that
same year, just after turning 17, he captured the Grade II, $750,000 Super
Derby at Louisiana Downs aboard The Daddy. Talented is another spot-on
definition. Morales won three consecutive riding titles at Presque Isle Downs in
Erie, Pa., from 2011-2013 before settling for second the next two seasons. By
late summer of 2016, he was in contention for another title. Morales finished
eighth in the Oldsmar standings last season with 31 victories. Earlier in his
career, Morales spent two winters riding at Aqueduct in New York for such
leading trainers as Gary Contessa, Kiaran McLaughlin and H. Graham Motion,
but welcomes the chance every winter and spring to compete at Tampa Bay
Downs. He recorded career victory No. 1,000 in 2014 at Presque Isle Downs
aboard For Scipion. One of several jockeys from Peru to ride in Oldsmar in
recent years, Morales graduated from the same jockeys school in Peru as Hall
of Fame member Edgar Prado, West Coast standout Rafael Bejarano and
Oldsmar rival Fernando De La Cruz. Morales achieved back-to-back stakes
victories in 2015 at Presque Isle and Parx aboard the filly R Frosty One for
trainer Eduardo Rojas, his father-in-law.
Erick D. Rodriguez
Born: March 3, 1980
Birthplace: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Sons, Cristian and Adrian; daughter, Ericka
First win: Parx Racing, 2002
Started Riding: 2001, Calder Race Course
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, Laurel
His ability to produce a mount’s best effort on the Tampa Bay Downs turf course
helped Rodriguez land the 2016 Florida Cup Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff
Turf aboard 24-1 shot Speed Seeker, but it isn’t only local trainers who know
of his mastery on the grass. In 2014, Rodriguez was the only jockey to win
two graded stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, capturing the Endeavour and the
Hillsborough (both Grade IIIs at the time) on the 5-year-old mare Cloud Scapes,
a Pin Oak Stable homebred trained by H. Graham Motion. Rodriguez learned
early in his career that being a jockey can be dangerous, but the rewards can
be immense. In 2005, four months after breaking four vertebrae in his back,
he won the abbreviated summer meeting at Pimlico. He had a strong summer
at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa., in 2015, riding 74 winners to finish third
in the standings. He moved his tack to Delaware for the summer of 2016.
Rodriguez built his career from the ground up, galloping and breaking horses
in Puerto Rico before coming to the mid-Atlantic region. Rodriguez earned his
first graded-stakes victory on Ryan’s For Real in the 2008 Grade III, $200,000
Bill Hartack Memorial Handicap at Hawthorne for trainer Dale Capuano. He is
closing in on 1,500 career victories.
34

Jockey Profile
Ademar Santos
Born: August 27, 1975
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Wife, Rose; sons Lucas, Gabriel, and Rafael
First Win: The Cure, Hipodromo de Gavea, Brazil, 1993
Started Riding: 1993, Hipodromo de Gavea, Brazil
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs, ThistleDown
Santos seems to heat up with the weather. He won the $5,000 Jockeys’
Challenge in 2014 and 2015 during Tampa Bay Downs’ Summer Festival of
Racing, winning four races and finishing in the money on all 11 mounts during
the 2015 event. His three winners on the first day of the Summer Festival
boosted him to seventh in the 2014-2015 standings with 29 victories; he
finished 10th in the standings in 2015-2016 with 28 victories and took third in
the 2016 Jockeys’ Challenge. Santos knows a positive attitude is his key to
success on the track. “As long as I stay motivated and stay positive, I can keep
improving,” he said. “I have an Equicizer (a mechanical horse) at home and
spend a half-hour on it every morning after working out seven or eight horses at
the track, so I think I’m as fit as anybody.” His wife and sons — 9-year-old twins
Lucas and Gabriel and 7-year-old Rafael — are his biggest supporters.
Scott Spieth
Born: October 25, 1966
Birthplace: Litchfield, Michigan
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Fiancee, Aldana Gonzalez; Daughters, Kirsten Swan, Victoria, and
Valerie; sons, Austin and Bruin
First win: Glendale Downs, 1981 (Quarter Horse)
Started Riding: 1981, Glendale Downs
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Four years after reaching the 4,000-victory mark at Tampa Bay Downs, Spieth
achieved another milestone at the Oldsmar oval last April, visiting a winner’s
circle for the 4,500th time aboard the 4-year-old filly Awesome Indeed. Making
the occasion doubly meaningful was that the horse was trained by Spieth’s
fiancée, Aldana Gonzalez. Spieth has set his sights on reaching 5,000 victories
before hanging up his tack, and anyone familiar with his skills, determination
and work ethic won’t bet against him. From 2000-2008, Spieth often rode two
cards a day, competing at ThistleDown outside Cleveland during the day and
at Mountaineer in West Virginia at night. Spieth rode 307 winners in 2005
and averaged 269 a year from 2005-2007. In 2009, he recorded perhaps the
most memorable victory in his career in the $500,000 West Virginia Jefferson
Security Cup Cavada Breeders’ Classic at Charles Town aboard 3-year-old
filly My Sister Margaret. “I’ve put in my time, that’s for sure,” Spieth says.
“I’ve had spills that could have been major problems but haven’t been, so I’ve
been lucky. I guess I would describe myself as being very dedicated toward
the business.” He credits his parents, Lavern and Gearldine, as well as his
brothers, former Quarter Horse trainer Tony and equine dentist and blacksmith
Jason, for their lifelong support. His daughter, Kirsten Swan, is a top jockey of
Arabian-bred horses who won the 2014 Darley Award.
35

Jockey Profile
Huber Villa-Gomez
Born: January 28, 1976
Birthplace: Ayacucho, Peru
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Son, Maxy; daughter, Abby
First Win: Victorio, in Peru
Started Riding: 1997
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Presque Isle Downs
Villa-Gomez captured his first graded-stakes triumph in October of 2015 by
winning the Grade III Ontario Fashion Stakes at Woodbine in Toronto on
Cactus Kris. In May, they won the Grade III Hendrie at Woodbine for the rider’s
second graded-stakes victory. Villa-Gomez, who was approaching 1,800 career
victories by late summer, missed the entire 2014-2015 Tampa Bay Downs
season due to injury, but he returned to enjoy a strong meeting at Presque Isle
Downs, finishing eighth with 31 victories. Villa-Gomez is the epitome of a lunchbucket
jockey. He goes to work every day, quietly goes about his business and
by the end of the day, he rewards his owners, trainers and backers with the best
possible effort from their horses. A measure of the respect in which he is held
came toward the tail end of the 2011-12 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, when he
rode 11 winners during a seven-day stretch — for nine different trainers. Villa-
Gomez began riding in his native Peru after he gained an interest in horses
through a cousin who worked at a racetrack. “The first day I went to the track,
that’s when I knew I wanted to ride,” he says. At 18 he attended jockey school
in Peru, and won his first race there on Victorio. In 2011, he tied Pablo Morales
for the Presque Isle Downs crown. During the 2010-11 Tampa Bay Downs
meeting, Villa-Gomez was aboard Sneaking Uponyou for trainer Jamie Ness
when the 5-year-old gelding set a six-furlong track record of 1:08.69 (since
lowered) in the 2011 Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites
Sprint; the connections won the race again in 2014. When he’s not riding, Villa-
Gomez enjoys playing with his children, Maxy and Abby.
Gary Wales
Born: December 3, 1985
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Residence: North Adams, MA
Family: Wife, Katie; father, Colin; mother, Diane
First win: Leading Character, Colonial Downs, 2008
Started Riding: 2006, Lingfield Park Racecourse, England
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Attending the races at Musselburgh Racecourse in East Lothian, Scotland with
his grandfather as a youngster sparked a love of Thoroughbreds for Wales, who
worked at the local stables before enrolling in the Northern Racing College in
Doncaster, England when he was 17. In August of 2013, he was bidding to be
leading jockey at Suffolk when he fractured his L2 vertebra in a spill, sidelining
him for six weeks. Upon his return, he won on a mare named Thereisgoldahead
trained by his wife, Katie Mancini-Wales. The couple met about eight years
ago in South Carolina, where he was exercising horses and she was working
for pinhooker Kip Elser. Wales had his best year in 2014, riding 51 winners.
He is an avid golfer who played two summers ago at Gullane Golf Club in East
Lothian, where Rickie Fowler won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish
Open.
36

Trainer Profiles
37

Leading Trainers
YEAR TRAINER WINS YEAR TRAINER WINS
2015-2016 Gerald Bennett 51 1997-1998 Joe Cesarini 33
2014-2015 Jamie Ness 46 1996-1997 Don Rice 28
2013-2014 Jamie Ness 53 1995-1996 Don Rice 33
2012-2013 Jamie Ness 46 1994-1995 Don Rice 28
2011-2012 Jamie Ness 79* 1993-1994 Jason Stodghill 30
2010-2011 Jamie Ness/Gerald Bennett 61 1992-1993 John Reading 28
2009-2010 J. Ness/Kathleen O’Connell 51 1991-1992 John Reading 37
2008-2009 Jamie Ness 62 1990-1991 J.C. Barnhill 30
2007-2008 Jamie Ness 68 1989-1990 Joe Waunsch 33
2006-2007 Jamie Ness 38 1988-1989 Art Pedregal/Don Jordan 36
2005-2006 Kirk Ziadie 34 1987-1988 Art Pedregal 28
2004-2005 Don Rice 35 1986-1987 Norm Wismer/J.D. Braddy 27
2003-2004 Lynne Scace 25 1985-1986 Don Jordan 25
2002-2003 Don Rice 43 1984-1985 Mary Hodge 23
2001-2002 Don Rice 44 1983-1984 J.D. Braddy 29
2000-2001 Don Rice 37 1982-1983 Fred Warren 40
1999-2000 Don Rice 33 1981-1982 Jacqueline Branham 34
1998-1999 Kathleen O’Connell 26 1980-1981 Robert Guciardo 23
* TBD record
38

Trainer Profiles
Joseph Arboritanza
Born: August 19, 1960
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Residence: Evinston, FL
Family: Partner, Thomas Dann
First Win: Leroy’s Pride, Tampa Bay Downs, 2014
Started Training: Training: 2013
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Arboritanza began working with racehorses at Meadowood Farm in Yaphank,
N.Y., as a teenager, getting his start hotwalking and working around the
barn before becoming an exercise rider. He soon became a jockey, riding
Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses at the short-lived Parr Meadows track 50
miles from Belmont Park. He also rode at such minor tracks as Tioga Downs
and Evangeline and Delta Downs in Louisiana before getting a trainer’s license
in 1983. Although he took time to manage a restaurant in Brooksville, Fla., from
2000-2006, Arboritanza has always been around the track. He and partner
Thomas Dann have a 13-acre farm in Reddick, Fla., in the Ocala area, and
they train horses at the nearby Peninsula Training Center in addition to Tampa
Bay Downs. Arboritanza vaulted to prominence during the 2015-2016 Oldsmar
meeting, climbing to a tie for ninth in the final standings with 14 victories from
72 starters.
Dale Bennett
Born: July 8, 1972
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
Residence: Arlington Heights, IL
Family: Wife, Denise; daughters, Donna and Haleigh
First Win: Spirit of Austin, Detroit Race Course, 1998
Started Training: 1998, Detroit
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Arlington International
Bennett enjoyed another outstanding campaign during the 2015-2016 Tampa
Bay Downs meeting, finishing sixth in the standings with 21 winners. His
25-percent strike rate was the best for any trainer with at least 35 starts. Three
seasons ago, Bennett won the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay
Downs with Cool Cowboy for Savoy Stable. The son of Tampa Bay Downs
trainer Gerald Bennett grew up on a farm in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada.
He was raised around horses, and as time went by, Bennett began to progress
through the ranks of the backside, starting out hot-walking for his father, then
working as a groom and an exercise rider, all the while finding time to graduate
from Guelph Collegiate in 1991.Bennett has been a model of consistency,
saddling at least 40 winners every year but one from 2006-2015. He earned his
trainer’s license in 1998, beginning his career with three horses in his barn. One
of the three, Spirit of Austin, gave him his first win at Detroit Race Course. Since
then, Dale Bennett has excelled at any track where he keeps a stable. He says
his father has had the biggest influence on his career, teaching him the art of
communicating with horses, as well as the need to treat and train the horses as
individuals. Bennett’s most memorable horse is Marley’s Revenge, who gave
him his first stakes win in the 2004 Hansel Stakes at Turfway Park. Later that
season, he won the Taylor’s Special Stakes at Arlington.
39

Trainer Profiles
Gerald Bennett
Born: March 12, 1944
Birthplace: Springhill, Nova Scotia
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife Mary; sons, Dale and Jerry; daughter, Katharine; two
grandchildren
First win: Greenwood, Canada
Started Training: 1974
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Bennett, the father of Tampa Bay Downs trainer Dale Bennett, ended the nineyear
reign of Jamie Ness during the 2015-2016 meeting, capturing the Tampa
Bay Downs training title with 51 victories. Bennett tied a track record in March
by saddling four winners from four starters. Bennett, who had climbed to 18th
all-time with about 3,600 victories by midsummer, has compiled one of the most
remarkable records in the history of racing. He picked up minor stakes winner
Beau Genius after his 3-year-old season and trained him to victory in 13 stakes,
including the 1990 Philip H. Iselin (then a Grade I) and the 1990 Michigan Mile
and One-Eighth Handicap, then a Grade II. Beau Genius won the Hallandale
Handicap for Bennett at Gulfstream in 1990, a race also notable as the final
victory for Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker. Among other notable Bennett
trainees are Secret Romeo, winner of the 2002 Super Stakes and Pelican
Stakes, and Banker’s Jet, winner of seven stakes and more than $670,000.
Bennett trains Fast Flying Rumor, which established a Tampa Bay Downs
Beyer Speed Figure record of 108 in winning last season’s $100,000 Turf Dash.
Among his numerous accomplishments, Bennett has won five races in one
day. Victory No. 3,500 came at Tampa Bay Downs in March of 2015 with the
3-year-old filly Once More for Love. Bennett previously trained Standardbreds in
Canada.
William “Buff” Bradley
Born: August 26, 1963
Birthplace: Frankfort, KY
Residence: Frankfort, KY
Family: Wife, Kim; son, Drew; daughters, Kory and Jett
First Win: Spirit of Austin, Detroit Race Course, 1998
Started Training: 1998, Detroit
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs,Churchill Downs,Keeneland,Ellis Park,Gulfstream Park
The Bradley team enjoyed a Kentucky Derby Day to remember when 4-yearold
colt Divisidero won the Grade I Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes at
Churchill Downs on May 7, which happened to be Divisidero’s “real” birthday.
Divisidero had won the Grade II American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs
the previous May. Trainer Bradley, the son of the late Fred Bradley, himself
a Kentucky state senator and fighter pilot, reached the pinnacle of the sport
for the second year in a row in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup when his 5-year-old
homebred mare Groupie Doll successfully defended her title in the Filly and
Mare Sprint at Santa Anita. Bradley helped deliver Groupie Doll at the Bradley
family’s Indian Ridge Farm near Frankfort in April of 2008. “I remember the day
she foaled because she was such a beautiful red filly,” Bradley said. “I don’t
remember them all, but she stood out from Day 1.” Groupie Doll was bred
by Bradley and his father in partnership. A few days after her Breeders’ Cup
repeat, Groupie Doll was sold to Mandy Pope as a broodmare for $3.1 million
at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Prior to Groupie Doll, the
Bradleys’ greatest success came with the popular gelding Brass Hat, another
homebred and a Grade I winner which earned more than $2.1 million. Brass
Hat remains part of the family as a stable pony. Buff worked four years as an
assistant to Clarence Picou before going out on his own in 1993. He and his
family are proactive in Thoroughbred aftercare and have several retirees at the
farm, including Free Spirit’s Joy, the 1991 Grade I Super Derby winner Bradley
worked with when he was an assistant to Picou. His nickname, Buff, is short
for “Buffalo Bill,” which he acquired as a boy. His top assistants at Tampa Bay
Downs are Maria Kabel and Chelsey Moysey, both quality horsewomen in their
own right.
40

Trainer Profiles
Jason DaCosta
Born: March 12, 1944
Birthplace: Springhill, Nova Scotia
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife Mary;sons,Dale and Jerry; daughter,Katharine; two grandchildren
First win: Greenwood, Canada
Started Training: 1974
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Bennett, the father of Tampa Bay Downs trainer Dale Bennett, ended the nineyear
reign of Jamie Ness during the 2015-2016 meeting, capturing the Tampa
Bay Downs training title with 51 victories. Bennett tied a track record in March
by saddling four winners from four starters. Bennett, who had climbed to 18th
all-time with about 3,600 victories by midsummer, has compiled one of the most
remarkable records in the history of racing. He picked up minor stakes winner
Beau Genius after his 3-year-old season and trained him to victory in 13 stakes,
including the 1990 Philip H. Iselin (then a Grade I) and the 1990 Michigan Mile
and One-Eighth Handicap, then a Grade II. Beau Genius won the Hallandale
Handicap for Bennett at Gulfstream in 1990, a race also notable as the final
victory for Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker. Among other notable Bennett
trainees are Secret Romeo, winner of the 2002 Super Stakes and Pelican
Stakes, and Banker’s Jet, winner of seven stakes and more than $670,000.
Bennett trains Fast Flying Rumor, which established a Tampa Bay Downs
Beyer Speed Figure record of 108 in winning last season’s $100,000 Turf Dash.
Among his numerous accomplishments, Bennett has won five races in one
day. Victory No. 3,500 came at Tampa Bay Downs in March of 2015 with the
3-year-old filly Once More for Love. Bennett previously trained Standardbreds in
Canada.
Arnaud Delacour
Born: April 7, 1975
Birthplace: Lisieux, France
Residence: Elkton, MD
Family: Wife, Leigh; sons, Luca and Julien
First Win: Country Lyric, Pimlico
Started Training: 2013, Pimlico
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Laurel
Delacour joined an exclusive fraternity on July 30 when his 6-year-old gelding
A.P. Indian, bred and owned by Green Lantern Stables, won the Grade I Alfred
G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga. His work with the Indian Charlie offspring,
which did not make a start in stakes competition until his 5-year-old season,
includes a victory in his only start at Tampa Bay Downs. Delacour enjoyed one
of those magical days on July 9, when A.P. Indian won the Grade III Belmont
Sprint Championship. Less than 15 minutes later, the conditioner captured
the Grade III Delaware Oaks with WinStar Farm’s promising 3-year-old filly,
Dark Nile, with Oldsmar jockey Daniel Centeno in the irons. Delacour’s rapid
ascent up the training ranks picked up momentum in 2015 with Lael Stables’
3-year-old Tapit son Divining Rod, who made a strong early impression at
Tampa Bay Downs by finishing second in the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis
Stakes and third in the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby. In his next start,
the colt stamped himself as a Triple Crown candidate by winning the Grade
III Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. He then overcame a pre-race
deluge to finish third in the Xpressbet.com Preakness Stakes, won by eventual
Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, and added third-place efforts in the
Ohio Derby and Grade II Indiana Derby. Delacour is the husband of trainer
Leigh Delacour, who tied for 10th in the Tampa Bay Downs standings during the
2012-2013 meeting with 16 winners. After the birth of their son Luca in August
of 2012, the couple began to plan for Arnaud to take over the conditioning
duties on a full-time basis. Arnaud was fifth in last season’s Tampa Bay Downs
standings with 24 victories. The Delacours keep their horses at Fair Hill Training
Center in Maryland during the summer, enabling them to ship in to a variety of
mid-Atlantic tracks. Arnaud, who has about 70 horses in his barn, previously
worked as an assistant to Alain de Royer-Dupre in France and was an exercise
rider for Christophe Clement.
41

Trainer Profiles
Aldana Gonzalez
Born: July 19, 1978
Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Fiance,Scott Spieth; father, Raul; mother, Mirta; aunt, Blanca Gonzalez
First win: Soap Sudz, Meadowlands, 2006
Started Training: Meadowlands, 2006
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park
Gonzalez came to the United States in 2002, working first as a hotwalker for
her aunt Blanca, a jockey-turned-trainer. Gonzalez’s ambition was to become
a trainer, and she went to work as an assistant for Tom Skiffington, who placed
her in charge of his shedrow at Palm Beach Downs in south Florida. After
working for Skiffington and briefly training on her own, Gonzalez became
an assistant to Tampa Bay Downs veterinarian David Skand. “I learned a lot
from him about understanding a horse’s body, their conformation, soundness
and medications, and I also got to see what a lot of other trainers did to get a
horse ready,” she said. In 2007, Gonzalez accepted a job as an assistant to
Joan Scott, working under the Grade I-winning conditioner for five years. She
credits Scott for helping her sharpen her management and organizational skills,
and when the time arrived to open her own stable, she knew she was ready.
Gonzalez studied psychology for three years at the University of Buenos Aires
before coming to the United States. She is in a relationship with jockey Scott
Spieth, whom she says is her best friend and soulmate. She trains primarily for
Canadian homebuilder Bruno Schickedanz.
Anthony Granitz
Born: October 25, 1963
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Residence: Lemont, IL; Safety Harbor, FL
Family: Wife, Joy; daughters, Tiffanie, Taylor and Eve
First Win: Balmoral Park, 1984
Started Training: 1983, Illinois
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Arlington International, Indiana Grand
Granitz achieved a career milestone in January of 2015 at Tampa Bay Downs,
notching victory No. 1,000 with the gelding Wedding Savior. He dedicated the
victory to his father, Chris Granitz, who introduced him to Thoroughbred racing
by taking him to Arlington Park in Chicago when he was 13. That summer, the
elder Granitz helped Anthony get a job at Arlington Park working for friends,
and he has been involved in the sport ever since. He was an assistant to
his brother, Chris Granitz, Jr., before Chris took a job with the railroad and
Anthony took over the stable. Granitz sends many of his young horses to Ocala
to be broken by Chad Stewart before they return to the racetrack. In 2014,
Granitz’s then-5-year-old, Tell All You Know, won the Honor the Hero Stakes at
Canterbury Park. Among his other top horses are False Promises, which won
the Grade III Hawthorne Derby in 2003; 1991 Hawthorne Budweiser Breeders’
Cup Handicap winner Lord Joe; multiple-stakes winner Darley Dancer, an
Illinois-bred who earned more than $500,000 racing in the early to mid-1990s;
and Coni Bug, an Illinois-bred champion winner of the 1992 Pocahontas Stakes
at Churchill Downs.
42

Trainer Profiles
Eoin Harty
Born: November 23, 1962
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Residence: Arcadia, CA
Family: Wife, Kathy; son, Eddie
Started Training: 2000, West Coast
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Arlington International, southern California
A fourth-generation horseman, Harty has forged a tremendous record of
success since moving to the United States at 17 following one year at the Irish
National Stud. He spent 14 years as an assistant trainer in southern California,
first with John Russell and then with Bob Baffert. Harty was part of the Baffert
team when Silver Charm and Real Quiet won the Kentucky Derby and
Preakness in 1997 and 1998. Once on his own, Harty burst onto the national
scene in 2001, sending out Tempera to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies
as well as saddling the runner-up, Imperial Gesture. Tempera received an
Eclipse Award as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly. Harty earned the richest victory
of his career in 2009 when Well Armed won the $6-million Dubai World Cup
by a record 14 lengths. That followed an outstanding 2008 campaign when
the trainer won seven graded stakes, including the Goodwood with Well
Armed and the Santa Anita Derby and Travers with Colonel John. Other
Grade I winners for Harty include Victor’s Cry and Dubai Escapade. Harty’s
great-grandfather began his racing career in Ireland in 1880, working as both
a jockey and a trainer. Eoin’s grandfather Cyril trained Knight’s Crest, winner
of the 1944 Irish Grand National. His father, Eddie, was an accomplished
equestrian who competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and later won
the Grand National Steeplechase as a jockey. Harty met his wife Kathy in 1986
when she was exercising horses for Russell.
David Hinsley
Born: August 25, 1948
Birthplace: Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Wife, Sharon
Started Training: 1985, Sportsman’s Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Indiana Grand
Hinsley has been managing Hinsley Racing Stable for more than 30 years.
He began his career at 16 as a jockey in Australia, two years after his parents
moved “Down Under” from Canada. After their return, Hinsley worked helping
Spendthrift Farm prepare young horses for their introduction to racing before
becoming assistant trainer to W.H. “Jinks” Fires for 10 years. Hinsley opened
his own stable in 1986, the same year he and Sharon, also an assistant trainer,
were married. A hands-on trainer, Hinsley views each horse on its own terms
and is comfortable working with any kind of horse. Hinsley trained Rumor Has
It to win the Grade III Kentucky Cup Turf Stakes in 2008; the gelding still lives
at the track in a barn for winners of that event. In 2015 at Tampa Bay Downs,
the Hinsleys won the Minaret Stakes with their 5-year-old mare You Bought Her,
owned in partnership with Richard Perkins. You Bought Her was a 16-1 shot,
but the real reward for the Hinsleys came in bringing her back from a fall in the
Grade III Arlington-Washington Lassie as a 2-year-old. She did not win again
until March of her 4-year-old season at Tampa Bay Downs. You Bought Her
successful defended her Minaret title in 2016.
43

Trainer Profiles
Jamie Ness
Born: October 29, 1974
Birthplace: Huron, SD
Residence: Odessa, FL
Family: Wife, Mandy; daughters, Hannah, Emma and Jessy Smith
First Win: Blue Rocket, Canterbury Park, 2000
Started Training: 2000, Canterbury Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel, Pimlico, Monmouth, Delaware
Even when he doesn’t win a training title, the soft-spoken Ness continues to
collect hardware. Despite finishing runner-up to Gerald Bennett in the 2015-
2016 Oldsmar trainer standings with 39 victories, Ness and his Jagger, Inc.,
ownership operation captured the owners’ crown by sending out 15 winners.
Ness dethroned Midwest Thoroughbreds, which had won six consecutive
Oldsmar owner titles under his guidance but pulled its horses from the
conditioner early in the 2015-2016 meeting to pursue opportunities at other
tracks. Ness reached the 2,500-victory mark for his training career in July
at Delaware with a victory by Charlesbrecknridge, a gelding he owns in
partnership with Mark Hoffman. His best year as a trainer came in 2012, when
Ness led all North American conditioners with 395 victories. He had finished
second in the country in 2011 and 2010 with 330 and 291, respectively.
Ness won four track training titles in 2015, with crowns at Pimlico, Delaware
and Meadowlands in addition to his Tampa Bay Downs success. Ness set a
Tampa Bay Downs record during the 2011-2012 meeting with 79 victories.
In November of 2013, Ness earned his 2,000th career victory at Laurel Park
with 6-year-old gelding Caylee’s Song. One of his biggest success stories
was multiple Tampa Bay Downs stakes winner Lookinforthesecret. Ness
claimed Lookinforthesecret for $12,500 at the beginning of the 2006-07
Tampa Bay Downs meet, and within five starts moved the gelding to stakes
company. Ness also won the 2011 Pelican Stakes for Midwest with See I A
and won the Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint with
Sneaking Uponyou in 2011 and 2014. “My father was a trainer, and I grew up
in the summers going to tracks with him to work. Racing got into my blood at
an early age,” Ness said. Wife Mandy is also a trainer and a former jockey.
Kathleen O’Connell
Birthplace: Detroit, MI
Residence: Davie, FL
Family: Single
First Win: Kim’s Lucky Spot, Detroit Race Course
Started Training: Early 1980s, Detroit Race Course
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park,Gulfstream Park West Gulfstream
O’Connell enjoyed another outstanding season at Tampa Bay Downs in 2015-
2016, finishing third in the standings with 38 victories. Her national profile
skyrocketed throughout 2015 via the accomplishments of her 3-year-old filly
Lady Shipman, which finished second by a neck to Mongolian Saturday in the
Twinspires Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Lady Shipman’s 8-for-12
career mark through that runner-up effort against older males included six
stakes victories and a pair of course records, including one at Saratoga on
the turf in the five-and-a-half furlong Smart N Fancy Stakes (Lady Shipman is
now trained by Kiaran McLaughlin). When O’Connell saddled 43-1 shot Watch
Me Go to win the 2011 Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby for her long-time
client, Florida owner-breeder Gilbert Campbell, it was one of the most popular
outcomes in track history. O’Connell treats everyone with kindness, and her
work ethic is an example to any young trainer making their way. O’Connell
begins the 2016-2017 meeting with more than 1,800 career victories, and she
has won two training titles at Tampa Bay Downs and the 2009-10 title at Calder,
which made her the first woman to capture the crown at the south Florida track.
O’Connell gained national recognition in 2013 as the trainer of the 2-year-old
filly Scandalous Act, which swept the Florida Stallion Stakes series for fillies
en route to a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. O'Connell began her
training career in her native Michigan, but has been competing in Florida since
1985. O’Connell counts millionaire Blazing Sword among her trainees; Blazing
Sword captured two divisions of the 1996 Florida Stallion Stakes, as well as
the Grade II Washington Handicap and the Calder Derby. Besides Blazing
Sword, O'Connell has trained such stakes performers as Shananie's Beat,
Lindsay Lane, Shan's Ready, Shananie's Finale, Sheer Bliss and Bettarun
Fast. Her 2002 juvenile filly Ivanavinalot won two Florida Stallion Stakes series
races, including a record-setting 13 3/4-length win in the My Dear Girl Stakes.
Ivanavinalot is the dam of top 3-year-old filly Songbird.
44

Trainer Profiles
Tom Proctor
Born: April 21, 1956
Birthplace: Gilmer, TX
Residence: Louisville, KY
Family: Son, Will; daughter, Heather
First Win: I’m Smokin, Hollywood Park, 1978
Started Training: 1978, Hollywood Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Laurel, Saratoga
Even when he doesn’t win a training title, the soft-spoken Ness continues to
collect hardware. Despite finishing runner-up to Gerald Bennett in the 2015-
2016 Oldsmar trainer standings with 39 victories, Ness and his Jagger, Inc.,
ownership operation captured the owners’ crown by sending out 15 winners.
Ness dethroned Midwest Thoroughbreds, which had won six consecutive
Oldsmar owner titles under his guidance but pulled its horses from the
conditioner early in the 2015-2016 meeting to pursue opportunities at other
tracks. Ness reached the 2,500-victory mark for his training career in July
at Delaware with a victory by Charlesbrecknridge, a gelding he owns in
partnership with Mark Hoffman. His best year as a trainer came in 2012, when
Ness led all North American conditioners with 395 victories. He had finished
second in the country in 2011 and 2010 with 330 and 291, respectively. Ness
won four track training titles in 2015, with crowns at Pimlico, Delaware and
Meadowlands in addition to his Tampa Bay Downs success. Ness set a Tampa
Bay Downs record during the 2011-2012 meeting with 79 victories. In November
of 2013, Ness earned his 2,000th career victory at Laurel Park with 6-year-old
gelding Caylee’s Song. One of his biggest success stories was multiple Tampa
Bay Downs stakes winner Lookinforthesecret. Ness claimed Lookinforthesecret
for $12,500 at the beginning of the 2006-07 Tampa Bay Downs meet, and
within five starts moved the gelding to stakes company. Ness also won the 2011
Pelican Stakes for Midwest with See I A and won the Florida Cup Hilton Garden
Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint with Sneaking Uponyou in 2011 and 2014. “My
father was a trainer, and I grew up in the summers going to tracks with him to
work. Racing got into my blood at an early age,” Ness said. Wife Mandy is also
a trainer and a former jockey.
Robert A.“Bobby”Raymond
Born: December 18, 1947
Birthplace: Woonsocket, RI
Residence: North Smithfield, RI
Family: Wife, Kathy; son, Robert II
First Win: That I Believe, Narragansett, 1979
Started Training: 1979, Narragansett
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Delaware Park, Suffolk Downs
Even when he doesn’t win a training title, the soft-spoken Ness continues to
collect hardware. Despite finishing runner-up to Gerald Bennett in the 2015-
2016 Oldsmar trainer standings with 39 victories, Ness and his Jagger, Inc.,
ownership operation captured the owners’ crown by sending out 15 winners.
Ness dethroned Midwest Thoroughbreds, which had won six consecutive
Oldsmar owner titles under his guidance but pulled its horses from the
conditioner early in the 2015-2016 meeting to pursue opportunities at other
tracks. Ness reached the 2,500-victory mark for his training career in July
at Delaware with a victory by Charlesbrecknridge, a gelding he owns in
partnership with Mark Hoffman. His best year as a trainer came in 2012, when
Ness led all North American conditioners with 395 victories. He had finished
second in the country in 2011 and 2010 with 330 and 291, respectively. Ness
won four track training titles in 2015, with crowns at Pimlico, Delaware and
Meadowlands in addition to his Tampa Bay Downs success. Ness set a Tampa
Bay Downs record during the 2011-2012 meeting with 79 victories. In November
of 2013, Ness earned his 2,000th career victory at Laurel Park with 6-year-old
gelding Caylee’s Song. One of his biggest success stories was multiple Tampa
Bay Downs stakes winner Lookinforthesecret. Ness claimed Lookinforthesecret
for $12,500 at the beginning of the 2006-07 Tampa Bay Downs meet, and
within five starts moved the gelding to stakes company. Ness also won the 2011
Pelican Stakes for Midwest with See I A and won the Florida Cup Hilton Garden
Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint with Sneaking Uponyou in 2011 and 2014. “My
father was a trainer, and I grew up in the summers going to tracks with him to
work. Racing got into my blood at an early age,” Ness said. Wife Mandy is also
a trainer and a former jockey.
45

Trainer Profiles
Bernell Rhone
Born: April 17, 1949
Birthplace: Harvey, ND
Residence: Oldsmar, FL
Family: Daughter, LeAnn; son, Scott; two granddaughters
First Win: Villa’s Jet, Brown County Fair, Aberdeen, South Dakota
Started Training: Marquis Downs, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Canterbury Park
Bernell Rhone knows about getting on a hot streak. On Aug. 14, 2003 at
Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., Rhone saddled six winners from seven
starters. “I thought my first one was my best shot, and when it ran fourth or fifth
I said to myself, ‘It’s going to be a long night,’ ” Rhone recalls. It was actually
much longer than he expected. “I couldn’t even sleep that night,” says Rhone,
a member of Canterbury Park’s Hall of Fame. “The only thing I regret is, I
didn’t buy a lottery ticket.” Rhone has accumulated more than 1,300 career
victories. Rhone is a former social studies teacher and guidance counselor
with a Master’s degree in counseling. Daughter LeAnn is his assistant, and son
Scott is a farrier. Rhone has teamed successfully over the years with jockey
Dean Butler, giving him a leg up when Butler won his 2,000th race last season
on Impromptu. Some of Rhone’s top runners over the years include multiplestakes
winner Dontbotherknocking, a Farma Way gelding who won more than
$700,000; Indiana-bred gelding Heza Wild Guy, who won eight stakes, 30
races overall and more than $650,000; Minnesota-bred multiple-stakes-winning
distaffer Dot’s Moment; and Game N Laughin,’ who won the 2008 Lightning City
Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs as a 5-year-old mare at odds of 29-1. Rhone won
five consecutive races at Tampa Bay Downs three seasons ago with the 8-yearold
gelding Gold Brew, a former $5,000 claimer.
Derek Ryan
Born: Sept. 22, 1966
Birthplace: Tipperary, Ireland
Residence: Eatontown, NJ
Family: Son, Christopher
First Win: Moosethegoose, Gulfstream Park, 1996
Started Training: 1995, Gulfstream Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
In December of 2014, Ryan unveiled a speedy 2-year-old filly named Irish
Jasper, winning the Gasparilla Stakes in record time of 1:22.41 for seven
furlongs. Subsequent victories as a 3-year-old in the Belle Harbor Stakes at
Aqueduct, the Grade III Adena Springs Miss Preakness at Pimlico and the
Grade III Victory Ride Stakes at Belmont followed before Ryan sold the filly
to W.S. Farish and David F. Mackie. It was not the first time Ryan traveled to
the Big Apple with a graded-stakes standout. He vaulted to prominence in the
spring of 2009 by saddling Musket Man for a victory in the then-Grade III Tampa
Bay Derby for owners Eric Fein and Vic Carlson. Musket Man, which had won
the Pasco Stakes earlier in the meeting, later captured the Grade II Illinois
Derby and finished third in both the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands
and Blackberry Preakness. As a 4-year-old, Musket Man won the Super Stakes
at Tampa Bay Downs and finished second in a pair of major Grade I stakes, the
Carter Handicap and the Metropolitan Handicap, as well as finishing third in the
Grade I Whitney at Saratoga.One of eight siblings, Ryan became interested
in horses at an early age. “I began riding ponies as a little kid, and things just
progressed from there,” he recalls. Ryan galloped horses in Europe for trainers
Criquette Head, Tommy Stack and Barney Curley. After coming to the United
States in 1989, he became a free-lance exercise rider and galloped for Hall of
Fame trainer William Mott, Phil Johnson, Joseph Orseno and Richard DeStasio.
Ryan set out on his own in 1995 and shortly afterward won his first stakes race
with Java Nagila, a former $12,500 claimer. His first graded stakes victory came
in the 2002 Jersey Derby with 55-1 shot Emergency Status.
46

Trainer Profiles
Joan Scott
Born: January 30, 1967
Birthplace: Harrisonburg, VA
Residence: Lexington, KY and Tampa, FL
Family: Mother, Wilsene Scott; brothers, Chris and Steve
First Win: Hoosier Park
Started Training: 2000, Hoosier Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
Scott’s biggest victory of the 2015-2016 Oldsmar meeting came on Florida
Cup Day when 24-1 shot Speed Seeker wired the field in the Pleasant Acres
Stallions Distaff Turf. Speed Seeker had previously won the Grade III Ontario
Colleen in 2014. Scott trained the gelding Ancil, which set a Tampa Bay Downs
turf-course record of 54.88 seconds for five furlongs (since lowered by Bold
Thunder to 54.63) in winning the $100,000 Turf Dash Stakes in 2014. The
victory earned Ancil an invitation to Royal Ascot in England for the King’s Stand
Stakes and although he finished off the board, the trip was a thrill for Scott and
another indication of her training prowess. Before branching out on her own,
she toured the world working at such prestigious sales as Deauville in France
and Newmarket in England, as well as exercising and breaking yearlings for
top outfits such as Juddmonte Farms, Fares Farm, Ashleigh Stud, England’s
Stowell Hill Farm and Haras du Quesnay. Scott, who sent out eight winners
from only 46 starters during the 2015-2016 Tampa Bay Downs meeting,
conditioned stakes winner Ruler of Love, which finished second in the Grade II
West Virginia Derby and Grade II Super Derby in 2013. Another Scott trainee,
the speedy mare Cor Cor, was a multiple stakes winner, including the Sandpiper
Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs as a 2-year-old. Scott trained Dr. Zic to win the
Grade I Vinery Madison at Keeneland in 2010. The filly had won the 2008
Sandpiper Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Scott also won the Grade II Kelso
Breeders’ Cup Handicap in 2003 with Freefourinternet. Before going out on her
own in 2002, Scott galloped for and/or assisted many top trainers, including
Bud Delp, Elliott Walden, Carl Nafzger and Nick Zito. She was with Zito when
he had such stakes stars as Acceptable, Louis Quatorze, Love That Jazz,
Diligence and Storm Song. “That’s a lot of fun,” she said. “It’s like having your
own kindergarten class. It’s a great feeling when you see the light come on and
off they go.”
Chad Stewart
Born: October 25, 1964
Birthplace: Wisner, NE
Residence: Ocala, FL
Family: Wife, Dr. Laurie Stewart; sons, Christian, Zackary and Jacob
First Win: Bobadodadee, Atokad Park, 1984
Started Training: Atokad Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream
Stewart entered exclusive company in 2015 when he captured his first graded
stakes victory with the 6-year-old gelding Rerun in the Grade III Miami Mile
Stakes at Gulfstream, but his most impressive effort may have come with his
3-year-old colt, Catalina Red. The Florida-bred set a stakes record of 1:09.32
for the six-furlong Inaugural as a 2-year-old, then won the Pasco Stakes as
a 3-year-old in track-record time of 1:21.40 for seven furlongs. In his final
race for Stewart, Catalina Red won the 2016 Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn/
Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint; the son of Munnings was next seen winning the
Grade II Churchill Downs Stakes on the first Saturday in May out of a different
barn. Stewart grew up on a crop farm in the “metropolis of Wisner,” a town of
about 350 folks 90 miles northwest of Omaha. His family moved to Arkansas
when he was 13 and he started hot-walking horses and galloping at a nearby
training center. By the early 1980s, Stewart was getting on 12-to-15 head a day
at Park Jefferson at South Dakota and making $40-$50 a day. “I thought, ‘I’m
rolling now,’ ” he recalls. Stewart lives in Ocala with his family (wife Laurie is a
veterinarian) at their 94-acre Grace Full Oaks Farm, where the Thoroughbred
population ranges anywhere from 70 to 120 or so horses. He ships in his
runners to Tampa Bay Downs. In addition to running his own stable, Stewart
breaks dozens of horses annually, preparing them for the races before sending
them to such successful trainers as Chris Block, Anthony Granitz and Ian
Wilkes. The Stewarts bred Tightend Touchdown, who dead-heated for second in
the 2013 Geico Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
47

Trainer Profiles
Monte Thomas
Born: September 25, 1944
Birthplace: Swedesboro, NJ
Residence: Citra, FL
Family: Wife, Cathy; daughter, Erica Ruygrok
First Win: Don Guillermo, 1970
Started Training: 1970, Charles Town
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park West, Gulfstream
Thomas, who ships in horses from his Ups & Downs Farm in Citra, Fla., has
kept 10 stalls at Tampa Bay Downs the last five seasons. He raises his young
horses at the farm with his wife, Cathy, and their daughter, Erica. Their days
are spent managing the 20 or so horses they have in training, along with two
stallions, seven or eight broodmares and clients’ horses being freshened for a
return to competition. Their stallion roster includes their own Hello Broadway,
second in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes in 2009, and Mount McKinley. Hello
Broadway is the sire of the family’s My Sweet Dove, which won the 2013
Sandpiper Stakes here as a 2-year-old. Cathy and Erica also teach retired
Thoroughbreds to transition to careers as dressage horses. Another key cog in
the operation is racetrack assistant Pedro Alarcon, who manages the horses
at the track when Thomas is at the farm. “I like to try to put them (his horses)
where they will be competitive, because it helps their courage not to get beaten
badly the first few times they run,” Thomas said. “As long as you are consistent
with whatever your plan is, it can work if you stay with it.” The Thomas plan
worked well enough last season to produce seven winners from 65 starters.
Dennis Ward
Born: August 25, 1946
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife,Jeanne; son,Wesley; grandsons,Riley and Jack;granddaughter, Denae
First Win: Yes Father, Portland Meadows
Started Training: Early 1970s, Portland Meadows
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park, Delaware Park
Ward had his best season yet at Tampa Bay Downs, sending out 27 winners
from 172 starters to finish fourth in the standings. Ward has been involved in
racing for more than a half-century, first earning recognition as a top apprentice
jockey in 1962 at Longacres in Washington state and enjoying success in New
York and on the East Coast. But in recent years, he has gained considerable
acclaim as the father of top trainer Wesley Ward, who won two Breeders’ Cup
races at Santa Anita in 2014. With Wesley staying home in Florida to attend a
son’s cross-country meet, Dennis Ward received enough TV face time during
that Breeders’ Cup to be nominated for an Emmy Award. The elder Ward picked
up the hardware after victories by Hootenanny in the Juvenile Turf and Judy
the Beauty in the Filly & Mare Sprint — not to mention two seconds and a third.
Dennis Ward groomed his son to follow in his footsteps, and Wesley Ward won
an Eclipse Award as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1984. Dennis Ward
also had a hand in helping tutor three other Eclipse Award-winning apprentice
jockeys: Dale Beckner (1994), Ariel Smith (1999) and Christian Santiago Reyes
(2009), as well as 2015-2016 leading Tampa Bay Downs apprentice Chad
Lindsay. Wesley was 16 when he won the Eclipse, winning 335 races. In 2009,
he became the first American trainer to win a race at the Royal Ascot meeting in
England, saddling Strike the Tiger and Jealous Again on successive days with
his proud father in attendance. “It is the greatest experience I’ve ever had at a
racetrack,” Dennis Ward said. As a trainer, the elder Ward has saddled more
than 900 winners.
48

Trainer Profiles
Ian Wilkes
Born: May 25, 1965
Birthplace: Taree, New South Wales, Australia
Residence: Louisville, KY
Family: Wife, Tracey; daughter, Shelby; son, Brodie
First Win: 2006, Gulfstream Park
Started Training: 2005
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Indiana Grand, Ellis Park, Saratoga
Wilkes engineered one of the most masterful training feats in memory in
2012 with Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Fort Larned, the then-4-year-old colt
he conditioned for breeder-owner Janis Whitham. On March 3, Fort Larned
won the Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs for his first added-money
triumph. Eight months later — after subsequent victories in the Grade III Skip
Away, the Grade III Cornhusker Handicap and the Grade I Whitney Invitational
at Saratoga — Wilkes led Fort Larned and jockey Brian Hernandez into the
Santa Anita winner’s circle following their hard-earned triumph in the $5-million
Classic. The following year, Wilkes sent out Fort Larned to win the Grade I
Stephen Foster Handicap Presented by Abu Dhabi at Churchill Downs. Other
Grade I winners for Wilkes include Capt. Candyman Can and Warrior’s Reward.
Wilkes grew up working on a dairy farm in New South Wales, becoming a
groom and exercise rider at 16. He worked in the stables of Australian trainers
Paul Sutherland, Vic Thompson, Jr., and Colin Hayes before arriving stateside
to work for Carl Nafzger in 1989. Wilkes' timing couldn't have been better: He
galloped Unbridled, who won both the 1990 Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup
Classic for Nafzger. After returning to Australia for three years, Wilkes rejoined
Nafzger in 1993 and played a key role in the development of Nafzger's second
Kentucky Derby winner, Street Sense, the Tampa Bay Derby winner who was
the first horse to pull off the Breeders' Cup Juvenile-Derby double in 2006 and
2007.
Joe Woodard
Born: March 22, 1968
Birthplace: Louisville, KY
Residence: Louisville, KY
Family: Son, Austin; daughter, Caitlin
First Win: Run With Rhythm, Ellis Park, 1992
Started Training: 1992, Churchill Downs
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Ellis Park, Churchill Downs, Belterra Park
Woodard was attending the University of Louisville more than 20 years ago
while pursuing a degree in criminal justice when he decided to purchase a
handful of claiming horses. He received his professional trainer’s license in
1992 and has never looked back. Woodard trains primarily for the ownership
group of Louisville automobile dealer Billy Hays, his wife Donna and their son
Justin, who have been among the leading owners in wins in North America the
last several years. They teamed for a victory two seasons ago in the Pelican
Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs with Star Harbour. The partnership began in 1998,
when the Hayses sent Woodard a gelding named Gnarl who raced 140 times
over an 11-year span. Woodard earned career victory No. 1,500 last April at
Belterra Park with the gelding Hard Way Six, owned by the Hayses. Woodard,
who saddled 254 winners in 2010 and 204 the following year, set a Churchill
Downs track record in 2005 by saddling 10 consecutive winners. Some of the
top horses he has trained for the Hays family include the gelding Slider, who
was second to Medaglia d’Oro in the 2003 Grade II Oaklawn Handicap; stakes
winner Art Fair, who competed in the 2002 Kentucky Oaks; and the multiplestakes
winning horse, Winning Connection.
49

Owner Profiles
Amaty Racing Stables
Owner: Dennis Amaty
Born: November 17, 1971
Birthplace: Elmont, NY
Residence: Lake Worth, FL
Tampa Trainers: Sandino R. Hernandez, Jr.
With a chance to claim a share of the 2014-2015 owners’ title at Tampa
Bay Downs, Dennis Amaty took a calculated risk by dropping his 4-year-old
gelding Bennie Y Benny to the $5,000 claiming level on June 30, the final day
of the meeting. The subsequent victory enabled Amaty Racing Stables to tie
perennial champion Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., atop the final standings
with 23 victories apiece, and Bennie Y Benny was not claimed from the race.
Amaty is the owner of Broward Aviation Services, which buys airplanes and
resells parts back to the airline industry. He and trainer Sandino R. Hernandez,
Jr., are boyhood friends, with Hernandez having trained horses for more than
20 years. In June of 2013 at Calder, Amaty claimed a 2-year-old filly, Nesso,
for $25,000 through trainer Herman Wilensky. Amaty sent her to the West
Coast, hoping to make a profit by selling her, but his plans quickly changed.
Nesso placed second in stakes at Del Mar and Santa Anita and competed in
the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Two months later, Nesso captured the
$100,000 Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs for newly-turned 3-year-old
fillies. Amaty, who has owned Thoroughbreds for 14 years, used to dabble in
pinhooking, but now he primarily claims to race, looking for future standouts
such as Nesso. Amaty owns the retired mare Capitalism At Risk, which won 18
times in her career, including the 2013 U Can Do It Handicap at Calder. Amaty
keeps about 15 horses in training at Tampa Bay Downs. Amaty Racing Stables
won 23 races from 65 starts during the 2014-2015 meeting, with an outstanding
72 percent finishing in the money.
Averill Racing LLC
Owner: Rich Averill
Born: October 24, 1975
Birthplace: Bradenton, FL
Residence: Bradenton, FL
Family: Son, Richie; daughters, Kinsley and Harper; fiancée, Annie
Tampa Trainers: Gerald Bennett
Rich Averill has wasted little time becoming a major force in Florida racing
and beyond. The owner of Rich Averill Masonry, a masonry and concrete
subcontracting company in nearby Bradenton, was a major player on the
national scene in 2005 with his 3-year-old filly R Lady Joy. After winning
the Florida Oaks on the main Tampa Bay Downs dirt surface, R Lady Joy
strung together four consecutive in-the-money efforts in major graded stakes,
highlighted by a victory in the Grade II Delaware Oaks. She capped her run
by finishing third in the historic Grade I Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. Averill
enjoyed another huge thrill at the Spa in July of 2014 when his mare R Free
Roll, owned in partnership with Silver Oak Stable, won the Grade II Honorable
Miss Handicap, one of three consecutive stakes victories. R Free Roll is a
homebred daughter of Jewels N Gems, which won a pair of stakes for Averill,
including the 2006 Lightning City at Tampa Bay Downs. Other top Averillowned
horses include Paradise Dancer, which won the Grade III Kenny Noe Jr.
Handicap at Calder in 2007; stakes winner and stakes-placed Rgirldoesn’tbluff;
and R Sassy Lass, who won both the Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies
and the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes as a 3-year-old at
the Oldsmar oval during the 2014-2015 meeting. Averill seeks to spread his
enjoyment of racing by bringing in new partners and also races his horses on a
regular basis in south Florida.
50

Owner Profiles
Gilbert G. Campbell
Owner: Gilbert G. Campbell
Residence: Tyngsboro, MA
Farm Location: Williston, FL
Tampa Trainers: Kathleen O’Connell
Family: Wife, Marilyn; son, Gary; daughter, Susan; five grandchildren
Campbell is a real estate developer in Lowell, Mass. He has been involved in
the Thoroughbred industry since 1982 and has bred or raced more than 50
stakes winners, including 1996 Arlington Million winner Marlin, Blazing Sword
and Ivanavinalot, the dam of top filly Songbird. Campbell owns Stonehedge
Farm South in Williston, Fla., where he stands Factum, Big Bad Barnie and
Revolving. Gilbert and his wife, Marilyn, have formed a highly successful
partnership with two-time leading Tampa Bay Downs trainer Kathleen
O’Connell. Their homebred filly, Scandalous Act, competed in the 2013
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita after sweeping all three races of
the Florida Stallion Stakes series for fillies. Campbell bred and owned Watch
Me Go, the 2011 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby winner which ran in that year’s
Kentucky Derby. In 1997, Campbell was honored as Outstanding Owner/
Breeder of the Year in the nation by Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’
Association and Florida Breeder of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred
Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. In 1988, Campbell purchased Waldemar
Farm in Williston and renamed it Stonehedge Farm South. It is one of the
premier full-service farms in Florida for breeding, training and breaking horses.
Campbell keeps about 200 horses at the farm, including stallions, broodmares,
weanlings, yearlings and lay-ups, and another 20-30 at the track. Campbell
serves on the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Board
of Directors.
Glen Hill Farm
Owner: Leonard H. Lavin
Born: October 29, 1919
Birthplace: Chicago, IL
Residence: Glencoe, IL
Family: Wife, Bernice; daughters, Carol and Karen; son, Scott (deceased
Farm Location: Ocala, FL
Tampa Trainers: Tom Proctor
Campbell is a real estate developer in Lowell, Mass. He has been involved in
the Thoroughbred industry since 1982 and has bred or raced more than 50
stakes winners, including 1996 Arlington Million winner Marlin, Blazing Sword
and Ivanavinalot, the dam of top filly Songbird. Campbell owns Stonehedge
Farm South in Williston, Fla., where he stands Factum, Big Bad Barnie and
Revolving. Gilbert and his wife, Marilyn, have formed a highly successful
partnership with two-time leading Tampa Bay Downs trainer Kathleen
O’Connell. Their homebred filly, Scandalous Act, competed in the 2013
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita after sweeping all three races of
the Florida Stallion Stakes series for fillies. Campbell bred and owned Watch
Me Go, the 2011 Grade II Tampa Bay Derby winner which ran in that year’s
Kentucky Derby. In 1997, Campbell was honored as Outstanding Owner/
Breeder of the Year in the nation by Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’
Association and Florida Breeder of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred
Breeders’ and Owners’ Association. In 1988, Campbell purchased Waldemar
Farm in Williston and renamed it Stonehedge Farm South. It is one of the
premier full-service farms in Florida for breeding, training and breaking horses.
Campbell keeps about 200 horses at the farm, including stallions, broodmares,
weanlings, yearlings and lay-ups, and another 20-30 at the track. Campbell
serves on the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Board
of Directors.
51

Owner Profiles
Godolphin Racing
Residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tampa Trainers: Eoin Harty
Owner: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Farm Location: Newmarket, United Kingdom; Al Quoz, Dubai
Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia
Godolphin is the Maktoum family’s private Thoroughbred horse racing stable.
Its headquarters are in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, but it has continued
to increase its profile at Tampa Bay Downs and other tracks in recent years.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE Vice President, Prime
Minister and Ruler of Dubai, is the driving force behind Godolphin, which is
named after the Godolphin Arabian, one of the three founding stallions of the
modern Thoroughbred. The family’s breeding operation, Darley, is named
in honor of another of the modern sport’s original stallions. Godolphin has
won more than 180 Grade I or Group I races in 12 countries. The Godolphin
operation won Eclipse Awards as Outstanding Owner in 2009 and 2012.
Godolphin has been crowned Champion British Owner 10 times and has
had winners in 14 countries. It has won five Breeders’ Cup races, including
the Breeders’ Cup Turf with Daylami in 1999 and Fantastic Light in 2001.
Among Sheikh Mohammed’s goals is a victory in a Triple Crown race; his
Darley homebred Frosted finished second to American Pharoah in the 2015
Belmont Presented by DraftKings. As a 4-year-old, Frosted, which is trained by
Kiaran McLaughlin, has been one of the top horses in training, with victories
in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Sponsored by EGA and the Mohegan
Sun Metropolitan Handicap. Perhaps best known for its European exploits,
Godolphin has campaigned such notable additional Grade I winners as Street
Cry, Sulamani, Discreet Cat, Music Note, Cocoa Beach, Flashing, Vineyard
Haven, Girolamo and Wedding Toast
Hays, Billy, Hays,
Donna and Hays, Justin
Residence: Louisville, KY
First Winner: Gnarl, 1996, Turfway Park
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Churchill Downs, Belterra Park, ThistleDown,
Mountaineer, Ellis Park, Keeneland
Prominent Louisville automobile dealer Billy Hays, his wife Donna and their son
Justin have won more than two dozen owner titles at Belterra Park (formerly
River Downs) alone since entering the racing game. With more than 1,600
career victories, the Hays family has emerged as one of the sport’s major
forces. From 2010-2012, the Hayses finished second in North America to
Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc., each year in victories, compiling a staggering
274 trips to the winner’s circle in 2011. The Hayses, who own a home in nearby
Tierra Verde, Fla., finished third in the 2014-2015 Tampa Bay Downs standings
with 13 victories. That included a triumph by their 7-year-old Star Harbour in the
Pelican Stakes. The Hayses finished second during the 2015-2016 meeting with
12 victories. The Hays horses are trained by Joe Woodard; he and Billy Hays
attended rival high schools while growing up in Louisville. Top runners for the
Hays-Woodard partnership over the years, in addition to Star Harbour, include
the gelding Slider, which was second to Medaglia d’Oro in the Grade II Oaklawn
Handicap in 2003; Art Fair, which competed in the 2002 Kentucky Oaks; and the
multiple stakes-winning horse, Winning Connection. Billy Hays has four Dodge
dealerships and import stores in Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. His father
was also an automobile dealer.
52

Owner Profiles
Jagger, Inc.
Owner: Jamie and Mandy Ness
Residence: Odessa, FL
Family: Daughters, Hannah, Emma and Jessy Smith
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Laurel, Pimlico, Monmouth, Delaware
Jamie Ness is known primarily for his training prowess, but the Jagger, Inc.,
operation of Ness and his wife Mandy is making a strong impact at Tampa Bay
Downs and other racetracks. The Jagger operation won the owners title at the
Oldsmar oval in 2015-2016 with 15 victories, breaking the six-year stranglehold
of Midwest Thoroughbreds on the top spot. Ironically, Ness was the long-time
trainer for Midwest before it moved its horses to various other tracks under
other trainers. At Tampa Bay Downs, the Jagger success story goes back to the
2009-2010 meeting, when Ness sent out the then-4-year-old gelding Sneaking
Uponyou to win the Pelican Stakes against the likes of 2008 Tampa Bay Derby
winner Big Truck. Later that season, Sneaking Uponyou captured the Turf Dash
Stakes (Ness also trained the runner-up, Probation Ready, for primary client
Midwest Thoroughbreds, Inc.), and the one-time claimer was even better as a
5-year-old, taking the Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint on Florida
Cup Day in (then) track-record time of 1:08.69 for six furlongs. But the best
was yet to come; three years later, Sneaking Uponyou again won the Florida
Cup Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint, speeding the distance in
1:09.08, only .41 seconds off the track record. The soft-spoken Ness had won
the track’s training title nine seasons in a row before being knocked from his
perch in 2015-2016 by Gerald Bennett. Ness had shared the No. 1 spot with
Kathleen O’Connell during the 2009-10 meeting and with Bennett in 2010-11.
His best year came in 2012, when Ness led all North American conditioners
with 395 victories. He had finished second in 2011 and 2010 with 330 and 291,
respectively, and was again in the top 10 at the outset of the current meeting.
Ness wrapped up his most recent Oldsmar training title in style during the 2014-
2015 meeting by winning 28 races from his last 68 starters to overtake Bennett
for the title.
Lael Stables
Owner: Roy and Gretchen Jackson
Residence: West Grove, Pa.
Family: Four children
Farm Location: West Grove, Pa.
Tampa Trainer: Arnaud Delacour
The Jacksons sprang into prominence in 2006 when they sent two unbeaten
horses to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Their homebred
colt Barbaro extended his record to 6-for-6, while the other Jackson entrant,
Showing Up, finished sixth. Barbaro was severely injured in the Preakness, and
although the couple tried diligently to save him by sending him to the University
of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, Barbaro died the following January from
complications resulting from laminitis. Showing Up concluded his 3-year-old
season by winning the Grade I Secretariat Stakes and the Grade I Hollywood
Derby, and Lael Stables earned an Eclipse Award as Outstanding Owner in
2006. In 2015, current trainer Arnaud Delacour used the Tampa Bay Downs
surface to develop another promising Lael Stables homebred, Divining Rod.
The colt finished second in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes and third in the
Grade II Tampa Bay Derby. Divining Rod went on to win the Grade III Coolmore
Lexington Stakes at Keeneland before a third-place finish in the Xpressbet.
com Preakness, won by American Pharoah. Other Grade I winners for the outfit
include Precious Kitten and Check the Label. The Jacksons’ 190-acre farm,
formerly Walnut Green, was named Lael after the Gaelic word for loyalty. They
raise their young horses in Kentucky, and upon retirement many are sent home
to West Grove, where they are transitioned into careers after racing. Gretchen
Jackson, who has a Master’s degree in pastoral counseling, worked for more
than a decade counseling children of alcoholics and drug abusers.
53

Owner Profiles
Lambholm Stable
Owner: Roy S. Lerman
Born: September 6, 1943
Birthplace: New York City
Family: Wife, Shirley, son, Ethan
Farm Location: Ocala, FL
Tampa Trainer: Roy S. Lerman
Lambholm South owner Roy S. Lerman has been involved with Thoroughbreds
as an owner, breeder and trainer for more than 35 years. In the spring of 2000,
he purchased the late Allen Paulson’s Ocala-based Brookside Farms South,
renaming the operation Lambholm South. Five years later, he purchased
historic 1,800-acre Hobeau Farm, expanding Lambholm South’s holdings.
Trainer/General Manager Junior Serna, who moved to Ocala in 1977, has
overseen a training program that has produced such national champions as
Slew o’ Gold, Personal Ensign, Epitome, Flawlessly, Azeri and Speightstown.
The Lambholm South name is also familiar to Tampa Bay Downs fans because
of its sponsorship of major race-day events. The Lambholm South Tampa
Bay Derby, a Grade II, $350,000 race for 3-year-old Triple Crown candidates,
was contested March 12, 2016 and won by subsequent Belmont Stakes
runner-up Destin. Lambholm South is the first title sponsor of the Tampa Bay
Derby since 1986. Lambholm South also sponsors the Grade III, $150,000
Endeavour Stakes for older fillies and mares and is presenting sponsor of the
track’s Festival Preview Day. Lerman is a successful on-track trainer; in 2015,
he saddled his 4-year-old filly Evidently to win the Florida Cup Distaff Turf in
stakes-record time.
Ridenjac Racing
(Dennis Ward)
Born: August 25, 1946
Birthplace: Seattle, WA
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife, Jeanne;son Wesley; grandsons,Riley and Jack;granddaughter,Denae
First Win: Yes Father, Portland Meadows, early-1970s
Started Training: Portland Meadows
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Monmouth Park
Ridenjac had another solid meeting last season, with nine victories from 66
starts. Owner-trainer Dennis Ward is the father of Wesley Ward, the 1984
Eclipse Award winner as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and a heralded trainer
in his own right. So the elder Ward didn’t have far to look when naming his
stable after Wesley’s three children: Riley, Denae and Jack (RI-DEN-JAC).
Besides paving the road for Wesley, Dennis Ward had a hand in helping tutor
three other Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockeys: Dale Beckner (1994),
Ariel Smith (1999) and Christian Santiago Reyes (2009). Dennis Ward was
a top apprentice jockey in 1962 at Longacres in Washington state and also
enjoyed success as a jockey in New York and on the East Coast. He stopped
riding in 1968, a week after Wesley was born, and worked as a jockey’s agent
and valet while schooling Wesley on what it takes to be a championship jockey.
Wesley was 16 when he won the Eclipse, winning 335 races. In 2009, he
became the first American trainer to win a race at the Royal Ascot meeting in
England; he saddled Strike the Tiger and Jealous Again on successive days
with his proud father in attendance. The elder Ward saddled Houyhnhnm
Stable’s Great Attack, winner of back-to-back editions of the Turf Dash, for his
son.
54

Owner Profiles
Savoy Stable
Owner: John D. Santina
Born: November 13, 1943
Birthplace: Lucca, Italy
Family: Wife, Elaine; three children; 10 grandchildren
Residence: Harwood Heights, IL
Tampa Trainer: Dale Bennett
Savoy enjoyed another successful Oldsmar campaign last season, winning 11
races from 37 starts to finish third in the owner standings. Santina moved from
Italy to the United States with his parents when he was a teenager. Soon after
graduating from Loyola of Chicago, he joined Milton Industries, a company
which manufactured gas station supplies. He became CEO 12 years later
and held that position for almost 30 years before retiring in 2012. Savoy has
about 12 Thoroughbreds in training and keeps a handful of broodmares and
yearlings at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud near Reddick, Fla.
Brent Fernung paid $110,000 for Cool Cowboy, a Kodiak Kowboy offspring, on
behalf of Santina and Savoy Stable at the 2012 Keeneland September Yearling
Sale. Under the capable tutelage of long-time Tampa Bay Downs trainer Dale
Bennett, Cool Cowboy won the 2013 Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
and finished second four weeks later in the Pasco Stakes in his first start as
a 3-year-old. After subsequent victories in the Golden Circle Stakes at Prairie
Meadows and the Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes at Mountaineer,
Cool Cowboy was sold privately and sent to Dubai, where he developed into a
Group III winner for his new connections. Among Savoy’s top runners is Unique
Type, a champion Illinois-bred older handicap mare.
Bruno Schickedanz
Born: March 2, 1947
Residence: King City, Ontario, Canada
Family: Wife, Elizabeth; two children
Started Ownership: 1981
Tampa Trainer: Aldana Gonzalez
Schickedanz is CEO of B.G. Schickedanz Homes, Inc., builders of homes all
around Ontario. He entered racing in the early 1980s as a way to promote a
sales competition within his multi-branch real estate company. The promotion
offered a 10% interest in a Thoroughbred to the top producer at each branch.
“I went out to buy a racehorse for my employees, and realized that I didn't
have one, so I bought myself one too,” Schickendanz told The Blood-Horse.
Since his first purchase, Schickendanz has acquired about 200 horses, 60 of
which are of racing age, with about half of those being 2-year-olds. He owns
Schickedanz Farm near Berry, Ontario, as well as Rising Sun Stables near
Ocala, Fla. His uncle is Gustav Schickedanz, who has raced Sovereign Award
winners Langfuhr, Glanmire and 2003 Canadian Triple Crown winner and
Horse of the Year Wando. Sermon Time was the first stakes winner for Bruno
Schickedanz as an owner. Sermon Time produced Wake At Noon, a multiplegrade
III stakes winner who earned more than $1.6 million and was Canadian
Horse of the Year in 2002. Schickedanz has also raced stakes winners Big
Ruckus, Big Virg, Effective Gal, My Heart Sez, Salty Note, Whomsoever Proud
and 1995 Canadian champion 3-year-old filly and champion sprinter Scotzanna.
He raced Canadian champion One Way Love, champion older horse and
sprinter in 2000, in partnership with John Hillier. Schickedanz was leading
owner at three meets in 1999: Gulfstream Park, Woodbine and Fort Erie.
55

Owner Profiles
Ups & Downs Farm
Owner: Monte Thomas
Born: September 25, 1944
Birthplace: Swedesboro, NJ
Residence: Citra, FL
Family: Wife, Cathy; daughter, Erica Ruygrok
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park West, Gulfstream
Thomas began his career in Thoroughbred racing in 1963 when he moved to
Charles Town in West Virginia to work with his uncle, Frank Smith. Thomas
learned his trade from the ground up and became adept at all aspects of the
business, from grooming to exercising to life at the racetrack. Thomas, who
ships in horses from his Ups & Downs Farm in Citra, Fla., has kept 10 stalls
at Tampa Bay Downs the last four seasons. He raises his young horses at
the farm with help from his wife, Cathy, and their daughter, Erica. Their days
are spent managing the 20 or so horses they have in training, along with two
stallions, seven or eight broodmares and clients’ horses being freshened for
a return to competition. The family’s My Sweet Dove won the 2013 Sandpiper
Stakes here as a 2-year-old. Thomas has a reputation as a horseman whose
charges almost always are prepared to run their best race. “I like to try to
put them (his horses) where they will be competitive, because it helps their
courage not to get beaten badly the first few times they run,” Thomas said. “As
long as you are consistent with whatever your plan is, it can work if you stay
with it.” From 1986-2001, the Thomases stepped back from the racing game
while Cathy pursued her show horse interests and Monte operated a thriving
blacksmith operation. They also raised and sold exotic animals, such as rheas
(relatives of the ostrich), wallabies (members of the kangaroo clan) and various
types of parrots and birds of all descriptions.
Winning Stables
(Gerald Bennett)
Born: March 12, 1944
Birthplace: Springhill, Nova Scotia
Residence: Tampa, FL
Family: Wife, Mary; sons, Dale and Jerry; daughter, Katharine; two
grandchildren
Circuit: Tampa Bay Downs, Thistledown Race Course, Presque Isle Downs,
Indiana Grand
Tampa Bay Downs Trainer: Gerald Bennett
Gerald Bennett’s Winning Stables operation, in partnership with Midnight
Rider, campaigns Fast Flying Rumor, which won last season’s Turf Dash
Stakes while earning a 108 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest in track history
on either turf or dirt. Bennett has a reputation for being able to rehabilitate
injured racehorses, and that ability brought him his biggest horse, Beau
Genius. Bennett conditioned Beau Genius to victory in 13 stakes including
the Haskell Invitational (GI), Philip H. Iselin Handicap (GI), Deputy Minister
Handicap, Hallandale Handicap, Churchill Downs Handicap and the Olympic
Stakes. Among other Bennett trainees are Secret Romeo, winner of the 2002
Super Stakes and Pelican Stakes and second to the excellent sprinter Bonapaw
in the $100,000 Arlington Park Sprint Handicap; and Banker’s Jet, winner of
seven stakes and over $670,000. Bennett was a mainstay in Michigan racing,
dominating the trainer standings at Hazel Park and Detroit Race Course
throughout the 1980s and at Great Lakes Downs. Gerald Bennett conditioned
the filly Down From Heaven to nine straight wins at Detroit Race Course from
1988 through 1989 after claiming her for $5,000. He was leading trainer in
2005 at Great Lakes Downs with 86 wins and 50 percent of his entries finished
in the money. Among his many accomplishments, Bennett has won five races
in one day. On May 5, 2007, Bennett escorted his trainee Bucky's Prayer to the
Oldsmar winner’s circle after her victory in the Lightning City Stakes. Bennett
finished the 2010-2011 Tampa meet tied as leading trainer with Jamie Ness
with 61 victories apiece. His Crimson Knight finished second in the 2011 Tampa
Bay Derby at odds of 86-1. Bennett won the 2015-2016 Oldsmar training title
outright with 51 victories.
56

Records
57

Records
JOCKEY RIDING RECORDS
JOCKEY WINS DATE
Richard DePass 7 15-Mar-80
Rick Luhr 5 10-Dec-83
Jorge Guerra 5 30-Dec-96
Herson Sanchez 5 2-Jan-96
Jesse Garcia 5 4-May-96
Joe Judice 5 21-Apr-03
Daniel Centeno 5 22-Feb-09
John Velazquez 5 9-Mar-13
Antonio Gallardo 5 6-Dec-14
Antonio Gallardo 5 31-Dec-14
Antonio Gallardo 5 24-Feb-16
TRAINER RECORDS
TRAINER WINS DATE
Kathleen O’Connell 4 23-Feb-03
Jamie Ness 4 3-Mar-09
Jamie Ness 4 19-Jan-12
Gerald Bennett 4 5-Mar-16
Don Rice 3 13-Feb-97
Sam Cronk 3 28-Dec-97
William Mitchell 3 10-Apr-01
Duane Knipe 3 24-Apr-01
Richard Ciardullo, Jr. 3 14-Jan-03
Greg Griffith 3 31-Mar-03
Rick Slomkowski 3 25-Jan-07
Kirk Ziadie 3 23-Mar-07
Charles Fontana 3 2-Apr-07
Peter Wasiluk, Jr. 3 26-Jan-08
Rick Slomkowski 3 28-Mar-08
Jamie Ness 3 1-Mar-09
Anthony Pecoraro 3 12-Dec-09
Ian Wilkes 3 23-Jan-13
Rory Barron 3 15-Mar-13
Kathleen O’Connell 3 17-Dec-14
Gerald Bennett 3 7-Mar-15
OWNER,TRAINER &
JOCKEY COMBINATIONS
OWNER, TRAINER & JOCKEY WINS DATE
Christos Gatis (Owner) 3 10-Apr-01
William Mitchell (Trainer)
Manoel Cruz
(Jockey)
Midwest Thoroughbreds (Owner) 3 1-Mar-09
Jamie Ness
(Trainer)
Ronnie Allen, Jr. (Jockey)
TRAINER AND JOCKEY
COMBINATIONS
TRAINER & JOCKEY WINS DATE
Sam Cronk
(Trainer)
Sean Jones (Jockey) 3 28-Dec-97
Kirk Ziadie
(Trainer)
Sally Mitchellhill (Jockey) 3 23-Mar-07
Kathleen O’Connell (Trainer)
Antonio Gallardo (Jockey) 3 17-Dec-14
MUTUEL RECORDS
WAGER PAYOFF DATE
$2.00 Win $249.00 23-Mar-88
$2.00 Daily Double $6,638.60 6-Mar-09
$2.00 Exacta $3,648.20 1-May-05
$1.00 Trifecta $54,155.60 3-Feb-10
$2.00 Perfecta $9,754.00 8-Feb-73
$2.00 Quinella $5,067.60 21-Feb-95
$2.00 Pick 3 $41,555.80 19-Mar-08
$2.00 Pick 4 $248,045.20 27-Feb-10
$1.00 Superfecta $154,377.50 6-Dec-13
$.10 Superfecta $38,169.08 21-Mar-08
$1.00 Super High Five $60,388.00 15-Feb-15
$1.00 Pick 5 $88,417.10 25-Feb-12
58

Records
Main Track
Distance Horse Age Weight Time Date
2 furlongs Silver Dollar Boy 2 120 21.80 Jan. 18, 1990
3 furlongs Hot Star 2 117 33.40 Feb. 14, 1980
Wynn Dot Comma 2 118 33.40 April 21, 2003
4 furlongs Camp Izard 2 122 46.80 May 1, 1993
4 ½ furlongs Geronimo J. 2 120 52.80 March 16, 1984
5 furlongs Jr’s Exchange 5 119 56.57 April 2, 2011
5 ½ furlongs Lady of Greatness 6 118 1:02.79 March 14, 2012
6 furlongs It’s Me Mom 4 117 1:08.67 April 7, 2012
6 ½ furlongs Action Andy 5 121 1:15.47 March 10, 2012
7 furlongs Catalina Red 2 120 1:21.40 Dec. 27, 2014
El Grande Rojo 7 120 1:21.40 Dec. 30, 2015
Abt. 1 mile Prosico 4 115 1:37.47 March 24, 2007
1m-40 yards Bear Always 6 118 1:39.07 April 20, 2012
Abt. 1m40y Ravencliff 5 118 1:40.47 Jan. 29, 2008
1 1/16-mile Destin 3 120 1:42.82 March 12, 2016
1 1/8-mile Position Leader 4 122 1:50.60 April 9, 1989
1 3/16-mile Warning Flag 8 126 1:59.60 Jan. 25, 1986
1 ¼-mile Saffron Hall 6 116 2:05.10 March 23, 2013
1 3/8-mile Banshee Brad 7 118 2:20.30 March 26, 2005
1 ½-mile Royal Jacopo 6 118 2:33 March 12, 1955
1 5/8-mile Most Valiant 11 110 2:48.2 March 29, 1997
1 ¾-mile Our Day 4 119 3:00.2 March 20, 1957
1 7/8-mile Best Hearted 5 118 3:18.3 March 22, 1986
2 miles Boss Man Jarett 10 118 3:30.3 April 24, 1999
2m-70 yards Turkey Foot Road 6 119 3:39.8 March 22, 1969
2 1/16-miles Mystic Fox 5 116 3:37.6 March 27, 1988
Steeplechase
Turf
Distance Horse Age Weight Time Date
5 furlongs Bold Thunder 5 116 54.63 Jan. 10, 2015
Abt. 5 furlongs Cee ‘n O 3 118 55.66 Dec. 20, 2014
1 mile Lucky JJ 3 115 1:33.79 Feb. 12, 2000
Abt. 1 mile Alley Oop Oop 5 120 1:34.37 Jan. 19, 2013
1 1/16-mile Legs Galore 4 122 1:39.65 Feb. 20, 1999
Abt. 1 1/16-mile Lentenor 5 118 1:40.95 Dec.23,2011
1 1/8-mile Tepin 5 122 1:46.26 March 12, 2016
Abt. 1 1/8-mile Zagora 5 122 1:46.97 March 10, 2012
1 3/8-mile All for Us 5 116 2:16.16 March 5, 2016
Abt. 1 3/8-mile Hertzalot 3 117 2:16.35 April 6, 2014
Abt. 1 ½-mile Top Senor 6 118 2:31.30 Feb. 26, 2002
Arabians
Distance Horse Age Weight Time Date
5 furlongs Keen Edge 3 117 1:05.1 March 12, 1989
5 ½ furlongs Mr Full Service 10 118 1:12.25 Jan. 20, 2002
6 furlongs FMR Country Doc 4 116 1:18.2 April 23, 1995
7 furlongs Mucho Caliente 4 122 1:32.59 March 11, 2000
Abt. 1 mile (turf) Smoke N Kisses 5 122 1:48.96 April 1, 1999
1 m-70yards Sams Bey 4 116 1:54.1 Feb. 12, 1989
1 1/16-mile Patriot Missle 6 122 1:56 March 16,1997
1 1/8-mile Redames Ben Rabi 7 122 2:00.1 Jan. 28, 1986
1 ¼-mile Oh By Gosh 5 126 2:19.4 Feb. 9, 1992
1 ½-mile Tikisflaming Jet 6 126 2:52.3 Jan. 20, 1990
Distance Horse Age Weight Time Date
Abt. 2 1/16-miles Red Classic 6 154 3:43.82 March 4, 2000
59

Records
SEASON RECORDS
Season Largest Handle Largest Attendance
2015-2016 $12,250,446.88 (March 12, 2016) 10,443 (May 7, 2016)
2014-2015 $10,587,183 (March 7, 2015) 10,379 (May 2, 2015)
2013-2014 $10,249,574 (March 8, 2014) 10,359 (March 8, 2014)
2012-2013 $10,291,827.76 (March 9, 2013) 10,476 (March 9, 2013)
2011-2012 $ 9,183,788 (March 10, 2012) 9,247 (March 10, 2012)
2010-2011 $10,949,948 (March 12, 2011) 10,755 (March 12, 2011)
2009-2010 $10,807,264.71 (March 13, 2010) 11,025 (March 13, 2010)
2008-2009 $ 9,165,514 (March 14, 2009) 10,420 (March 14, 2009)
2007-2008 $10,282,952 (March 15, 2008) 12,746 (March 15, 2008)
2006-2007 $10,916,634 (March 17, 2007) 11,014 (May 5, 2007)
2005-2006 $10,529,973 (March 18, 2006) 10,451 (March 18, 2006)
2004-2005 $ 6,889,834 (March 19, 2005) 10,246 (March 19, 2005)
2003-2004 $ 5,353,782 (March 14, 2004) 8,131 (March 14, 2004)
2002-2003 $ 3,880,693 (March 8, 2003) 8,340 (May 3, 2003)
2001-2002 $ 3,396,237 (March 17, 2002) 8,332 (May 4, 2002)
2000-2001 $ 3,877,477 (March 18, 2001) 8,133 (May 5, 2001)
ATTENDANCE RECORDS
Attendance Date Event
12,746 March 15, 2008 Tampa Bay Derby Day
11,025 March 14, 2010 Tampa Bay Derby Day
11,014 May 5, 2007 Kentucky Derby Day (Street Sense)
10,755 March 12, 2011 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,690 May 3, 2008 Kentucky Derby Day
10,593 March 17, 2007 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,476 March 9, 2013 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,451 March 19, 2006 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,443 May 7, 2016 Kentucky Derby Day
10,420 March 14, 2009 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,311 May 4, 2013 Kentucky Derby Day
10,246 March 19, 2005 Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,206 March 12, 2016 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby Day
10,144 May 2, 2009 Kentucky Derby Day
9,803 May 7, 2005 Kentucky Derby Day
9,765 April 8, 1990 Closing Day (Pick-6)
9,308 May 6, 2000 Kentucky Derby Day
9,247 March 10, 2012 Tampa Bay Derby Day
9,199 May 1, 1999 Kentucky Derby Day
9,028 May 5, 2012 Kentucky Derby Day
8,669 May 2, 1998 Kentucky Derby Day/Turf Course Unveiling
8,533 March 20, 1998 Tampa Bay Derby Day
60

Stakes Histories
61

Stakes Histories
HOW DOES TAMPA BAY DOWNS NAME ITS STAKES?
The Naming of Tampa Bay Downs Stakes
The names of some stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs have obvious origins: the
(Lambholm South) Tampa Bay Derby, the Florida Cup Races, and so forth. The
Florida Oaks is named as such simply because races for 3-year-old fillies run at
classic distances are all referred to as “Oaks;” the male divisions run under the
much more widely-recognized “Derby” headings. The Florida Cup is comprised
of six races restricted to Florida-breds. The Turf Dash earned its name from the
fact that it is a short race run on the lawn. However, some of the stakes races run
at Tampa Bay Downs leave patrons scratching their heads and wondering, “Now,
where did that name come from?” The explanations are quite simple…
Local Color
The Pelican Stakes and Sandpiper Stakes are both named after animals common
to the Tampa Bay area; the Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Stakes are named
for the counties surrounding Tampa Bay Downs. The Lightning City Stakes
is named after the widespread, albeit unproven, idea that Tampa Bay is the
lightning capital of the world. The Suncoast Stakes is named for the region of
Florida in which Tampa Bay Downs is located; with year-round sunny weather,
horsemen are happy to return to Tampa each winter for Thoroughbred racing.
The Minaret Stakes gets its name from the spires found at the University of
Tampa.
Space Race
The Challenger and Endeavour Stakes are named after space shuttles that have
launched in previous years.
Friends from the Past
The Chris Thomas Turf Classic, which was discontinued after the 2009 running,
was named for the late sports-talk radio host and Thoroughbred owner who
used to frequent the Oldsmar oval. The Sam F. Davis Stakes was named after
the former Tampa Bay Downs President who helped the track regain financial
stability and brought in a period of growth for the track.
Florida Fun
The Gasparilla Stakes is named for Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Fest, which
celebrates the spirit of legendary pirate Jose Gaspar. It is rumored that Gaspar
defected from the Spanish Navy in 1873. Gaspar took the pirate name
“Gasparilla” and set up his den off of Florida’s west coast, allegedly plundering
vessels in the Gulf of Mexico for 38 years.*
Lovely Lass
The Wayward Lass Stakes is the only stakes race at Tampa Bay Downs named
after a horse. Wayward Lass, who was the 1981 Eclipse Award-winning 3-yearold
filly, was bred in Florida by Hall of Fame trainer Horatio Luro, but she never
raced at Tampa Bay Downs.
* THE LEGEND OF GASPARILLA: MYTH AND HISTORY ON FLORIDA’S WEST COAST by André-Marcel
d’Ans Translated by Marie-Joèle Ingalls
62

The Challenger Stakes
The Challenger Stakes $100,000 Guaranteed 4-Year-Olds & Up 1 1/16-Mile
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Adirondack King (1:44.15)$ Javier Castellano MarchFore Thoro’breds John Servis Neck ‘n Neck Breaking Lucky
2015 General a Rod (1:42.89) John Velazquez Skychai Racing/Starlight Todd Pletcher Old Time Hockey Neck ‘n Neck
2014 Tulira Castle (1:43.68) Angel Serpa Curtis C. Green James DiVito Nicklaus Way Managed Account
2013 Flatter This (1:44.90) Antonio Gallardo Blackacre Farms, Inc. Kathleen O’Connell Nicklaus Way (DH) Argentine Tango (DH)
2012 Fort Larned (1:42.93) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Janis Whitham Ian Wilkes Wiki Imperial Czar
2011 Colizeo (1:42.94) Willie Martinez Wertheimer and Frere Todd Pletcher Jardim Yummy with Butter
2010 Bold Start (1:42.83) * Willie Martinez Lawrence E. Carroll Kenneth McPeek J’s Sundance Halo Birdrun
2009 Fierce Wind (1:45.01) Daniel Centeno Minor Stables William Phipps Fearless Vision Paradise Dancer
2008 Wayzata Bay (1:44.82) Luis Gonzalez World Thoroughbred Judi Hicklin Riversrunrylee Imawildandcrazyguy
2007 Istan (1:43.64) Jose Ferrer Darpat S.L. Stables William Mott Anglers Reef Cherokee Princ
2006 Cherokee Prince (1:43.13) Mike Allen Volar Corporation Ron Allen, Sr. Seek Gold Nightmare Affair
2005 Tap Day (1:44.58) Jose Velez Edward Evans Mark Hennig Above the Wind Attack the Books
2004 Attack the Books (1:44) ^ Derek Bell Michael Crowe David Hinsley Native Hawk Burning Roma
2003 Admiral Lance (1:38.58) Pedro Rodriguez James Little James Little Askforaraise North Broad
2002 Classic Case (1:36.16) T.D. Houghton Stonerside Stable Mark Casse Red Masque AWOL Soldier
2001 First Spear (1:36.56) Chris DeCarlo Peachtree Stable Todd Pletcher Creek’s Shore A.P. Topper
2000 Lucky J J (1:33.79) ** Pedro Rodriguez Richard Ciardullo, Sr. Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Cool N Crafty Exclusive Dawn
1999 Marquette (1:35.16) ^^ Jean-Luc Samyn J.R. Cavanaugh Richard Violette Belfast Appeal Whatkindadealisthis
1998 Sejm Run (1:25 1/5) Luis Gonzalez Harvey Tenenbaum Julian Canet Rock and Roll Roguish Prince
1997FavorableRegard 1:24.2) & Kevin Whitley Suzanne Gladden Marshall Novak Chin Up Wilt the Tilt
1991 Lee N Otto (1:49 4/5) % Willie Martinez Tedford M. Randolf Glenn Wismer Randy Striding Ruler
1990 Darian’s Reason (1:47) Eduardo Nunez Schweiger Stable, Inc. R.J. Richards, Jr. Gold Peak Stutz Blackkat
1989 Slew of Angels Ricardo Lopez Sam-Son Farm James E. Day Saratoga Spender Mitigated Bid
1988 Storm Predictions Steve Gaffalione Three G Stable Luis Olivares
1987 Strike the Knight Herson Sanchez J.M. Cutrona John F. Reading
63
*- Stakes record, main
**- Stakes record, turf
$- Purse increased to $100,000
^- 4-and-up, 1 1/16-mile, dirt
^^- First turf running, 1 mile
&- Reinstated, 3-year-olds
%- Final 2-year-old running

The Challenger Stakes
The $100,000 Challenger Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:33.79 (turf) LUCKY J J (2000)
1:42.83 (dirt) BOLD START (2010)
Slowest Time: 1:38.58 (turf) ADMIRAL LANCE (2003)
1:49.4 (dirt) LEE N OTTO (1991
Longest Priced Winner: $ 61.60 (dirt) CHEROKEE PRINCE (2006)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.20 DARIAN’S REASON (1990)
Closest Winning Margin: HEAD (dirt) ATTACK THE BOOKS (2004)
Largest Winning Margin: 7 ½ Lengths DARIAN’S REASON (1990)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 LEE N OTTO (1991)
WIKI (2012)
Track Condition: FIRM All turf runnings
FAST
All dirt runnings
Richest Purse: 2016 (dirt) $100,000
Adirondack King winning the Challenger Stakes on 3/12
Other Notes: The conditioner of 2016 Challenger Stakes winner Adirondack King, John Servis, trained 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty
Jones. Servis returned to Churchill Downs last spring to saddle Cathryn Sophia for a Longines Kentucky Oaks victory. The 2015 Challenger winner, General a Rod,
competed in all three legs of the 2014 Triple Crown, finishing fourth in the Preakness. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, has won the Challenger three times. Fort Larned
used his 2012 Challenger victory as a springboard to a remarkable campaign,culminating in a Breeders’ Cup Classic victory at Santa Anita. Fort Larned also won the
Grade III Skip Away at Gulfstream (in track-record time); the Grade III Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap; and the Grade I Whitney Invitational Handicap
at Saratoga. The Challenger started out at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt for 2-year-olds from 1987 – 1991. The 1988 Challenger winner, Storm Predictions, returned the
following year to win the Tampa Bay Derby. The Challenger was contested at a mile on the turf for 3-year-olds from 1999-2003. The 2004 race was put back on the
dirt for older horses. The 2006 renewal marked a track and stakes record for Cherokee Prince with Mike Allen aboard for his father, trainer Ron Allen, Sr. Another
member of the Allen family, Ronnie Jr., was aboard Fort Larned in 2012. Willie Martinez has ridden three winners of the Challenger: Lee N Otto in 1991, Bold Start
in 2010 in stakes and (then) track-record time and Colizeo in 2011. The 2010 Belmont Stakes winner, Drosselmeyer, finished fourth in the 2011 Challenger; he went
on to win the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Istan, the 2007 Challenger winner trained by Hall of Fame conditioner William Mott, went on to win a pair of Grade III
stakes later that year.
64

Lambholm South Endeavour
Lambholm South Endeavour Grade III $150,000Fillies&Mares 4-up 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Tepin (1:42.91) Julien Leparoux Robert E. Masterson Mark Casse Lady Lara (IRE) Lovely Loyree
2015 Testa Rossi (FR) (1:42.04) # Irad Ortiz, Jr. Covello, Coleman & Doheny Chad Brown Hard Not to Like Lots o’ Lex
2014 Cloud Scapes (1:42.75) Erick Rodriguez Pin Oak Stud H. Graham Motion Wholelottashakin Floral Romance
2013 Old Tune (BRZ) 1:41.48 Joel Rosario Stud TNT Todd Pletcher Appealing Cat Last Full Measure
2012 Zagora (FR) (1:43.98) Javier Castellano Martin S. Schwartz Chad Brown Exclusive Love Keertana
2011 Silver Reunion (1:43.98) Ramon Dominguez Gov. Brereton C. Jones H. Graham Motion C.S. Silk Denomination
2010 Lomaki (1:46.39) Chris DeCarlo Chiefswood Stable Eric Coatrieux Cure for Sale (ARG) Coulee
2009 Ballymore Lady (1:42.37) Jose Lezcano R. McCauley and C. Purcell Eddie Kenneally Elusive Lady Sousaphone
2008 Dreaming of Anna (1:42.38) ^ Cornelio Velasquez Frank C. Calabrese Wayne Catalano Lear’s Princess Meribel
2007 Cassydora (GB) (1:43.05) John Velazquez Green Hills Farm Todd Pletcher Bright Abundance Warrior Girl
2006 My Lordship (1:40.26) * Cornelio Velasquez Live Oak Plantation William Mott Laurafina Amorama (FR)
2005 Delta Princess (1:43.54) Herberto Castillo Saud bin Khaled William Mott Fast Cookie Lentil
2004 Madeira Mist (IRE) (1:44.97)% Edgar Prado Skymarc Farm, Inc. Christophe Clement Something Ventured Coney Kitty (IRE)
2003 Wander Mon (1:50.89) Manoel Cruz Jaime Carrion Edward Plesa, Jr. Strait From Texas Kimster
2002 Chausson Poire (1:50.40) Tommy Pompell Pia M. Kirkham Duane Knipe Kelly Bag Golden Antigua
2001 Cybil (1:48.48) Felix Ortiz Carol F. Dooner J.J. Graci Megans Bluff Golden Saint
2000 Office Miss (1:48.93) Joe Bravo Sam Morell Gary Sciacca Seducer Diablo’s First Lady
65
*- Stakes record
#- Hard Not to Like DQ’d from 1st
$$- Purse increased to $150,000
^- Race achieved Grade III status
%- Shortened from 1 1/8-mile

Lambholm South Endeavour
The Grade III $150,000 Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:40.26 MY LORDSHIP (2006)
Slowest Time: 1:51.56 CLOUD SCAPES (2014)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 24.40 CYBIL (2001)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.60 TEPIN (2016)
Closest Winning Margin: Nose OFFICE MISS (2000)
DREAMING OF ANNA (2008)
Largest Winning Margin: 3 1/2 Lengths TEPIN (2016)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .20 MEGANS BLUFF (2001)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
GOOD 2005 and 2011
YIELDING 2010
Richest Purse: 2008, 2012-present $150,000
Tepin winning the Lambholm South Endeavour Stakes on 2/13
Other Notes: Tepin flashed her Eclipse Award-winning form before an appreciative Tampa Bay Downs crowd, cruising to victory against five overmatched
rivals. She had won the Breeders’ Cup Mile on the turf the previous fall against males at Keeneland en route to being voted 2015 Champion Grass Female. Tepin
later became the fourth horse in five years to add the Hillsborough Stakes to her victory ledger and extended her winning streak to seven with victories in the Grade
I Coolmore Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, the Grade II Churchill Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs and the Group I Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. The 2015
Lambholm South Endeavour winner, Testa Rossi, became the first Grade III Florida Oaks winner to return to Oldsmar to win the Endeavour while providing trainer
Chad Brown with his second victory in the turf test for older fillies and mares. The disqualification of runner-up Hard Not to Like from first place was the first in the
history of the race. Breeder-owner Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stud and trainer H. Graham Motion, who won with Cloud Scapes in 2014, combined in 2002 to
win the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby with Equality. Cloud Scapes was the 100th lifetime stakes winner for her sire, Smart Strike. The 2013 winner, Old Tune, became
the first Brazilian-bred distaffer and fourth foreign-bred horse to win the Endeavour. Old Tune’s trainer Todd Pletcher also won both races in 2007 with Cassydora.
The 2012 Endeavour winner, Zagora, cemented her reputation as the nation’s top turf mare with subsequent victories in the Grade III Hillsborough and Gallorette,
the Grade II Ballston Spa and the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita. She won the year-end Eclipse Award as the best in her category.
Hall of Fame trainer William Mott won the Endeavour in back-to-back years: in 2005 with Delta Princess and 2006 with My Lordship. Dreaming of Anna, the 2006
Eclipse Award Juvenile Filly champion, edged Lear’s Princess by a nose under jockey Cornelio Velasquez in 2008, the first year the Endeavour was a graded stakes. .
It was the second Endeavour victory for Velasquez, who was aboard My Lordship in 2006.
66

The Florida Cup
Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies 3-Year-Olds $75,000 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 April Gaze (1:24.29) Elvis Trujillo Karl and Cathi Glassman Edward Plesa, Jr. Valueable Charmer Chief Attraction
2015 R Sassy Lass (1:23.31) Antonio Gallardo Averill/Silver Oak/Kaufman Kirk Ziadie Coco’s Wildcat Royal Jewely
2014 Holiday Magic (1:23.20) Juan Leyva Pinnacle, Hendricks, Justice William Kaplan Quick as a Bunny Legal Laura
2013 Putitinmypocket (1:25.39) Juan Leyva Pinnacle/Wm. Kaplan William Kaplan Cindys Casino Cotton Pickin
2012 Xunlei (1:23.17) Leandro Goncalves Gold Mark Farm Dale Romans Citizen Advocate Backstage Magic
2011 My Sunshine Gal (1:22.75) * Ronnie Allen, Jr. Wisteria Lane Stable Derek Ryan Devilish Lady White Merlot
2010 Dances With Ashley (1:23.17) Elvis Trujillo Denholtz Stables Martin Wolfson Island Time Joanie’s Catch
2009 Snow Lass (1:23.78) R. Homeister, Jr. Bridlewood Farm Lynne M. Scace Sweet Yulianna Brinca
2008 Moonshine Alice (1:24.29) Andrew Ramgeet Kenneth McFarland Gerald Bennett Dee’s Rose Tight Precision
2007 Trainee (1:25.71) Jose Lezcano Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Suaveness Saint Barbara
2006 Quelle Surprise (1:24.03) T.D. Houghton Haras Santa Maria deAraras Richard Ciardullo, Sr. Love Boot Running Lass
2005 Running Bobcats (1:24.87) Julio Garcia Gatrou Farm Rodolfo Garcia Forever Brilliant British Event
2004 Chenia (1:26.73) Russell Woolsey Novak and Richard Marshall Novak Bird Chatter Runaway Rizzi
2003 Just Bill Me (1:24.45) R. Homeister, Jr. J. Reynolds & D. Dwyer Enrique Alonso Ozilda’s Nancy Lee Sara’s Yankee Girl
67
*- Stakes record

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Farm South Sophomore Fillies
Fastest Time: 1:22.75 MY SUNSHINE GAL (2011)
Slowest Time: 1:26.73 CHENIA (2004)
Longest Priced Winner: $61.00 QUELLE SURPRISE (2006)
Shortest Priced Winner: $3.20 APRIL GAZE (2016)
Closest Winning Margin: NECK CHENIA (2004)
Largest Winning Margin: 7 ¾ Lengths JUST BILL ME (2003)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 FOREVER BRILLIANT (2005)
Track Condition: Fast All runnings
Richest Purse: $85,000 2007
April Gaze winning the Florida Cup Stonehedge Farm South
Sophomore Fillies on 4/9
68

The Florida Cup
Florida Cup Sophomore Turf $75,000 3-Year-Olds 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Life Imitates Art (1:42.41) Manoel Cruz Klaravich & Wm. Lawrence Chad Brown Our Way Second Mate
2015 World Approval (1:42.21) Rafael Hernandez Live Oak Plantation Mark Casse Jakob’s Way Prince Vincenzo
2014 Ex Pirate (1:43.42) Daniel Centeno Averill Racing, Clark Freeman Ralph Ziadie I’m the Lucky One Best Plan Yet
2013 Boy of Summer (1:43.67) Daniel Centeno Lone Star LLC Rodolfo Garcia China Holiday Balino
2012 Star Channel (1:41.20) * Pedro Cotto, Jr. GDS Racing Stable Todd Pletcher Didn’t Take It Crafty Unicorn
2011 Extensive (1:43.81) Leandro Goncalves Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Master Dunker Dan’s My Man
2010 Thunder Brew (1:42.39) Victor Lebron Roman Hill Farm, LLC Anthony Pecoraro Gator Tiger Saint Judge
2009 Tamborim (1:43.05) Daniel Centeno Haras Santa Maria deAraras William Mott Duke of Mischief Cheeks Malone
2008 El Sultry Sun (1:43.45) Jose Velez, Jr. Live Oak Plantation John C. Kimmel Gibbler’s Gold Waywardwillie
2007 Soldier’s Dancer (1:42.71) Sebastian Madrid Herman Heinlein David Vivian A Bit of Madness Fair Weather Stan
2006 Mr. Silver (1:42.61) Abel Castellano, Jr. Thorobeam Farms Edward Plesa, Jr. Go Between World Battle
2005 Nicandro (1:41.73) Jesse Garcia Mary Beth Thomas Myra Mora Rich In Spirit Shoot Out
2004 Keystone Point (1:42.58) Joseph Rocco, Jr. Mouttet & Hoo Kirk Ziadie Indigo Flyer Soldier of Faine
2003 Hear No Evil (1:42.85) Eduardo Nunez Jacks or Better Farm Kenneth Decker Amon Regal Bear
69
* -- Stakes record

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Sophomore Turf
Fastest Time: 1:41.20 STAR CHANNEL (2012)
Slowest Time: 1:43.81 EXTENSIVE (2011)
Longest Priced Winner: $77.00 NICANDRO (2005)
Shortest Priced Winner: $3.20 SOLDIER’S DANCER (2007)
Closest Winning Margin: Head BOY OF SUMMER (2013)
Largest Winning Margin: 2 3/4 Lengths STAR CHANNEL (2012)
EX PIRATE (2014)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .30 GO BETWEEN (2006)
Track Condition Firm: Firm All except
GOOD 2013
Richest Purse: $ 85,000 2007
Life Imitates Art winning the Florida Cup
Sophomore Turf on 4/9
70

The Florida Cup
Ocala Breeders’ Sales Soph. $75,000 3-Year-Olds 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Imperial Hint (1:22.15) Antonio Gallardo Raymond Mamone Luis Carvajal, Jr. Epic Journey ExtravaganKid
2015 Charlie’s Brother (1:23.49) Harry Vega Stanley Moles/Starr Stables Lynne Scace Fast Flying Rumor Fancy Man
2014 Prudhoe Bay (1:22.58) Angel Serpa Rustlewood Farm, Inc. Edward Plesa, Jr. Brothersofthetime C. Zee
2013 City of Weston (1:23.52) Paco Lopez Cloud Nine Lumoni Antonio Sano Ruler of Love Risk Factor
2012 Tarpy’s Goal (1:23.52) Leandro Goncalves Mike Tarp Dale Romans Midnight Serenade Indirectly A.P.
2011 Manicero (1:22.13) * Paco Lopez Leo Azpurua, Sr. Leo Azpurua, Jr. Turbo Compressor Jaggermonster
2010 Thank U Philippe (1:22.37) Elvis Trujillo Kramer Stables, et al Martin Wolfson My Charming Clyde Good Lord
2009 Bee Cee Cee (1:22.80) Daniel Centeno J. Robert Harris, Jr. Edward Plesa, Jr. Biblionico Golf Pal
2008 Repenting (1:22.79) Daniel Centeno Balkrisna Sukharan Jamie Ness Brother Joey Mr. Flatter
2007 Whiskey Lit (1:25.07) Rajiv Maragh Rookie Stables Jane Cibelli Steelix Chief Thief
2006 Electrify (1:23.25) Abel Castellano, Jr. Padua Stables Edward Plesa, Jr. Vanilla Scoop R Smoken Star
2005 Bernie Blue (1:24.20) Roberto Perez Pyrite Stables Miguel Feliciano Lite Brigade Roman Candles
2004 Weigelia (1:24.45) Aurelio Toribio Joseph Balsamo Manuel Azpurua Avid Skier Spirit of Montreal
2003 My Champion (1:24.09) J.J. Delgado Robert DuBois Douglas Potter Who’s Crying Now Paris Adventure
71
* - Stakes record

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore
Fastest Time: 1:22.13 MANICERO (2011)
Slowest Time: 1:25.07 WHISKEY LIT (2007)
Longest Priced Winner: $126.40 MY CHAMPION (2003)
Shortest Priced Winner: $3.40 IMPERIAL HINT (2016)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE CITY OF WESTON (2013)
Largest Winning Margin: 10 1/2 Lengths REPENTING (2008)
Shortest Priced Loser: $ .70 ANYTHINGYOUWANT (2009)
Track Condition: Fast All runnings
Richest Purse: $ 85,000 2007
Imperial Hint winning the Florida Cup
Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore on 4/9
72

The Florida Cup
Florida Cup Distaff Turf $75,000 Fillies&Mares 4-Up 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Speed Seeker (1:40.42) * Erick Rodriguez Johnson, Coniglio, et al Joan Scott Josdesanimaux Promotional
2015 Evidently (1:40.93) Rafael Hernandez Lambholm Stable Roy Lerman E B Ryder Cuppy Cake
2014 Cuppy Cake (1:41.47) ^ Ricardo Feliciano Roman Hill Farm, LLC Anthony Pecoraro E B Ryder Lori’s Store
2013 Hooh Why (1:42.56) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Hoffman, M. & Trostrud, E. Rick Slomkowski Inaugurate Sweet Little Lion
2012 Hooh Why (1:41.46) R. Homeister, Jr. Estate of Gail Gee, Hoffman Shirley Girten-Drake Unbridled Humor Another Smokey
2011 Trip for A.J. (1:44.04) Paco Lopez Peter D. Fuller Milton Wolfson Wild Mia Ruling Class
2010 Closeout (1:41.91) Jesus Castanon Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Scolara Many Kisses
2009 Quiet Meadow (1:42.30) Elvis Trujillo Hidden Brook Chad Brown Scolara Azura
2008 Bayou’s Lassie (1:43.05) Daniel Centeno Jacks or Better Farm Christophe Clement Inhonorofjohnnie Aif ’rentTune/J’ntyGale DH
2007 Quite a Bride (1:42.30) Carlos Montalvo Haras Santa Maria deAraras William Mott Prop Me Up A Different Tune
2006 Thetactics Ofdance (1:42.70) Eddie Castro Preferred Pals,Wachtel Stbl. William Mott Pattiano Changing World
2005 Joyful Ballad (1:42.05) Jose Lezcano Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Marwood Vidlocity
2004 Skip to Savannah (1:42.12) Joe Judice Pinky Mendoza William Houle Formal Miss Mrs. M
2003 Chef ’s Choice (1:42.65) Tommy Pompell Alan Amato Don Rice Cellar’s Shiraz Laurica
*- Stakes record
^ - Lori’s Store DQ’s from 1st to 3rd
DH - Dead heat for 3rd
73

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf
Fastest Time: 1:40.42 SPEED SEEKER (2016)
Slowest Time: 1:44.04 TRIP FOR A. J. (2011)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 51.00 SPEED SEEKER (2016)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.80 TRIP FOR A.J. (2011)
Closest Winning Margin: Head HOOH WHY (2012 AND 2013)
CUPPY CAKE (2014)
Largest Winning Margin: 2 ¼ Lengths QUITE A BRIDE (2007)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .50 SCOLARA (2009)
Track Condition: Firm All runnings
GOOD 2013
Richest Purse: $ 85,000 2007
Speed Seeker winning the Florida Cup
Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf on 4/9
74

The Florida Cup
Florida Cup Tampa Turf Classic $75,000
4-Year-Olds-and-Up 1 1/8-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Go Around (1:47.11) Antonio Gallardo Peter Vegso William Mott Fundamental Cement Clement
2015 Old Time Hockey (1:47.72) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor I’m the Lucky One Allie’s Event
2014 Old Time Hockey (1:48.87) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Racing Aptitude Bad Debt
2013 Hobbs (1:49.22) Daniel Centeno Peter D. Kelly Kathy Mongeon Star Channel Bad Debt
2012 Roman Tiger (1:48.10) Angel Serpa Dennis Manning Dennis Manning Vanquisher Slew’s Answer
2011 Slew’s Answer (1:50.16) Leandro Goncalves Live Oak Plantation H. Graham Motion Blazen Vanquisher
2010 Picou (1:47.00) * Elvis Trujillo John Eaton & Steve Laymon Chad Brown Allie’s Event Vanquisher
2009 Fearless Eagle (1:48.09) Elvis Trujillo Isaac Muhtar Edward Plesa, Jr. Marquet Cat Ruff and Ready
2008 Soldier’s Dancer (1:49.95) Daniel Centeno Herbert Heinlein David Vivian Silver Tree Fearless Eagle
2007 Go Between (1:48.06) Carlos Montalvo Peter Vegso William Mott Therecomesatiger Art of Diplomacy
2006 Silver Tree (1:48.45) Eddie Castro Peter Vegso William Mott Icy Atlantic Ballonenostrikes
2005 Revved Up (1:49.62) Eddie Castro Live Oak Plantation Christophe Clement Admiral Lance Attack the Books
2004 Restage (1:49.24) Jesus Castanon Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Final Prophecy Drink a Toast
2003 Guardianofthegate (1:48.33) Tommy Pompell Brett Rice Don Rice Sir Brian’s Sword Love the Game
* - Stakes record
75

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Tampa Turf Classic
Fastest Time: 1:47.00 PICOU (2010)
Slowest Time: 1:50.16 SLEW’S ANSWER (2011)
Longest Priced Winner: $10.80 FEARLESS EAGLE (2009)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.20 SILVER TREE (2006)
Closest winning Margin: NOSE RESTAGE (2004)
Largest Winning Margin: 3¼ Lengths REVVED UP (2005)
Shortest Priced Loser: $ 1.40 ORCHARD PARK (2004)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
GOOD 2013
Richest Purse; $ 85,000 2007 Go Around winning the Florida Cup
Tampa Turf Classic on 4/9
76

Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn
Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn& Suites Sprint
$75,000 4-Year-Olds-and-Up 6 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Catalina Red (1:09.22) Fernando De La Cruz Anthony A. Lenci Chad Stewart Fast Flying Rumor Alfredo Romana
2015 Lake Drive South (1:10.44) Luis Garcia Dierdre T. Marsh Kathleen O’Connell Star Harbour Prudhoe Bay
2014 Sneaking Uponyou (1:09.08) Huber Villa-Gomez Jagger, Inc. Jamie Ness City of Weston Evolution Rocks
2013 Wild About Chrome (1:10.91) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Jim & Nannette McCullough James McCullough Sneaking Uponyou Soaring Stocks
2012 It’s Me Mom (1:08.67)* Jorge Vargas Thomas and Jean Bosch Lynne M. Scace My Charming Clyde Jackfrost Ofcourse
2011 Sneaking Uponyou (1:08.69) Huber Villa-Gomez Jagger, Inc. Jamie Ness Tommy’s Memory On the Vineyard
2010 Tommy’s Memory (1:09.56) David Amiss Thomas J. Ryan Anthony Ryan Blind River Fox For All Who Conga
2009 On the Vineyard (1:09.59) Willie Martinez Lynne M. Scace Lynne M. Scace How’s Your Halo Ruby’s Red Socks
2008 Blue Pepsi Lodge (1:10.65) Wesley Henry, Sr Chester Bishop Kirk Ziadie Lookinforthesecret BL’s a Runner
2007 Roman Candles (1:10.61) Jose Martinez, Jr. C. Robert Valeri Lynne M. Scace Lookinforthesecret Weigelia
2006 Nightmare Affair (1:10.21) Eddie Castro Timber Side Stables Manuel Azpurua Vazandar Above the Wind
2005 Nightmare Affair (1:10.15) Eddie Castro Timber Side Stables Manuel Azpurua Scrubs Hi Time Scott
2004 Scrubs (1:10.70) Winston Thompson Jacks or Better Farm Kenneth Decker Rock Country Built Up
2003 Built Up (1:10.72) Eibar Coa Raymond Susi Enrique Alonso Straight A Hana Highway
* - Stakes, track record
77

The Florida Cup
$75,000 Hilton Garden Inn/Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint
Fastest Time: 1:08.67 ^ IT’S ME MOM (2012)
Slowest Time: 1:10.91 WILD ABOUT CHROME (2013)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 63.00 ON THE VINEYARD (2009)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.20 IT’S ME MOM (2012)
Closest Winning Margin: Neck BLUE PEPSI LODGE (2008)
Largest Winning Margin: 7 Lengths SNEAKING UPONYOU (2011)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 LOOKINFORTHESECRET (2008)
Track Condition: Fast All runnings
Richest Purse: $ 85,000 2008
Catalina Red winning the Florida Cup Hilton Garden Inn/
Hampton Inn & Suites Sprint on 4/9
78
^ - TRACK RECORD

The Florida Oaks
$200,000 Fillies 3-Year-Olds 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Baciami Piccola (GB) (1:42.2) Julien Leparoux Amerman Racing Brian Lynch Enjoy Yourself (GB) Family Meeting
2015 Quality Rocks (1:43.39) Jose Lezcano Flavor/Brous/Wachtel/Destiny William Mott Consumer Credit Lismore
2014 Testa Rossi (FR) (1:43.51) $$ Jose Lezcano Covello,J.,Coleman,T.,Doheny Chad Brown Istanford Interrupted
2013 Tapicat (1:41.89) * Joel Rosario Besilu Stables William Mott Kitten’s Dumplings Wave Theory
2012 Dixie Strike (1:43.30) Jose Lezcano John Oxley Mark Casse More Than Love Regalo Mia
2011 Dynamic Holiday (1:45.56) ^ Ramon Dominguez Augustin Stable H. Graham Motion Holidaysatthefarm Niji’s Grand Girl
2010 Diva Delite (1:46.10) R. Homeister, Jr. B. Vivian & D. Vittese David Vivian C C’s Pal Mallory Square
2009 Don’t Forget Gil (1:43.65) ** Rajiv Maragh Alan Brodsky Mark Hennig Ameribelle Rock Candy
2008 Awesome Chic (1:44.38) Irwin J. Rosendo Aurora Springs Stable Rafael Ramos Elusive Lady My Baby Baby
2007 Cotton Blossom (1:45.06) John Velazquez Dogwood Stable Todd Pletcher Suaveness Maria’s Kitty
2006 Bushfire (1:46.25) John Velazquez Ron and Ricki Rashinski Eddie Kenneally Saratoga Drive Crystal Current
2005 R Lady Joy (1:44.58) Jose Lezcano Richard Averill Kirk Ziadie Toll Taker Gotta Rush
2004 Ender’s Sister (1:45.66) Pat Day Green Lantern Stables George Arnold, II Menifeeque America Americ
2003 Ebony Breeze (1:45.20) Mark Guidry Kinsman Stable William Mott Dakota Light Crimson and Roses
2002 French Satin (1:45.49) Ramon Dominguez Sabine Stables Steven Standridge Romancin Dixie Ciudad De Carson
2001 Quick Tip (1:45.36) Richard Migliore W.S. Farish Neil J. Howard Southern Fiction Emery Board
2000 Secret Status (1:45.05) !! Pat Day Farish/Elkins/Webber Neil J. Howard March Magic Musical
1999 Crown Jewel (1:46.69) Luis Martinez Donald Murray Evelio Garcia Madison’s Charm Here I Go
1998 Pantufla (1:45 2/5) Pat Day Helen Alexander David Carroll Puddlejump Try N Sue
1997 Anklet (1:45) Shane Sellers Loeb/Ray/Sullivan Elliott Walden Global Star Screamer
1996 Mindy Gayle (1:45 4/5) Jorge Guerra Tanenbaum Racing Stable Julian Canet Plum Country Weekend In Seattle
1995 Sneaky Quiet (1:45 2/5) Mike Smith W.S. Farish/Webber Neil J. Howard Commando Dance Smooth Quest
1994 Cavada (1:46 2/5) Kevin Whitley Bebe Dalton K. Kelley Come On Joy Strategic Maneuver
1993 Star Jolie (1:45 3/5) Eduardo Nunez Five Star Stables Ron McKenzie Hollywood Wildcat Jacody
1992 Luv Me Luv Me Not (1:45 3/5)!! Willie Martinez Philip and Judy Maas Glenn Wismer Now Dance Foxy Persuasion
1991 Designated Dancer (1:45 2/5) Willie Martinez David Melin O.S. Edwards Car Gal Fantastic Morning
1990 Dance Colony (1:45 1/5) Herb McCauley Buckland Farms Ross Pearce Premier Question Sun Luck
1989 She’s Scrumptious (1:46) Rick Adkins Philip and Judy Maas Glenn Wismer Iron and Silver Georgies Doctor
1988 Colonial Waters (1:44 4/5) Victor Molina Buckland Farms John P. Campo Tomorrow’s Child Tilt My Halo
1987 Single Blade (1:45 3/5) Julio Pezua Greentree Stable R. Reinacher Without Feathers Merry Mercedes
1986 Noranc (1:44 3/5) Herb McCauley GallopingAcres/HiddenPoint J. Provost Man A Stan An Affirmation
1985 Erstwhile (1:48) Charles Hussey Hunter Farm Cam Gambolati Erin’s Double Flickering Match
1984 Sure Too Explode (1:25 2/5)^^ Rick Luhr F. Lehmann S. Ingram April Sonnet Northern Jazz
*Turf stakes record **Dirt stakes record $$Purse increased to $200,000
^First turf running !!Won Kentucky Oaks ^^Run at 7 furlongs
79

The Florida Oaks
The Grade III $200,000 Florida Oaks
Fastest Time: 1:43.65 (MAIN TRACK) DON’T FORGET GIL (2009)
1:41.89 (TURF) TAPICAT (2013)
Slowest Time: 1:48.0 (MAIN TRACK) ERSTWHILE (1985)
1:45.56 (TURF) DYNAMIC HOLIDAY (2011)
Longest Priced Winner: $169.20 SHE’S SCRUMPTIOUS (1989)
Shortest Priced Winner: $2.60 EBONY BREEZE (2003)
Closest Winning Margin: Nose MINDY GAYLE (1996)
DIXIE STRIKE (2012)
Largest Winning Margin: 9 Lengths R LADY JOY (2005)
Shortest Price Loser: $.30 PLUM COUNTRY (1996)
STRATEGIC MANEUVER (1994)
Track Condition: FIRM All turf runnings
GOOD 2011
Baciami Piccola winning the Florida Oaks on 3/12
Richest Purse: 2006, 2014-present $200,000
Other Notes: Both the 2016 Florida Oaks winner and the runner-up, Baciami Piccola and Enjoy Yourself, were bred in Great Britain. Jockey Jose Lezcano won
three of four editions of the Florida Oaks from 2012-2015 and has won four overall, the most of any jockey. The triumph by Quality Rocks in 2015 was the third
in the race for Hall of Fame trainer William Mott, the most of any conditioner. Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day won the race three times. In 1996, the Florida Oaks
attained Grade III status; it lost graded status twice in ensuing years but was graded for the 2013 edition. It was contested on the turf for the first time in 2011. Jockey
Jorge Guerra won the Tampa Bay Derby and the Florida Oaks on the same day in 1996, a first-time accomplishment for any rider. Pat Day won both races in 1998;
Richard Migliore won both in 2001; and Ramon Dominguez won both in 2002. Trainer Glenn Wismer has won the race twice, in 1989 and 1992. Secret Status, the
2000 winner, went on to win the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. The 2003 Florida Oaks winner, Ebony Breeze, developed into a multiple-graded stakes winner
and millionaire for George Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable.
80

The Gasparilla Stakes
Gasparilla Stakes $100,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Old Fillies 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 R Girls a Charmer (1:25.61) Antonio Gallardo Gary Barber Mark Casse Cosmic Girl Missalaney
2015 Irish Jasper (1:22.41) * Victor Lebron Metro Thoroughbreds LLC Derek Ryan Huasca Coco’s Wildcat
2014 Nesso (1:24.93) Abdiel Jaen Amaty Racing Stables Herman Wilensky Ice for the Lady Runway Giant
2013 Vitameta (1:23.86) Jose Cruz Arindel Farm David Fawkes Cindys Casino Martha’s Moon
2012 Salad Girl (1:24.14) $$ Angel Serpa Joel Kligman Edward Plesa, Jr. Delightful Magic Ciguaraya
2011 Devilish Lady (1:25.28) Daniel Centeno Cairoli Racing Stable Antonio Sano My Pal Chrisy Fashionable Elsa
2010 Diva Delite (1:25) R. Homeister, Jr. B. Vivian & D. Vittese David Vivian Dattt Echo Miss Aristocrat
2009 Rock Candy (1:25.63) Carlos Montalvo W. Farish, Mrs. W. Kilroy Mike Zwiesler Vicki’sprideandjoy Market Vendor
2008 Awesome Chic (1:25.98) Irwin J. Rosendo Aurora Spring Stables Rafael Ramos Formal Arrangement Unfolding Wish
2007 Suaveness (1:24.03) Charles Forrest Robert Arango Robert Arango Foret Pretoria Light
2006 Sweet Fervor (1:23.78) T.D. Houghton Kinsman Stable William Mott Sparkling Pink Taylor Madison
2005 Cool Spell (1:24.36) Daniel Centeno Burris, Mr. and Mrs. W.D. John Hennig Sherrie Belle Gallant Secret
2004 Crafty Tears (1:26.81) Federico Mata Equest Racing Stable Ronald Allen, Sr. Wild Speed Ladyinareddress
2003 Ebony Breeze (1:25.01) Joe Judice Kinsman Stable William Mott Crimson and Roses Splasha
2002 Afnan (1:24.91) Jesus Castanon Bayard Sharp, Rich Nielson Mike Zwiesler Expected Roll Rebecca’s Charm
2001 Frozen Dinner (1:28.69) Felix Ortiz Pyrite Stables Miguel Feliciano Bigcuz Hidden Creek
2000 Silver Stockings (1:25.23) Juan Umana Savas, Chait, Inwood Farm L.L. Palmer Castlebrook Bea D J
1999 Crown Jewel (1:26.54) Luis Martinez Donald Murray Evelio Garcia A Par Tea Shutrina Sand
1998 Tasso’s Magic Roo (1:25 3/5) Marland Suckie Eileen Bathen Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Beaties for Real Catherine’s Girl
1997 Zesty Zoe (1:24 4/5) Danny Scocca Stonehedge Farm Kathleen O’Connell Bracey Poopsie
1996 Suggestion (1:26 4/5) Chin Yang Kenny Davis Ray Tamargo Pariente Barbara Believe It Shesdue
1995 Calming Sea (1:28 2/5) Robert Messina Dakar Stable Anthony Ferraro Smooth Quest Simply Blue
1994 Cavada (1:25 2/5) Kevin Whitley Bebe Dalton Kathleen Kelley Shananie’s Beat Deaf Power
1993 Lindsey Lane (1:26 3/5) # % William Henry Stonehedge Farm Kathleen O’Connell Sezyou Queen Thou Shalt Not Lie
1992 My Gallant Birdie (1:47) Herson Sanchez Alan Haft/Martin Haft Angel Rosado Aggie Gene Foxy Persuasion
1990 Learn By Heart Heriberto Rivera, Jr. Harold Queen Andrea Cunningham
1989 Tajawa
1988 Bold Midway
1987 Smart Honors
1986 Never Company
1985 Never Company
1984 Never Company &
81
* - Stakes record
$$ - Purse increased to $100,000
# - First time 3-year-olds only
% - Shortened from 1 1/16-mile

The Gasparilla Stakes
The $100,000 Gasparilla Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:22.41 IRISH JASPER (2014)
Slowest Time: 1:28.69 FROZEN DINNER (2001)
Longest Priced Winner: $141.40 SUAVENESS (2007)
Shortest Priced Winner: $2.80 DEVILISH LADY (2011)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE CAVADA (1994)
CALMING SEA (1995)
Largest Winning Margin: 8 ½ Lengths ZESTY ZOE (1997)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .50 HIDDEN CREEK (2001)
Track Condition: FAST All except
SLOPPY 2001
GOOD 1996 and 2016
Richest Purse: $100,000 2012-present
R Girls a Charmer winning the Gasparilla
Other Notes: R Girls a Charmer’s owner, South Africa native Gary Barber, is the Chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and co-founder
of Spyglass Entertainment. She previously was owned by a partnership headed by Averill Racing LLC. Irish Jasper, the 2015 winner, showed her
Gasparilla victory was not a flash in the pan, winning the Belle Harbor Stakes at Aqueduct and the Grade III Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes
at Pimlico. As a 2-year-old, 2014 winner Nesso finished second in stakes at Del Mar and Santa Anita before competing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Fillies Turf. The 2013 Gasparilla winner, Vitameta, is a daughter of Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Tampa Bay Derby (then-Grade III) and Kentucky
Derby; her broodmare sire, Grindstone, won the 1996 Kentucky Derby. Salad Girl’s 2012 victory was the first triumph in a stakes worth at least
$100,000 for jockey Angel Serpa, who was a finalist for a 2010 Eclipse Award as Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. The Gasparilla was open to older
fillies and mares prior to 1993. Never Company won three times in a row in 1984, 1985, and 1986. In 1984, the race was run at 6 furlongs. Stonehedge
Farm and trainer Kathleen O’Connell won the Gasparilla twice: in 1993 with Lindsey Lane and again in 1997 with Zesty Zoe. The Gasparilla was run
at 1 1/16 miles in 1992 and was won by My Gallant Birdie in 1:47. In 2010, Diva Delite and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. used a Gasparilla victory as
a springboard to Florida Oaks glory. In 1994, Cavada also won the Suncoast Stakes and the Florida Oaks.
82

The Hillsborough Stakes Grade II
$200,000 Fillies&Mares 4-Up 1 1/8-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Tepin (1:46.26) * ^ SS Julien Leparoux Robert E. Masterson Mark Casse Isabella Sings Lovely Loyree
2015 Stephanie’s Kitten (1:49.05) John Velazquez Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey Chad Brown Ball Dancing Speed Seeker
2014 Cloud Scapes (1:51.56) Erick Rodriguez Pin Oak Stud H. Graham Motion Waterway Run Riposte (GB)
2013 Old Tune (BRZ) (1:48.92) Joel Rosario Stud TNT Todd Pletcher ForcesofDarkness (IRE) Mystical Star
2012 Zagora (FR) (1:48.69) Javier Castellano Martin S. Schwartz Chad Brown Federation (GB) Unbridled Humor
2011 Denomination (1:48.69) Frederic Lenclud Ghislaine Head Christophe Clement Zagora (FR) Keertana
2010 Phola (1:52.51) Ramon Dominguez J.J. Pletcher, et al Todd Pletcher Cure For Sale (ARG) Liberally (IRE)
2009 Backseat Rhythm (1:51.43) Eibar Coa Paul Pompa, Jr. Patrick Reynolds Elusive Lady Ballymore Lady
2008 Dreaming of Anna (1:52.18) Cornelio Velasquez Frank C. Calabrese Wayne Catalano Lady Digby Mary Louhana (GB)
2007 Cassydora (GB) (1:48.90) John Velazquez Green Hills Farm Todd Pletcher My Typhoon (IRE) Masseuse
2006 Ready’s Girl (1:50.50) John Velazquez James Scatuorchio Pletcher Amorama (FR) Marchonin
2005 Rizzi Girl (1:52.59) Oliver Castillo Joshua and MarnieWhitney William Downing Sister Star Noisette
2004 Coney Kitty (IRE) (1:48.83)^^## Jose Santos Betz, Humphrey, Seelbinder James Toner Madeira Mist (IRE) Alternate
2003 Strait From Texas (1:41.14) Jesus Castanon J & J Investments James Michael Dedication (FR) Stylish
2002 Platinum Tiara (1:41.34) Manoel Cruz M375 Thoroughbreds Joe Waunsch Step With Style Loya Two
2001 Song for Annie (1:41.23) Larry Melancon Live Oak Plantation Henry Cochran Megans Bluff Inside Affair
2000 St Clair Ridge (IRE) (1:41.17) Pat Day Van Meter II, et al Elliott Walden Office Miss Royal Bloomer
1999 Pleasant Temper (1:42.62) Pat Day Mark Stanley Elliott Walden Sandy Gator Scatter Buy
The Hillsborough
Stakes
83
*- Stakes, course record
^ - Race achieved Grade II status
$$ - Purse increased to $200,000
^^ - Race achieved Grade III status
## - Distance changed to 1 1/8-mile

The Hillsborough Stakes Grade II
The Grade II $200,000 Hillsborough Stakes
Fastest Time: 1 1/16th 1:41.14 STRAIT FROM TEXAS (2003)
Fastest Time: 1 1/8th 1:46.26 TEPIN (2016)
Slowest Time: 1 1/16th 1:42.62 PLEASANT TEMPER (1999)
Slowest Time: 1 1/8th 1:52.59 RIZZI GIRL (2005)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 29.20 PLATINUM TIARA (2002)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.80 TEPIN (2016)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE BACKSEAT RHYTHM (2009)
CLOUD SCAPES (2014)
Largest Winning Margin: 6 ¾ Lengths DREAMING OF ANNA (2008)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 SNOWDROPS (2005)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
GOOD 1999 and 2005
YIELDING 2008
Tepin winning the Hillsborough
Richest Purse: 2016 $200,000
Other Notes: The Hillsborough achieved Grade II status and a purse increase in 2016, but the performance by the reigning Eclipse Award
Champion Grass Female, Tepin, was priceless. She set a course record of 1:46.26 after trailing by at least 19 lengths on the backstretch. Tepin is the
fourth mare in five years to win both the Hillsborough and the Grade III Lambholm South Endeavour. Stephanie’s Kitten’s 2015 victory paved the
way for her triumph in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She finished her career with $4.29-million in career earnings. Her jockey, Hall
of Fame member John Velazquez, has won the Hillsborough three times, the most of any rider. Old Tune’s 2013 Hillsborough victory was her sixth
consecutive stakes score. She won Brazil’s Filly Triple Crown in 2012. Her trainer, Todd Pletcher, won three previous editions of the Hillsborough: in
2006 with Ready’s Girl, in 2007 with Cassydora and in 2010 with Phola. After winning both the Grade III Endeavour and the Hillsborough in 2012,
Zagora won the Grade III Gallorette at Pimlico, the Grade II Ballston Spa at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita. She
also won the Eclipse Award as Champion Grass Female. She was also a Grade I winner in 2011. In 2008, Dreaming of Anna swept both the Endeavour
Breeders’ Cup on Festival Preview Day and the Hillsborough on Festival Day. The 2002 winner, Platinum Tiara, was owned by M375 Thoroughbreds,
a partnership that included former major league pitcher Rob Murphy.
84

The Inaugural Stakes
$100,000 Guaranteed 2-Year-Olds 6 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2015 Ishaq (1:11.04) Pedro Cotto, Jr. St. George Stable Efren Loza, Jr. Formal Summation Jay’s Way
2014 Catalina Red (1:09.32) * Daniel Centeno Anthony A. Lenci Chad Stewart Charlie’s Brother Duke of Luke
2013 Cool Cowboy (1:11.13) $$ Eduardo Perez Savoy Stable Dale Bennett Early Entry Trisha’s Trove
2012 Purple Egg (1:09.93) Roberto Alvarado, Jr. Goodwood Racing II Jane Cibelli Brave Dave Capital City
2011 Angelofdistinction (1:11.49) Pablo Morales T’braue,Brenda/Andrea’sFrm Daniel Pita Wildcat Creek Dangerous Trick
2010 Manicero (1:11.57) Luis Saez Leo Azpurua, Sr. Leo Azpurua, Jr. Bert B Don Uno Caliente
2009 Gesu (1:11.58) Paco Lopez James W. Steil Joe Calascibetta Hellen’s Choice Mr. Green
2008 Top Speed (1:10.91) Eibar Coa Harry and Tom Meyerhoff Michael Trombetta General Quarters Miles and Miles
2007 Honey Honey Honey (1:11.15)^ Jose Lopez Jacks or Better Farm Stanley Gold Run Sully Run Surrealdeal
2006 Dream of Angels (1:10.89) Richard Eramia Pamela Halter Steven Standridge Captain Cameron El Bandito Rojo
2005 R Loyal Man (1:11.91) Rajiv Maragh Alfred Kowalewski Timothy Ritvo Forestry Prince Neverbeendancin’
2004 Hostile Witness (1:12.23) Cecilio Penalba Thomas Willmott Larry Bates Sounds Impossible Captain Lindsay
2003 Tricks of Glory (1:12.21) Federico Mata Equest Racing Stable Ronald Allen, Sr. Aloha Mya Misguided Left
2002 Awesome of Course (1:11.99) Jesus Castanon Jacks or Better Farm Kenneth Decker Run For You Penthouse Promise
2001 Bog Hunter (1:11.43) Bobby J. Walker, Jr. Nelson Jones Debbie Thacker Showmeitall How About My Place
2000 One Special Judge (1:11.16) Sidney LeJeune, Jr. Peppertree Farms Ron Moquett Diablo’s Choice Run Kush Run
1999 B L’s Appeal (1:11.87) Kevin Whitley Monarch Stables, Inc. Larry Pilotti Rich Celebration Bearcat Ruckus
1998 San Gennaro (1:10.98) Pedro Rodriguez Richard Ciardullo, Sr. Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Do It My Way Cut For Luv
1997 Sejm Run (1:11 3/5) Luis Gonzalez Harvey Tenenbaum Julian Canet Glow Over Pyrite Rock and Roll
1996 Darling Jeb (1:13) ## Enrique Jurado Joel W. Sainer David Braddy Threshhold Triple Great
1995 Betweenhereorthere (1:24 1/5) Ender Jimenez Dominick Vittese Daviod Vivian Cashier Coyote Dirtman
1994 Soldier On (1:25 2/5) Eddie Algarin Frederick Kirby Frederick Kirby Brunette Crusader Valid Coup
1993 Roglee (1:25 2/5) William Henry Roger Kumar Glenn Wismer Exclusive Praline Loadofhope
1992 Virgil Cain (1:24) Eduardo Nunez S.W. Ballou Daniel Hurtak Numerically Aarons Classi Boy
1991 No Mecourtney (1:26 3/5) Eric Valles Oliver S. Edwards Valerie Sciaretta Critical Quad Oh My Blue Boy
1990 Darian’s Reason Schweiger Stable, Inc. Robert Richards, Jr.
1989 Ignition Switch
1988 Storm Predictions
1987 Cook’s Brown Rice
85
*- Stakes record
$$- Purse increased to $100,000
^- Run in December
##- Distance changed to 6 furlongs

The Inaugural Stakes
The $100,000 Inaugural Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:09.32 CATALINA RED (2014)
Slowest Time: 1:14.0 LINDSEY LANE (1993)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 89.20 NO MECOURTNEY (1991)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.00 COOL COWBOY (2013)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE HONEY HONEY HONEY (2008)
Largest Winning Margin: 7 1/4 Lengths CATALINA RED (2014)
Shortest Price Loser: $ 1.10 KING DIABLO (1996)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 1999
Richest Purse: $100,000 2013-present
Richies Sweetheart winning the Lightning City on 12/19
Other Notes: The 2014 Inaugural Stakes winner, Catalina Red, shattered the stakes record while rewarding trainer Chad Stewart and five-time
leading jockey Daniel Centeno with their first Inaugural victories. In May of 2016, Catalina Red won the Grade II, $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes
while trained by Jorge Navarro and ridden by Javier Castellano. The 2013 Inaugural Stakes winner, Cool Cowboy, is a son of 2009 Eclipse Awardwinning
Outstanding Sprinter, Kodiak Kowboy. The 2012 winner, Purple Egg, was the first Inaugural Stakes winner to finish in under 1:10 since the
race was shortened from seven furlongs in 1996. The fourth-place finisher in that race, Falling Sky, won the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at
Tampa Bay Downs and finished third in the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby. The purse was $25,000 from 1986 through 1998; in 1999 it was run
for $40,000 and in 2000 the race was valued at $50,000. In December of 2007, the Inaugural began running for $65,000 and was raised again for the
2011 edition. The 2011 Tampa Bay Derby winner, Watch Me Go, finished fifth in the 2010 Inaugural. The 1988 Inaugural winner, Storm Predictions,
won the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby in 1989 and also won the Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs and the Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream and the
Americana Handicap at Calder.
86

The Lightning City Stakes
$100,000 Guaranteed Fillies&Mares 3-Up 5 Furlongs (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2015 Richies Sweetheart (56.18) Dean Butler Ravin,Patricia’sHope,Rivelli Larry Rivelli Katie’s Kiss Iroquois Girl
2015 Double Secret (56.64) ^ Augusto Marin Adolfo J. Exposito Adolfo Exposito Allwewantforxmas Ageless
2014 Shrinking Violet (55.54) $$ Quincy Hamilton Wesley A. Ward Wesley A. Ward Trippin’ Along Christina d’Oro
2013 Smartys Emperoress (55.50)*^ Angel Serpa Jerry Jamgotchian James Spicknall Supreme Bounding Bi/Suzzona (DH)
2011 Jenny’s So Great (56.02) R. Homeister, Jr. Vicki and Bill Poston Jason Servis Trippi’s Sailor Tremendamente
2010 Suzzona (56.83) Hector Ramos Sandy Valley Farms Benny Feliciano Easy Ashley Kosmo’s Buddy
2009 Taletobetold (58.19) Tony Farina Robert DeWitt Eddie Kenneally Jazzy (ARG) Charlie Papa
2008 Game N Laughin’ (57.21) Dean Butler Diamond G Ranch, Inc. Bernell B. Rhone Bucky’s Prayer Message of a Myth
2007 Royal Regan (56.61) Pedro Cotto, Jr. J. Pesci, S. Sharma, W. Ward Cathy Rountree Zooming By Mohegan Sky
2007 Bucky’s Prayer (55.50) *^ Luis Gonzalez Winning Stables, Inc. Gerald Bennett Jabalski Princess Yes It’s Gold
2006 Jewels N Gems (57.14) ^ Eddie Castro Richard Averill Kirk Ziadie Inhonorofjohnnie Impressive Star
2005 Whenthedoveflies (56.54) ^ Jose Lezcano Kalacan Racing Stable Kirk Ziadie
* - Stakes record co-holder
$$ - Purse increased to $100,000
^ - Race run in January
DH- Dead heat
87

The Lightning City Stakes
The $100,000 Lightning City Stakes
Fastest Time: 55.50 BUCKY’S PRAYER (2007)
SMARTYS EMPERORESS (2013)
Slowest Time: 58.19 TALETOBETOLD (2009)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 63.40 DOUBLE SECRET (2015)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.80 WHENTHEDOVEFLIES (2005)
Closest Winning Margin: Nose SMARTYS EMPERORESS (2013)
Largest Winning Margin: 5 Lengths WHENTHEDOVEFLIES (2005)
Shortest Priced Loser: $0.70 MADAME GIRY (2013)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
GOOD 2009
GOOD 2015
Richies Sweetheart winning the Lightning City on 12/19
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2014-present
Other Notes: Richies Sweetheart’s 2016 upset victory marked the third consecutive year the Lightning City winner was owned and trained by the
same individual. Trainer Larry Rivelli owns the Illinois-bred mare in partnership with Richard Ravin and Patricia’s Hope, LLC (Vince Foglia). Double
Secret’, the 2015 winner, was owned and trained by Adolfo Exposito, who manages an eight-horse stable in the Ocala, Fla., area. Shrinking Violet
(owned and trained by Wesley Ward), the 2014 winner, was a girl for all seasons and all racetracks. Her successful venture to Tampa Bay Downs for the
Lightning City Stakes marked the 10th different track at which she had competed. Ward was an Eclipse Award winner as an apprentice jockey and is
the son of Tampa Bay Downs trainer Dennis Ward. The 2013 winner, Smartys Emperoress, tied the stakes record in her Lightning City victory; in her
only previous start at Tampa Bay Downs, she won a five-furlong allowance/optional claiming turf race in 55.42 seconds. The 2011 winner, Jenny’s So
Great, was bred by pop singing star David Cassidy, perhaps best known for playing Keith Partridge on “The Partridge Family.” Jenny’s So Great was the
first betting favorite to win the race since Bucky’s Prayer at the end of the 2006-07 season. Suzzona, the 2010 winner, also captured stakes at Pimlico,
Monmouth and Parx. Trainer Kirk Ziadie has won two editions of the Lightning City Stakes: in 2005 with Whenthedoveflies and in 2006 with .Jewels
N Gems. The purse for the Lightning City was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 for the 2014 renewal.
88

The Manatee Stakes
$50,000 Guaranteed Fillies&Mares 4-Up 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2014 Risky Rachel (1:23.48) * Daniel Centeno Sanford Bacon Juan Coronel Cookie Ambusher
2013 Spectacular Sky (1:23.51) Daniel Centeno Farnsworth Stables LLC Martin Wolfson Cheechako Appealing Stella
2012 Taylors Irish (1:23.55) Pedro Cotto, Jr. Michael Newman Charles Harvatt Island Bound Much Rejoicing
2011 Hyperlink (1:23.52) Daniel Centeno Joseph Engelhart Kenneth McPeek Choragus Tripped
2010 Lady Alexander (1:23.80) Ricardo Feliciano Rosemarie Kesselring Bruce Alexander Satans Quick Chick Choragus
2009 Rising Fever (BRZ) 1:25.22) Daniel Centeno David Soifer Christophe Clement Star Operator Dee’s Rose
2008 Marina Ballerina (1:24.22) Pedro Cotto, Jr. Robert L. Pastor Steve Margolis Meredith Bee Haddie Be Good
2007 Summer Cruise (1:25.43) Carlos Montalvo Will Farish and Gasparilla Michael Zwiesler Gadolinium Zooming By
2006 Ebony Breeze (1:25.03) T.D. Houghton Kinsman Stable Edward Sexton Toll Taker Beautiful Bets
2005 Grab Bag (1:24.22) Tom Turner Henry Waring Thomas Skiffington Ebony Breeze Habiboo
2004 Mary Murphy (1:26.64) Pedro Rodriguez M375 Thoroughbreds Joseph Waunsch Really Royal Cherry Tree Hill
2003 Romancin Dixie (1:25.51) Jose Espada Dorothy Leonard Perry Johnson Four Plus Four Belle Artiste
2002 Little Won (1:24.37) Derek Bell Elisa Spencer David Hinsley Flashing Lil Alley Ball
2001 Silver Stockings (1:24.45)$$ Felix Ortiz Inwood Farm L.L. Palmer Inside Affair Little Won
2000 Misstress (1:24.56) Pedro Rodriguez D & H Stable William Downing Little Won Shutrina Sand
1999 Inside Affair (1:25.85) Luis Martinez Harold Queen Shirley Girten Kipper Quila Lolabell
1998 Hail the Queen (1:25 1/5) Ricardo Lopez Cass Stable/Foggiano Donna Foggiano Blind Trust Whats It Gonna Be
1997 Littlest Secretary (1:25 3/5) Paula Bacon Deborrah Artz Don Rice Whats It Gonna Be Effervescence
1996 Naughty Notions (1:25 1/5) Benny Feliciano M. and J. Mulholland John Hennig Portent Show No Fear
1995 Show No Fear (1:24 2/5) Eduardo Nunez Ramon Coto Hank Caballero Jellied Madrilene Wild Lady A
1994 Show No Fear (1:25 3/5) Eduardo Nunez R. Coto and C.Y. Justi Luis Olivares Slew Knew Jovial Sez
1993 Forli’s Lass (1:23 3/5) William Henry Star Racing Stables Art Pedregal, Jr. Magal Golden Wildcat
1992 Magal (1:25) Willie Martinez Dolores Tamargo Ray Tamargo Forli’s Lass Premier Question
1991 Victorious Trick (1:26) Ricardo Lopez John Franks David Bell Jo Jo’s Sparkle Sassy N Brassy
1990 Leave It Be Herson Sanchez Liberty D Stable, Inc. Norm Wismer
1989 Foxy Alexis
1988 Brief Fame
1987 An Affirmation
1986 Is Rosalind
1985 Delicate Lady
* -- Stakes record
$$ -- Purse increased to $50,000
89

The Manatee Stakes
The $50,000 Manatee Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:23.48 RISKY RACHEL (2014)
Slowest Time: 1:26.00 VICTORIOUS TRICK (1991)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 116.40 ROMANCIN DIXIE (2003)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.80 RISKY RACHEL (2014)
Closest Winning Margin: HEAD MISSTRESS (2000)
LITTLE WON (2002)
LITTLEST SECRETARY (1997)
Largest Winning Margin: 3 ¾ Length RISKY RACHEL (2014)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 EBONY BREEZE (2005)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 1991 and 2007
WET FAST 2006 and 2010
Risky Rachel winning the 2014 Manatee Stakes
Richest Purse: $ 65,000 2008
Other Notes: The New York-bred 6-year-old mare Risky Rachel made the Manatee her sixth career stakes victory, following her earlier score in
the Minaret. She eclipsed the stakes record set the previous year by Spectacular Sky. Risky Rachel is a daughter of Limehouse, which won the 2004
Tampa Bay Derby. Spectacular Sky followed up her stakes-record Manatee triumph with a solid second in the Grade II Inside Information Stakes at
Gulfstream. Daniel Centeno, a five-time leading jockey at Tampa Bay Downs, won four of the last six editions of the race. The 2012 winner, Taylors
Irish, scored all six of her career victories at Tampa Bay Downs. Her jockey, Pedro Cotto, Jr., won on Marina Ballerina in 2008. Jockey Eduardo Nunez
won this race twice with Show No Fear in 1994 and 1995. Show No Fear made 103 career starts, winning 13 races; her back-to-back Manatee triumphs
were her only stakes scores. Jockeys Ricardo Lopez and Pedro Rodriguez won the Manatee twice.
90

The Minaret
$50,000 Guaranteed Fillies&Mares 3-up 6 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 You Bought Her (1:10.02) Brian Pedroza Richard Perkins/Hinsley Racing David Hinsley No Fault of Mine R Sassy Lass
2015 You Bought Her (1:09.92) Brian Pedroza Richard Perkins/Hinsley Racing David Hinsley R Free Roll Puddifoot
2014 Risky Rachel (1:10.95) Daniel Centeno Sanford Bacon Juan Coronel Cor Cor Ambusher
2012 Appealing Stella (1:12.57) % Angel Serpa Cindy Nassal Jane Cibelli Becausei’mworthit Nakano
2011 Its Me Mom (1:09.68)* % Willie Martinez Thomas and Jean Bosch Lynne Scace Moon Buzz Yournotthebossofme
2011 Stormy Publisher (1:10.71) Frederic Lenclud Waratah Thoroughbreds Christophe Clement My Irish Girl Choragus
2010 Perf (1:10.78) Luis Gonzalez Harold L. Queen Mary Bennett Rate of Exchange Nicks
2009 Dream Rush (1:10.73) Daniel Centeno Minor Stables William Phipps Rising Fever (BRZ) Star Operator
2008 Taylor Madison (1:10.65) Carlos Montalvo Dini Racing Stable, et al Michael Dini Twiceasbeautiful Rockaway Beach
2007 Summer Cruise (1:11.06) Carlos Montalvo Will Farish/Gasparilla Michael Zwiesler Rgirldoesn’tbluff Taylor Madison
2006 Platinum Perfect (1:10.68) Jose Lezcano Robert Valeri Lynne Scace Beautiful Bets Louve Sauvage
2005 Slew’s Final Answer (1:10.54) Jose Ferrer Live Oak Plantation William Mott Diablosangeleyes Beautiful Honor
2004 Sea Span (1:10.42) Jesus Castanon James R. Lewis Emanuel Tortora Mooji Moo Diablosangeleyes
2003 Smoke Chaser (1:12.18) Joseph Judice Savoy Stables/Goldish Kathleen O’Connell Little Won Roman Romance
2002 Away (1:11.47) Chris DeCarlo John Kimmel, et al John Kimmel Flashing Lil Little Won
2000 Shutrina Sand (1:11.41) % Luis Gonzalez Chris Powell Deborrah Artz Little Won Lady Cherise
1999 Lolabell (1:11.41) William Henry Mrs. James B. Malcolm John Hennig Make Me Conquer Kipper Quila
1998 Whats It Gonna Be (1:12) Jesse Garcia Bob Peterson Bob Peterson Mydaddysthemann Fortunate Smile
1997 Whats It Gonna Be (1:12 1/5) Jesse Garcia Bob Peterson Bob Peterson Bushy’s Pride Blueshirts’ Dream
1996 Pyxen (1:12 2/5) Chin Yang Jean Schunmann Paul Cimini Free Quest Portent/Double Dan (DH)
1995 Shananie’s Beat (1:11 4/5) Jorge Guerra Stonehedge Farm Kathleen O’Connell Wild Lady A Hooded Dancer
1994 Slew Knew (1:12 3/5) Ron Buchanan Mar Vic Stable Diana Cesarini Debby’s Honeypie Primetimeexclusive
1993 Forli’s Lass (1:10 2/5) William Henry Star Racing Stable Art Pedregal Summerhill Girl Magal
1992 Forli’s Lass (1:11 3/5) William Henry Star Racing Stable Art Pedregal Magal Summerhill Girl
1991 Majesty’s Missy Chris Morales James B. Tafel Luis Olivares Winds of Forli Victorious Trick
1990 Sunny Stunner
1989 Diamond Sunjet
1988 Millie Prospect
1987 Gentle Screen
1986 Medieval Decoy
1985 Isayso
1984 FleurdePrintemps/ParisRoulette
* -- Stakes record
% -- Run in December
1983 Sugar’s Appeal/Bee A Problem
91
DH -- Dead heat
1983-84 -- Run in two divisions

The Minaret Stakes
The $50,000 Minaret Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:09.68 IT’S ME MOM (2011)
Slowest Time: 1:12.3 SLEW KNEW (1994)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 72.00 PYXEN (1996)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.60 IT’S ME MOM (2011)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE WHATS IT GONNA BE (1998)
LITTLE WON (2000)
STORMY PUBLISHER (2011)
Largest Winning Margin: 8 1/4 Lengths IT’S ME MOM (2011)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .80 MAKE ME CONQUER (1997)
Track Condition: FAST All except
WETFAST 2012
You Bought Her winning the Minaret on 2/20
Richest Purse: $ 65,000 2008
Other Notes: You Bought Her became the third horse to win back-to-back editions of the Minaret, joining Forli’s Lass (1992-1993) and Whats It
Gonna Be (1997-1998). You Bought Her’s 2015 victory was the first career stakes triumph for jockey Brian Pedroza. It came four weeks after a runnerup
effort in the Lightning City Stakes on the turf. Owner Sanford Bacon of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., bred 2014 winner Risky Rachel from his champion
mare Dancin Renee, who died less than 24 hours earlier at Old Friends Equine Thoroughbred Retirement Center in Kentucky. Appealing Stella’s
2013 victory was the first for owner Cindy Nassal, who bred the winner with her husband Bill at their Stonecliff Farm in Ocala. It’s Me Mom and her
connections celebrated New Year’s Eve in grand style in 2011, winning the Minaret in stakes-record time by the largest margin in race history. Jockey
William Henry won this race three times.
92

The Pasco Stakes
$100,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Olds 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Morning Fire (1:24.76) Daniel Centeno Mercedes Stables Keith Nations Epic Journey Awesome Slate
2015 Catalina Red (1:21.40) ^ Daniel Centeno Anthony A. Lenci Chad Stewart X Y Jet Charlie’s Brother
2014 Mighty Brown (1:24.17) Dean Butler Tri-StarRacing&TheFarmOn4 Tim Ice Cool Cowboy Giancarlo
2013 Dynamic Sky (1:22.79) Luis Contreras John C. Oxley Mark Casse Sky Commander Divine Ambition
2012 Prospective (1:23.88) ** Luis Contreras John C. Oxley Mark Casse Wildcat Creek Adirondack King
2011 Manicero (1:24.58) Luis Saez Leo Azpurua, Sr. Leo Azpurua, Jr. Bert B Don Depeche Chat
2010 Uptowncharlybrown (1:24.28) Daniel Centeno Fantasy Lane Stables Alan Seewald Big Looie Black Diamond Cat
2009 Musket Man (1:25.63) Luis Gonzalez Eric Fein, Vic Carlson Derek Ryan General Quarters Miles and Miles
2008 Honey Honey Honey (1:24.75) Jose Lopez Jacks or Better Farm Stanley Gold Gentleman James Surrealdeal
2007 Barkley Sound (1:24.31) Enrique Jurado Pinebloom Stables Joan Scott Steelix Dippi Trippi
2006 R Loyal Man (1:22.55) *** Manoel Cruz Alfred Kowalewski Timothy Ritvo Electrify Doc Cheney
2005 Electric Light (1:23.67) Winston Thompson Live Oak Plantation Nick Zito Captain Lindsay Dazzling Dr. Cevin
2004 Misguided Left (1:25.94) Jesus Castanon Joel W. Sainer J. David Braddy Wire Bound Bourbon N Blues
2003 Super Fuse (1:25.07) Carlos Gonzalez C. T. Stable, LLC Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Hear No Evil Kipper Chemo
2002 Major Focus (1:24.53) Earlie Fires Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Expected Hour Ran South
2001 One Special Judge (1:25.31) Sidney LeJeune, Jr. Peppertree Farm Ronald Moquett Simply Sir Mute Gingrich
2000 Bearcat Ruckus (1:24.87) Derek Bell Teaberry Acres Javier Contreras Tour the Hive Sweeping Analysis
1999 Slew the Message (1:24.1) T.D. Houghton Chris Powell Jason Stodghill Do It My Way Skootin Skooter
93
^ -- stakes, track record
** -- purse increased to $100,000
*** -- purse increased to $75,000

The Pasco Stakes
The $100,000 Pasco Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:21:40 CATALINA RED (2014)
Slowest Time: 1:25.94 MISGUIDED LEFT (2004)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 36.80 BEARCAT RUCKUS (2000)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.00 ONE SPECIAL JUDGE (2001)
Closest Winning Margin: NECK SUPER FUSE (2003)
CATALINA RED (2014)
Largest Winning Margin: 5 1/2 Lengths HONEY HONEY HONEY (2008)
Shortest Price Loser: $ 1.10 RUN SULLY RUN (2008)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 2016
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2012-present
Morning Fire winning the Pasco Stakes on 1/23
Other Notes: Jockey Daniel Centeno captured a record third Pasco Stakes victory aboard Morning Fire, who later finished third in the Grade
III Sam F. Davis Stakes before traveling to Gulfstream to win the Spectacular Bid, again with Centeno in the saddle. The Pasco Stakes was contested
by 2-year-olds during the 2014-2015 meeting. Catalina Red demolished the stakes and track record for trainer Chad Stewart and jockey Centeno.
The previous Pasco winner, Mighty Brown, is a son of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion Big Brown. Dynamic Sky’s victory in 2013
represented back-to-back Pasco scores for his connections: owner John Oxley, trainer Mark Casse and jockey Luis Contreras. Prospective found
Tampa Bay Downs much to his liking in 2012. After his Pasco Stakes victory, he finished second in the Sam F. Davis Stakes before winning the Grade
II Tampa Bay Derby. The 2009 Pasco winner, Musket Man, won the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby and Grade II Illinois Derby and finished third in the
Kentucky Derby and Preakness, while 2009 runner-up General Quarters scored victories in the Sam F. Davis and the Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland.
Jockey Earlie Fires, who won the 2002 Pasco on Major Focus at age 54, is a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
94

The Pelican
$100,000 Guaranteed 4-Year-Olds-and-Up 6 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Barbados (1:09.96) Victor Lebron Suzanne Stables Michael Tomlinson Normandy Crossing Street Spice
2015 Star Harbour (1:10.78) $$ Geovany Garcia Billy, Donna & Justin Hays Joe Woodard Helooksthepart Risk Factor
2014 Palace Barista (1:09.94) Harry Vega Lynne M. Scace Lynne M. Scace W.B. Smudge One Buck Roma
2013 Action Andy (1:09.14) * Danny Coa Robert Gerczak Carlos Garcia Indiano Black Belt
2012 Action Andy (1:09.58) % Jesse Garcia Robert Gerczak Carlos Garcia Good Lord Why Pretend
2011 See I A (1:10.18) Huber Villa-Gomez Midwest Thoroughbreds Jamie Ness Gary D Good Lord
2010 Sneaking Uponyou (1:11.21) Daniel Centeno Jagger, Inc. Jamie Ness Conchacer War Fighter
2009 Blind River Fox (1:10.09) Willie Martinez Winning Stables, et al Gerald Bennett Ruby’s Red Socks Duke’s Flying Tiger
2008 Lookinforthesecret (1:09.30) Daniel Centeno Balkrisna Sukharan Jamie Ness He’s So Chic It’s His Time
2007 Roman Candles (1:09.88) Jose Martinez, Jr. C. Robert Valeri Lynne M. Scace Wonone D’artagnans’spirit
2006 Above the Wind (1:10.83) Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Morine’s Victory Pirate King
2005 Above the Wind (1:10.04) Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Ranger Chance Sing Me Back Home
2003 Above the Wind (1:10.89) % Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Secret Romeo Wackey For Love
2002 Secret Romeo (1:10.87) % Federico Mata A A C Stables Gerald Bennett Tour the Hive Winnie’s Pooh Bear
2001 Winnie’s Pooh Bear (1:11) % T.D. Houghton A A C Stables Gerald Bennett Distinctive Mr. B Mountain Top
2000 Mountain Top (1:10.69) % Juan Umana John D. Murphy Michael Gorman Diamond Studs Distinctive Mr. B
1999 San Gennaro ( 1:10.66) % Pedro Rodriguez Richard Ciardullo, Sr. Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Salty Glance Mann the Shipp
1999 Brisco Jack (1:10.48) William Henry Martin L. Cherry Raymond Tamargo Blues Away Mann the Shipp
1997 Brisco Jack (1:12 1/5) % Ricardo Lopez Donald Murray Evelio Garcia Ray of Gold Triple Great
1996 Little Don (1:11 2/5) % Bubba G. Wilson Duane Knipe Duane Knipe Prince of Gallapiat Journeys Express
1995 Fort Edward (1:10 4/5) % Jorge Guerra Dennis Brida Dennis Brida Here Come Da Perks BankersForbes
1995 Not Surprising (1:10 4/5) William Henry Robert Van Worp Judson Van Worp Honor Colony Reigning Glory
1994 Not Surprising (1:10 2/5) William Henry Robert Van Worp Judson Van Worp Oh So Striking Bob the Hat
1993 Lord Try On (1:10 3/5) Eddie Algarin River Bend Farm E.P. Cantlon, Sr. Intown for the Day Junk Bond King
1992 Hidden Tomahawk (1:11 3/5) Ismael Gonzalez J.R. Solomon R.J. Richards, Jr. Aim High Daniel Franklin Me
1991 Mr. Hot Shot Jose A. Rivera, II James Stewart William Stewart Jilsie’s Gigalo Position Leader
1990 Cook’s Brown Rice Victor H. Molina Rupert Brown Joseph Fabrizio Strike the Knight Katie Come Lately
1989 Intown for the Day (1:09.1) Rick Adkins T.D. Shank Robin Shank Sunny Go North Private Express
1988 Bobin’s Key
1987 Tyantson
1986 Rupert’s Wing ^^
1983 Big Mary
95
* -- Stakes record
$$ -- Purse increased to $100,000
% -- Run in December
^^ -- Race renewed

Stakes Histories
The $100,000 Pelican Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:09.14 ACTION ANDY (2012)
Slowest Time: 1:12.1 BRISCO JACK (1997)
Longest Priced Winner: $132.40 ABOVE THE WIND (2003)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.80 NOT SURPRISING (1995)
ACTION ANDY (2012)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE LORD TRY ON (1993)
STAR HARBOUR (2015)
Largest Winning Margin: 11 ½ Lengths NOT SURPRISING (1995)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 PLEASANT TOO
WILD RAINBOWS (Entry - 1996)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 1995
SLOPPY 1997
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2015-present
Barbados winning the Pelican Stakes on 2/20
Other Notes: Barbados won the Grade III Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park as a 3-year-old. Star Harbour’s sire is the late Indian Charlie,
who won the 1998 Santa Anita Derby and finished third in the Kentucky Derby. Palace Barista won the 2014 Pelican in only his third lifetime start.
Before setting the stakes record in 2013, Action Andy enjoyed a stellar 2012 campaign. He won the Super Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, the Da Hoss at
Colonial, the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap and the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, the latter two at Laurel. Jockey Federico Mata
won four consecutive editions of the Pelican: on Secret Romeo in 2002, followed by three in a row on Above the Wind. William Henry won this race
three times: twice (1994 and 1995) with the combination of Not Surprising, owner Robert Van Worp and trainer Judson Van Worp. Not Surprising’s
1995 Pelican victory kicked off a year in which he won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top sprinter with eight victories, including four graded stakes
in New York. Above the Wind was not the favorite in any of his Pelican triumphs; he paid $132.40 to win in 2003 as the longest shot in a 12-horse field.
Trainer Gerald Bennett has won the Pelican three times. Jockey Daniel Centeno and trainer Jamie Ness have won the Pelican twice together in 2008
with Lookinforthesecret and 2010 with Sneaking Uponyou. Ness won the Pelican a third time in 2011 with See I A.
96

The Sam F. Davis Stakes
$250,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Olds 1 1/16-Mile
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Destin (1:43.67) ## John Velazquez Twin Creeks Racing Stables Todd Pletcher Rafting Morning Fire
2015 Ocean Knight (1:43.74) Irad Ortiz, Jr. Stonestreet Stables LLC Kiaran McLaughlin Divining Rod My Johnny Be Good
2014 Vinceremos (1:47.34) Edgar Prado WinStar Farm & Twin Creeks Todd Pletcher Harpoon Cousin Stephen
2013 Falling Sky (1:44.79) Jose Espinoza N’wtownAnner,C’vello,B’lger John Terranova II Dynamic Sky My Name Is Michael
2012 Battle Hardened (1:44.58) $$ Julien Leparoux M. Tabor & Mrs. J. Magnier Eddie Kenneally Prospective ## Reveron
2011 Brethren (1:45.07) Ramon Dominguez WinStar Farm Todd Pletcher Too Experience Watch Me Go
2010 Rule (1:44.15) John Velazquez WinStar Farm Todd Pletcher Schoolyard Dreams Uptowncharlybrown
2009 General Quarters (1:43.54) * James Lopez Thomas McCarthy Mark Miller Sumo Musket Man ##
2008 Fierce Wind (1:44.13) Cornelio Velasquez Four Roses Thoroughbred Nicholas Zito Big Truck ## Smooth Air
2007 Any Given Saturday (1:44.47) John Velazquez WinStar Farm Todd Pletcher All I Can Get James Wilfred
2006 Bluegrass Cat (1:44.17) John Velazquez WinStar Farm Todd Pletcher Deputy Glitters ## R Loyal Man
2005 Andromeda’s Hero (1:46.63) Rafael Bejarano Robert LaPenta Nicholas Zito Summer Legacy Captain Lindsay
2004 Kaufy Mate (1:44.60) Ramsey Zimmerman Gregory Kaufman Kirk Ziadie The Cliff ’s Edge Zakocity
2003 White Buck (1:45.47) Roger Velez Olga Paradise Jerry Paradise Freedom Lane Coach Jimi Lee
2002 Bunk N Ted (1:49.86) Derek Bell Danny Hunt Kenneth Wirth Tails of the Crypt Raymond Springs
2001 Burning Roma (1:45.2) ## Juan Umana Harold Queen Heather Giglio American Prince Talking Red
2000 Go Lib Go (1:44.84) Robert Landry Ray Cottrell Kenneth McPeek Kombat Kat Cool N Crafty
1999 San Gennaro (1:45.54) Pedro Rodriguez Richard Ciardullo, Sr. Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Groomstick Stock’s Gander
1998 Dabney Carr (1:46.1) Kevin Whitley My Jolee Stable/Everard Elizabeth Zemp-Everard Rock and Roll Midnight Coyote
1997 Wilt the Tilt (1:46.0) Luis Gonzalez Michael Smith Cyndi Smith Part the Waters Favorable Regard
1996 Thundering Storm (1:47 3/5)## Jorge Guerra Deborrah Artz Don Rice Copy Cat My Game
1995 Akiba (1:47 2/5) Santos Chavez Scott Savin Hubert “Sonny” Hine Dr. Ktonborg Dontstopthejukebox
1994 Parental Pressure (1:47 2/5) Jack Lauzon Hammer Kopf Farm, et al Fred Loschke Able Buck Mr. Blueberry
1993 Marco Bay (1:45 3/5) ## Ronnie Allen, Jr. Jay Shaw Sarah Lundy Antrim Rd. Flashy Regent
1992 Randy (1:46 2/5) Herson Sanchez Martin Haft Angel Rosado Wolf Brigade Critical Quad
1991 Speedy Cure (1:47 4/5) ## Ricardo Lopez Susan Fisher Harvey Culp One No Trump Northern No Trump
1990 Fiery Best M.A. Santos Berens & Garazi Jose Mendez
1989 Papa Leonard
1988 House Account
1987 Phantom Jet ##
1986 Fellow’s Lady
1985 Tamao’s Gray
1984 Morning Bob/D. White ^^
1983 Saverton
1982 Tampa Bay Buck
1981 Croziers Ace
97
* -- Stakes record
## -- Won Tampa Bay Derby
$$ -- Purse increased to $250,000
^^ -- Run in two divisions

The Sam F. Davis Stakes
The $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:43.54 GENERAL QUARTERS (2009)
Slowest Time: 1:49.86 BUNK N TED (2002)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 56.40 WHITE BUCK (2003)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.40 ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (2007)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE RANDY (1992)
AKIBA (1995)
VINCEREMOS (2014)
Largest Winning Margin: 6 ¾ Lengths SAN GENNARO (1999)
Shortest Price Loser: $ 40 WOLF BRIGADE (1992)
Track Condition: FAST All runnings
GOOD 1991 and 1998
SLOPPY 2003
Destin winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes on 2/13
Richest Purse: $ 250,000 2011-present
Other Notes: Destin became the first horse to win the Sam F. Davis and the Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby since Burning Roma
in 2001. He also provided trainer Todd Pletcher his sixth Davis victory since 2006 and was the fourth Davis winner for Hall of Fame jockey John
Velazquez. Ocean Knight’s sire is Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame member who won the 2007 Preakness and Breeders’
Cup Classic Powered by Dodge and earned $10.5-million. Vinceremos, the 2014 Sam F. Davis winner, is named for the Vinceremos Therapeutic
Riding Center in Loxahatchee, Fla. Falling Sky was purchased less than three weeks before the 2013 Sam F. Davis Stakes at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales
Company’s winter mixed sale for $425,000 by the partnership of Maurice and Samantha Regan’s Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello and Joseph
Bulger. Six Tampa Bay Derby winners have won this race: Phantom Jet (1987), Speedy Cure (1991), Marco Bay (1993), Thundering Storm (1996),
Burning Roma (2001) and Destin. Trainer Nick Zito has won the Sam F. Davis Stakes twice: in 2005 with Andromeda’s Hero and in 2008 with Fierce
Wind. The Sam F. Davis received Grade III status for the first time in 2009, the year in which General Quarters set a stakes record. Burning Roma was
owned by Clearwater’s Harold Queen, who won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Big Drama.
98

The Sandpiper
$100,000 Guaranteed Fillies 2-Year-Olds 6 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2015 Hidden Treat (1:11.57) Daniel Centeno Lael Stables Arnaud Delacour A Little Attitude Kandoo
2014 R Sassy Lass (1:10.48) Antonio Gallardo Averill/Silver Oak/Kaufman Kirk Ziadie Coco’s Wildcat Innovative Idea
2013 My Sweet Dove (1:11.42) $$ Fernando DeLa Cruz Peter A. Lawson Monte Thomas Enquete Secret Kitten
2012 Cor Cor (1:10.02) * Scott Spieth S. Ballou & H. Waldron Joan Scott Vitameta R Free Roll
2011 Quick Flip (1:10.96) Pedro Cotto, Jr. Klaravich/W.H. Lawrence Terri Pompay Blue Forty Live Every Day
2010 Devilish Lady (1:11.51) Daniel Centeno Cairoli Racing Stable Antonio Sano It’s Me Mom Juanita
2009 Criolla Bonita (1:12) $ Abel Lezcano Shirley Duco Hector Mackenzie Joanie’s Catch Yournotthebossofme
2008 Dr. Zic (1:10.77) Daniel Centeno Derby Lane Farm, et al Joan Scott Sunday In Malibu Hooh Why
2007 Unfolding Wish (1:11.37) Carlos Montalvo Kinsman Stable Dale Bennett Bear Lahania Awesome Chic
2006 Special Cheers (1:11.60) Luis Gonzalez Elizabeth Muirhead, et al James Little Storm Savvy Foret
2005 Misty Rosette (1:10.33) ^ Sebastian Madrid Sonia Chapman James Chapman Runaway in Love Running Lass
2005 Portsea (1:11.26) Chris DeCarlo Vinery Stables Todd Pletcher Lady In Pink Joyous Song
2004 Wild Speed (1:11.93) Derek Bell Victoria Farm Javier Contreras Crafty Tears Atti Girl Fergie
2003 Ebony Breeze (1:11.4) Pedro Rodriguez Kinsman Stable William Mott Ozilda’s Nancy Lee Lavander Lass
2002 Rebecca’s Charm (1:11.42) Aurelio Toribio, Jr. Rousseau Racing Robert Hale Expected Roll Forum Search
2001 Political Wife (1:13.0) Federico Mata Emerald Pastures Farm Cathy Rountree Quite Spender Bigcuz
2000 Whitney’s Best (1:11.51) % Luis Gonzalez Carl Bowling/Robert Velotta Chris Velotta Sami’s Proud Squaw Bea D J
1999 Shutrina Sand (1:11.42) William Henry Chris Powell Jason Stodghill Bella Gatto Sweet Singing Sami
1998 Tasso’s Magic Roo (1:11 3/5) Marland Suckie Eileen Bathen Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Proud Ridge Beaties for Real
1997 Star Performer (1:14 2/5) William Henry Carl Cooper/Robert Brown Carl Cooper Dawn Pretty Prospective Rosie
1996 Mercedes Song (1:13 1/5) Paula Bacon Deborrah Artz Don Rice Flo’s Z Fury American Tango
1995 Expensive Lunch (1:14 4/5) William Henry Les Stables, Inc. Fred Warren Miss Carson Commando Dance
1994 Shananie’s Beat (1:11 3/5) William Henry Stonehedge Farm Kathleen O’Connell Tipper Too Sweet Hollyann
1993 Lindsey Lane (1:14) William Henry Stonehedge Farm Kathleen O’Connell Real Bucks Consentida
1992 Bet Your Bonnet (1:13 2/5) Pedro Rodriguez F. Berens and S. Garazi Jose Mendez Phi Phi Hi D Aggie Gene
1991 Tenacious Treasure (1:13 1/5) Ricardo Lopez Bee Bee Stable, Inc. Emanuel Tortora Dark Stage Vatican Dancer
1990 Premier Question John Franks David Bell
1989 Grau Madchen
1988 Bill of Sale
1987 Beau Love Flowers
1986 Sagadhoc %
1985 Flickering Match
1984 Strawberry Road
& -- Stakes record
1983 Sugar Charlotte ##
$$ -- Purse increased to $100,000
1983 Best Game ##
^ -- Run in January
1982 Supertam ##
$ -- Purse increased to $75,000
1982 Exclusive Love ##
% -- Run at 5 1/2 furlongs
1981 Cherokee Frolic
99
## -- Run in two divisions

The Sandpiper
The $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:10.02 COR COR (2012)
Slowest Time: 1:14.4 EXPENSIVE LUNCH (1995)
Longest Priced Winner: $28.20 MERCEDES SONG (1996)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.60 SHANANIE’S BEAT (1994)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE STAR PERFORMER (1997)
SPECIAL CHEERS (2007)
Largest Winning Margin: 9 Lengths SHANANIE’S BEAT (1994)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .60 ENQUETE (2013)
Track Condition: FAST All except
SLOPPY 1995
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2013-present
Hidden Treat winning the Sandpiper Stakes on 12/19
Other Notes: Hidden Treat is a homebred racing for the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who campaigned 2006 Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands winner Barbaro. Four months after her 2014 Sandpiper triumph, R Sassy Lass won the Florida Cup Stonehedge Farm
South Sophomore Fillies Stakes. My Sweet Dove’s broodmare sire, Dove Hunt, won five Grade III stakes in his career. In addition to her recordsetting
2012 Sandpiper triumph, Cor Cor won the Battle of New Orleans Stakes at Fair Grounds and the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Filly Division Sprint at
Ocala Training Center. Jockey William Henry won the Sandpiper Stakes five times in seven years: with Shutrina’s Sand (1999), Star Performer (1997),
Expensive Lunch (1995), Shananie’s Beat (1994), and Lindsey Lane (1993). Two of those wins (in 1993 and 1994) were with owner Stonehedge Farm
and trainer Kathleen O’Connell. In 1986, the Sandpiper was run at 5 ½ furlongs; the 1982 and 1983 races were run in two divisions. In the 2004-2005
racing season, the Sandpiper was run in January; the 2005-2006 edition was carded in December, as were all subsequent editions. The late George
Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable has won this race twice: in 2003 with Ebony Breeze (trained by William Mott and ridden by Pedro Rodriguez) and in
2008 with Unfolding Wish (trained by Dale Bennett and booted home by Carlos Montalvo). The 2008 winner, Dr. Zic, trained by Joan Scott, won the
Grade I Vinery Madison at Keeneland in 2010.
100

The Suncoast Stakes
$100,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Old Fillies Mile-and-40-Yards
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Weep No More (1:41.69) Victor Lebron Glenn S. Bromagen George Arnold, II Valueable Charmer Smart Shopping
2015 Include Betty (1:41.49) R. Homeister, Jr. Brereton Jones,Tim Thornton Thomas Proctor Huasca Ancient Goddess
2014 Please Explain (1:44.94) Julien Leparoux Niall Racing Thomas Proctor Nesso Light Bringer
2013 Manuka Honey (1:41.75) Edgar Prado Curragh Stables John Terranova II Wild About Irene Cindys Casino
2012 Wait Til Dawn (1:40.58) $$ Javier Castellano Michael Tabor Todd Pletcher Ciguaraya Melrose Woods
2011 Wyomia (1:39.93) Frederic Lenclud B. Anderson and E. Seltzer Curtis Garrison Devilish Lady Her Smile
2010 Diva Delite (1:41.58) R. Homeister, Jr. B. Vivian and D. Vittese David Vivian Miss Aristocrat Imaginary Saint
2009 Rock Candy (1:41.22) Carlos Montalvo W. Farish & Mrs. W.S. Kilroy Mike Zwiesler Ameribelle Don’t Forget Gil
2008 Vaulcluse (1:39.36) * % Eibar Coa Melnyk Racing Stable Thomas Albertrani My Baby Baby No Use Denying
2007 Autobahn Girl (1:38.39) ^ Daniel Centeno Live Oak Plantation Nicholas Zito Trainee Saint Barbara
2006 Crystal Current (1:45.37) Cornelio Velasquez Kinsman Stable William Mott Saffronista Taylor Madison
2005 Toll Taker (1:45.15) Cornelio Velasquez Sea Gull Associates Timothy Hills Gotta Rush Gallant Secret
2004 Ender’s Sister (1:47.16) Brian Peck Green Lantern Stables George Arnold, II Fall Fashion Ladyinareddress
2003 Just Bill Me (1:46.57) R. Homeister, Jr. J. Reynolds/D. Dwyer Enrique Alonso Crimson and Roses Dakota Light
2002 Romancin Dixie (1:50.03) Dale Lynch Dorothy Leonard Perry Johnson Ease Ahead Quick Bird
2001 Classy Place (1:48.88) Paula Bacon Blaine Davidson Don Rice Frozen Dinner Chinsegut
2000 Silver Stockings (1:45.99) Juan Umana Savas/Chait/Inwood Farm L.L. Palmer Grey Sky My Special K’s
1999 Crown Jewel 1:47.01) Luis Martinez Donald Murray Evelio Garcia Second Degree Christie Light
1998 Tasso’’s Magic Roo (1:46 3/5) Marland Suckie Eileen Bathen Richard Ciardullo, Jr. Catherine’s Girl Gemley
1997 Poopsie (1:44 4/5) William Daniels Stephen Ferguson Stephen Casey Pyrite Annie Zesty Zoe
1996 Faithful City (1:46 2/5) Jorge Guerra White Cross Stable Luke Poulos Mercedes Song Elise’s Valentine
1995 Commando Dancer (1:46 2/5) Jesse Garcia Eugene C. Cashman Frederick Kirby Street Code Smooth Quest
1994 Cavada (1:46 1/5) Kevin Whitley Bebe Dalton Kathleen Kelley Sweet Hollyann Dominating Dottiet
1993 Thou Shalt Not Lie (1:47) ## Kevin Whitley Don Campbell (lessee) Don Campbell O.P. Cat Sezyou Queen
1992 My Gallant Birdie (1:26 2/5) Herson Sanchez Alan and Martin Haft Angel Rosado Aggie Gene Pi Phi Hi D
1991 Dark Stage (1:26 4/5) Danny Scocca Verbanic and Obser John Foggiano Quiet Chaos Vatican Dancer
1990 Premier Question John Franks David Bell
1989 Grau Madchen
1988 Leave It Be
1987 An Irish Dream
* -- Stakes record
1986 Royal Tasha
$$ -- Purse increased to $100,000
1985 Flickering Match
% -- Distance set at mile-and-40
1984 Sure Too Explode
^ -- Run at 1 mile
1983 Silvered Silk/Millcreek Court
## -- Distance changed to 1 1/16-mile
1982 Burned Crisp/GenuineDiamond
1982-1983: Run in two divisions
1981 Secret Kingdom
101

The Suncoast Stakes
The $100,000 Suncoast Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:39.36 VAULCLUSE (2008) (1 MILE 40 YARDS)
1:38.39 AUTOBAHN GIRL (2007) (ABOUT 1 MILE)
Slowest Time: 1:50.03 ROMANCIN DIXIE (2002) (1 1/16-MILE)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 39.80 INCLUDE BETTY (2015)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.80 TASSO’S MAGIC ROO (1998)
Closest Winning Margin: Head WYOMIA (2011)
Largest Winning Margin: 10 ½ Lengths TASSO’S MAGIC ROO (1998)
Shortest Price Loser: $ 1.00 SECOND DEGREE (1999)
Track Condition: FAST All except
SLOPPY 2002
GOOD 1991
Weep No More winning the Suncoast
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2012-present
Other Notes: Weep No More followed her Suncoast victory by capturing the Grade I Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland. Include Betty’s
2015 victory ended a streak of three consecutive favorites winning the Suncoast. It marked back-to-back victories in the race for trainer Tom Proctor
and was the third Suncoast score for jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr. Manuka Honey’s 2013 victory was one of three Oldsmar stakes triumphs during
that season for trainer John Terranova II. From 1993 to 2006, the Suncoast was run at 1 1/16 miles. It was run at about one mile in 2007 and the
following year switched to its current mile and 40 yards. In 1982 and 1983 it was run in two divisions. Jockey Kevin Whitley won twice with Thou
Shalt Not Lie (1993) and Cavada (1994). Flickering Match (1985) and Tasso’s Magic Roo (1998) both swept the now-defunct Tampa Bay Challenge
Series, which was comprised of all 3-year-old filly races held at Tampa Bay Downs. Flickering Match was owned and trained by Carroll Barnhill of
nearby Bradenton. In 2008, Vaulcluse won the race in 1:39.36, setting a new track and stakes record for the distance. Jockey Cornelio Velasquez won
back-to-back editions of the Suncoast in 2005 and 2006 with Toll Taker and Crystal Current.
102

The Super Stakes
$100,000 Guaranteed 4-Year-Olds-and-Up 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2014 Our Double Play (1:22.09) $$ Victor Lebron Rigney Racing Philip Bauer Sneaking Uponyou Action Andy
2013 Good Lord (1:22.03) * Fernando DeLa Cruz Thomas Shank/Stan Young Forrest Kaelin Action Andy Bellefire
2012 Action Andy (1:23.22) Danny Coa Robert Gerczak Carlos Garcia Watch Me Go Gold Strike Begins
2011 Capt. Candyman Can (1:23.25) Frederic Lenclud Rosemary Rauch/David Zell Ian Wilkes Legal Move A Diehl
2010 Musket Man (1:23.10) Daniel Centeno Eric Fein Derek Ryan Guam Typhoon Chief Talkeetna
2009 Hypocrite (1:22.84) Manoel Cruz J. Tortora, T. & R. Ancona Emanuel Tortora Paradise Dancer Let It Rock
2008 Lookinforthesecret (1:23.18) Daniel Centeno Balkrisna Sukharan Jamie Ness I’vegottabeme Paradise Dancer
2007 D’artagnans’spirit (1:23.62) $ Jose Lezcano Richard Averill Kirk Ziadie Weigelia Above the Wind
2006 Sir Shackleton (1:22.28) Jeremy Rose Tracy Farmer Nick Zito Purim Above the Wind
2005 Above the Wind (1:22.60) Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Avis Skier Attack the Books
2004 Above the Wind (1:23.78) Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Scrubs Attack the Books
2003 Above the Wind (1:24.57) Federico Mata Hamco Group Ronald Allen, Sr. Attack the Book Dr.Thunder/SeaofTranquility
2002 Secret Romeo (1:22.62) T.D. Houghton A A C Stables Gerald Bennett Tour of the Cat Mountain Top
2001 Sea of Tranquility (1:24.08) Luis Gonzalez Triple M Farm Inc. Richard Paulus Fort Metfield American Dot Com
2000 Conan (1:23.99) Dodie Duys Vivian and Cleo Hall Tandi Wheeler Fort Metfield Royal Romp
1999 Man the Shipp (1:23.91) Joseph Rocco, Sr. Barry Shipp James DiVito Sea Legs Diplomatic Corps
1998 Pleasant Too (1:24 2/5) Heriberto Rivera, Jr. Harold Queen Shirley Girten Man the Shipp Axe of Courage
1997 Request A Star (1:25 2/5) Punchie Goberdhan Paul O’Toole Jason Stodghill Pleasant Too Country Coy
1996 Winous Point (1:25 1/5) Fred Castillo Eutropia Farm Jerry Lepre Letters of Truth Boisterous
1995 Boisterous (1:23 1/5) Jesse Garcia D.J. Campbell (lessee) Donald Campbell Mr. Tooth Not Surprising
1994 Not Surprising (1:24 3/5) William Henry Robert Van Worp Judson Van Worp Premier Angel Junk Bond King
1993 King Corrie (1:23 4/5) Robert Landry Aubrey W. Minshall Sherry Noakes Lord Try On Lord John
1992 Aim High Daniel (1:25 2/5) David Neider J. Crayton Pruitt T. Wynn Jolley Hidden Tomahawk Proud Lion Club
1991 Democritus (1:26 3/5) Ricardo Lopez Fred Boyd E.P. Cantlon, Jr. Bandit Corsair Mr. Hot Shot
* -- Stakes record
$$ -- Purse increased to $100,000
$ -- Purse increased to $75,000
103

The Super Stakes
The $100,000 Super Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:22.03 GOOD LORD (2013)
Slowest Time: 1:26.3 DEMOCRITUS (1991)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 74.60 ABOVE THE WIND (2003)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.80 MUSKET MAN (2010)
Closest Winning Margin: HEAD MAN THE SHIPP (1999)
SECRET ROMEO (2002)
Largest Winning Margin: 3 3/4 Lengths OUR DOUBLE PLAY (2014)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .20 NOT SURPRISING (1995)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 1991, 1994 and 1998 1997
SLOPPY 1997
WET FAST 2011
Our Double Play winning the 2014 Super Stakes
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2014
Other Notes: Owners Richard and Tammy Rigney named the 2014 Super Stakes winner after their twin daughters, Claire and Madison. In 2013,
the popular 6-year-old gelding Good Lord set a track record in his victory for trainer Forrest Kaelin, who was a jockey here in 1956 when the track
was called Sunshine Park. Good Lord broke the stakes record of 2006 winner Sir Shackleton, a multiple-graded stakes winner. Above the Wind
(owned by the Hamco Group, trained by Ron Allen, Sr. and ridden by Federico Mata) won this race three times, from 2003-05. The 2011 winner,
Capt. Candyman Can, was trained by former Carl Nafzger assistant Ian Wilkes. The 2012 winner, Action Andy, won the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis
Memorial Dash at Laurel in October of 2012. Musket Man, the 2009 Tampa Bay Derby winner, returned to Oldsmar in 2010 to annex the Super Stakes.
104

Tampa Bay Stakes Grade III
$150,000 4-Year-Olds-and-Up 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Reload (1:40.15) Javier Castellano Phipps Stable Claude McGaughey, III Take the Stand Karibu Gardens
2015 Lochte (1:41.63) Paco Lopez Crossed Sabres Farm Marcus Vitali Old Time Sky Flight
2014 Guys Reward (1:43.44) Abdiel Jaen Michael J. Bruder Dale Romans Salto Golden Sabre
2013 Swift Warrior (1:43.14) Jose Espinoza James Covello, James Dolan John Terranova II Alley Oop Oop (DH) Doubles Partner (DH)
2012 Roman Tiger (1:40.42) Angel Serpa Dennis Manning Dennis Manning El Commodore Swift Warrior
2011 Doubles Partner (1:40.67) ## Julien Leparoux WinStar Farm Todd Pletcher Rahystrada Voodoo Swinge
2010 Karelian (1:42.61) R. Homeister, Jr. Green Lantern Stables George Arnold, II Gio Ponti Rahystrada
2009 Victory Alleged (1:41.35) Carlos Marquez Mac Fehsenfeld Dennis Manning Classic Campaign Society’s Chairman
2008 Cosmonaut (1:44.14) % Edgar Prado Flying Zee Stable Philip Serpe Ballonenostrikes Soldier’s Dancer
2007 Hotstufanthensome (1:41.24) $$ Rajiv Maragh Runnin Horse Farms Norman Pointer Classic Campaign Defer
2006 Fort Prado (1:40.76) Brice Blanc Team Block, et al Chris Block Icy Atlantic Interpatation
2005 Wire Bound (1:40.14) Eduardo Nunez Silver Diamond Thoro’breds Manuel Criollo Remind Above the Wind
2004 Burning Roma (1:41.68) Jesus Castanon Harold Queen Heather Giglio Remind Native Hawk
2003 Burning Roma (1:41.53) Jesus Castanon Harold Queen Heather Giglio Tour of the Cat First lieutenant
2002 Boastful (1:40.95) T.D. Houghton Kinsman Stable William Mott Dog Tags Tour of the Cat
2001 Delay of Game (1:41.91) Chris DeCarlo John Peace George Arnold, II Johnny Dollar An Oscar for Bert
2000 Delay of Game (1:39.72) Ramon Perez John Peace George Arnold, II Nasello Bogatyr
1999 Legs Galore (1:39.65) * ^ William Henry Ann and Clinton Lagrosa Reed Combest Tangazi Orleans Road
1998 Ship Liner (1:44 1/5) Punchie Goberdhan Philip Williams Don Pittman Fig Fest Pleasant Too
1997 Request A Star (1:45 2/5) Punchie Goberdhan Paul O’Toole Jason Stodghill Pleasant Too Country Coy
1996 Iron Racketeer (1:46 2/5) Danny Scocca Charles Fink Mike Falzone Jane’s Jet Letters of Truth
1995 Not Surprising (1:44 2/5) William Henry Robert Van Worp Judson Van Worp Mighty Avanti Boisterous
1994 Pride Of Burkaan (1:44 2/5) Eric Valles A. Johnson & G. Murchibon Leo Azpurua, Jr. Not Surprising Repletion
1993 Lord John (1:45 1/5) William Henry John Callaway John Callaway Island Chatter Wynsum Wayward
1992 Lord John (1:51 1/5) & Willie Martinez John Callaway John Callaway Color Me Ande Rebounding Thrill
1991 Gallant Mel (1:45 2/5) Ricardo Lopez Edwards and Mitchell Don Campbell Velcro Fly Dangerous Dawn
1990 Majesty’s Imp Ricardo Lopez Batarasan Stable Sturges Ducoing
1989 Gallant Mel Ricardo Lopez Edwards & Penhale Don Campbell
1988 Homebuilder Larry Saumell Ryehill Farm Woody Stephens
1987 My Prince Charming O.B. Aviles Estate of Don Aronow Newcomb Green
* -- Stakes record
## -- Achieved Grade III status
% -- Renamed Tampa Bay Stakes
$$ -- Purse increased to $150,000
^ -- First turf edition
& -- Run at 1 1/8-mile distance
105

Tampa Bay Stakes Grade III
The Grade III $150,000 Tampa Bay Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:39.65 LEGS GALORE (1999)
Slowest Time: 1:51.1 LORD JOHN (1992)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 59.40 ROMAN TIGER (2012)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.00 DELAY OF GAME (2000)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE KARELIAN (2010)
ROMAN TIGER (2012)
Largest Winning Margin: 5 ¾ Lengths DELAY OF GAME (2000)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .20 GIO PONTI (2010)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
SOFT 2008
GOOD 2013 and 2015
YIELDING 2014
Reload winning the Tampa Bay Stakes on 2/13
Richest Purse: 2007-present $150,000
Other Notes: The conditioner of 2016 Tampa Bay Stakes winner Reload, Claude “Shug” McGaughey, III, is the third Hall of Fame trainer to win
the Tampa Bay Stakes, joining William Mott (Boastful, 2002) and Woody Stephens (Homebuilder, 1988). As a 4-year-old, 2015 winner Lochte won
the Grade I Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap in 2014 and placed in two other Grade I stakes. Guys Reward, the 2014 winner, is no stranger to graded
turf stakes success; in 2012, he won the Grade II Firecracker Handicap at Churchill Downs. Swift Warrior, who finished third in the 2012 Tampa Bay
Stakes, won the 2013 renewal three weeks after capturing the Grade III John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston. The race was run at 1 1/8-mile
until 1993, when it was run at 1 1/16. It was moved to the turf in 1999. John Callaway won twice as owner/trainer with Lord John in 1992 and 1993.
Jockeys William Henry and Ricardo Lopez each won the race three times. The 1995 winner, Not Surprising, went on to be voted an Eclipse Award as
Outstanding Sprinter based on eight stakes victories, including four graded New York events. Previously known as the Tampa Bay Breeders’ Cup, the
race enjoyed its most exciting renewal in 2010, when Karelian and jockey Rosemary Homeister, Jr., edged Eclipse champion Gio Ponti and Ramon
Dominguez by a nose. Trainer Dennis Manning won in 2009 with Victory Alleged and in 2012 with Roman Tiger.
106

Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby
$350,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Olds 1 1/16-Mile
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Destin (1:42.82) * Javier Castellano Twin Creeks Racing Stables Todd Pletcher Outwork Star Hill
2015 Carpe Diem (1:43.60) John Velazquez WinStar Farm & Stonestreet Todd Pletcher Ami’s Flatter Divining Rod
2014 Ring Weekend (1:43.71) Daniel Centeno St.Elias&WestPointThoro’br H. Graham Motion Vinceremos Surfing U S A
2013 Verrazano (1:43.96) John Velazquez Let’s Go Stable, Tabor et al Todd Pletcher Java’s War Falling Sky
2012 Prospective (1:43.35) Luis Contreras John C. Oxley Mark Casse Golden Ticket Cozzetti
2011 Watch Me Go (1:44.25) ^ $$ Luis Garcia Gilbert G. Campbell Kathleen O’Connell Crimson Knight Brethren
2010 Odysseus (1:44.31) Rajiv Maragh Padua Stables Tom Albertrani Schoolyard Dreams Super Saver !!
2009 Musket Man (1:43.67) Daniel Centeno Eric Fein & Vic Carlson Derek Ryan Join in the Dance Justdontcallmejeri
2008 Big Truck (1:44.25) Eibar Coa Eric Fein Barclay Tagg Atoned Dynamic Wayne
2007 Street Sense (1:43.11) !! Calvin Borel James Tafel Carl Nafzger Any Given Saturday Delightful Kiss
2006 Deputy Glitters (1:44.26) Jose Lezcano J. Lacombe Stable Tom Albertrani Bluegrass Cat Winnies Tigger Too
2005 Sun King (1:43.98) Edgar Prado Tracy Farmer Nicholas Zito Forever Wild Global Trader
2004 Limehouse (1:43.99) Pat Day Dogwood Stables Todd Pletcher Mustanfar Swingforthefences
2003 Region of Merit (1:44.61) Eibar Coa Calumet Farm Christophe Clement Aristocat Hear No Evil
2002 Equality (1:43.66) ^^ Ramon Dominguez Pin Oak Farm H. Graham Motion Tails of the Crypt Political Attack
2001 Burning Roma (1:44.30) Richard Migliore Harold Queen Heather Giglio American Prince Paging
2000 Wheelaway (1:43.90) Richard Migliore C. Kimmel & P. Solondz John Kimmel Impeachment Perfect Cat
1999 Pineaff (1:45.33) Jose A. Santos Roy and Joyce Monroe Kenneth McPeek Menifee Doneraile Court
1998 Parade Ground (1:44 1/5) Pat Day W. Farish and S. Hilbert Neil Howard Middlesex Drive Rock and Roll
1997 Zede (1:44 4/5) Jerry Bailey Allen Paulson William Mott Brisco Jack Favorable Regard
1996 Thundering Storm (1:43 4/5) Jorge Guerra Deborrah Artz Don Rice El Amante Natural Selection
1995 Gadzook (1:45 1/5) Gary Boulanger Du-Zee Stables J. Bert Sonnier Composer Bet Your Bucks
1994 Prix de Crouton (1:46 3/5) Mickey Walls Lorne and Kathleen Berg Lorne Berg Able Buck Parental Pressure
1993 Marco Bay (1:44 2/5) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Jay Shaw Sarah Lundy Thriller Chiller Tunecke Charlie
1992 Careful Gesture (1:45 4/5) Robert Lester Cecilia Dixon Elbert Dixon Chief Speaker Clipper Won
1991 Speedy Cure (1:46 1/5) Ricardo Lopez Susan B. Fisher Harvey Culp Link Shudanz
1990 Champagneforashley(1:44 3/5 Jacinto Vasquez Baker/Kaskel/Feinbloom Howard Tesher Slew of Angels Always Running
1989 Storm Predictions (1:43 4/5) Steve Gaffalione Three G Stables Luis Olivares With Approval Mercedes Won
1988 Cefis (1:44 2/5) Eddie Maple Ryehill-Kirkham Partnership Woody Stephens Buck Forbes Twice Too Many
1987 Phantom Jet (1:43 4/5) Keith Allen Aisco Stables Phil Gleaves Homebuilder You’re No Bargain
1986 My Prince Charming (1:46 3/5 Craig Perret Aronow Stable Newcomb Green Lucky Rebeau Major Moran
1985 Regal Remark (1:46 4/5) Jeffrey Fell Sam-Son Farm James Day Verification Sport Jet
1984 Bold Southerner (1:44 3/5) Wayne Crews Rusticwoods Farm Paul Maxwell Rexson’s Hope Stickler
1983 Morganmorganmorgan (1:47 1/5) Willie Rodriguez Morgan Bishop Arthur Monteiro Slew o’ Gold Quick Dip
1982 Reinvested (1:45 1/5) Rick Luhr Harborview Farm Stanley M. Hough Stage Reviewer Real Twister
1981 Paristo (1:45 2/5) David Ashcroft Belmont Farm George Handy Bravestofall Darby Gillic
107
*- Stakes, track record
^- Achieved Grade II status
$$- Purse increased to $350,000
!!- Kentucky Derby winner
^^- Achieved Grade III status

Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby
The Grade II $350,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby
Fastest Time: 1:42.82 DESTIN (2016)
Slowest Time: 1:47.1 MORGANMORGANMORGAN (1983)
Longest Priced Winner: $179.40 BOLD SOUTHERNER (1984)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.10 SUN KING (2005)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE BOLD SOUTHERNER (1984)
STREET SENSE (2007)
ODYSSEUS (2010)
Largest Winning Margin: 5 Lengths THUNDERING STORM (1996)
CARPE DIEM (2015)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .05 WAR PASS (2008)
Track Condition: FAST All except
SLOPPY 1986
Richest Purse: $ 350,000 2011-present
Destin winning the Lambholm South
Tampa Bay Derby on 3/12
Other Notes: Trainer Todd Pletcher notched a record fourth Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby victory with Destin, which set a stakes and
track record. He became the sixth horse to win both the Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes. Destin, Tampa Bay Derby
runner-up Outwork and seventh-place finisher Brody’s Cause all ran in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Destin finished sixth
in the Run for the Roses and added a second in the Belmont Stakes to Creator. The 2015 Tampa Bay Derby winner, Carpe Diem, went on to
win the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland. In 2014, Ring Weekend rewarded trainer H. Graham Motion and jockey Daniel Centeno with
their second Tampa Bay Derby victories. Motion won in 2002 with Equality, and Centeno was aboard Musket Man in 2009. Ring Weekend won
the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile on turf at Santa Anita as a 4-year-old on the day of the Tampa Bay Derby. The top three finishers in the 2013
Tampa Bay Derby — Verrazano, Java’s War and Falling Sky — competed in the Kentucky Derby, marking a first for the Grade II event. In 2007,
Street Sense (owned by James Tafel, trained by Carl Nafzger and ridden by Calvin Borel) became the first Tampa Bay Derby participant to win
the Kentucky Derby. The colt went on to win the Grade I Travers Stakes and the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga. In 2010, Super Saver
became the second Tampa Bay Derby graduate to win the Kentucky Derby, for owner WinStar Farm and trainer Pletcher, after finishing third
in Oldsmar. In 2002, the Tampa Bay Derby attained Grade III status. It was elevated to Grade II for the 2011 edition. Eric Fein is the only owner
to have won the race twice: in 2008 with Big Truck and in 2009 with Musket Man, which finished third in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Cefis, trained by Hall of Fame legend Woody Stephens, staged a whirlwind rally from last place to win the 1988 renewal.
108

Stakes Histories
Turf Dash $100,000 Guaranteed 3-Year-Olds-and-Up 5 Furlongs
(Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 Fast Flying Rumor (55.06) Ronnie Allen, Jr. WinningStables&MidnightRider Gerald Bennett Power Alert (AUS) Night Officer
2015 Bold Thunder (54.63) * Daniel Centeno Andrew Sulley Patricia Farro Green Mask Stormofthecentury
2014 Ancil 54.88) $$ Daniel Centeno ScottFarmer,KathyThompson Joan Scott Pyrite Green Tell All You Know
2013 Great Attack (56.13) Angel Serpa Houyhnhnm Stable Wesley Ward Silver Cloud Hold On Smokey
2012 Great Attack (55.93) Jeffrey Sanchez Houyhnhnm Stable Wesley Ward Western Prospector Private Jet (ARG)
2011 Bridgetown (55.28) Willie Martinez Melnyk Racing Stables Todd Pletcher Great Attack Quite a Dude
2010 Sneaking Uponyou (58.11) Huber Villa-Gomez Jagger, Inc. Jamie Ness Probation Ready Twiceasbeautiful
2009 Castles in the Sky (55.75) Daniel Centeno Balkrisna Sukharan Jamie Ness Cooper County Our Friend Harvey
2008 Lookinforthesecret (57.70) Daniel Centeno Balkrisna Sukharan Jamie Ness Prosico Fort Prado
2007 Lookinforthesecret (56.61) Daniel Centeno Ness Racing Stable Jamie Ness Mr. Silver The Nth Degree
2006 Western Kind (56.55) Juan Umana Grace Harris Dewaine Glenn Whenthedoveflies Around the Cape
2005 Whenthedoveflies (57.62) Jose Lezcano Kalacan Racing Stable Kirk Ziadie Scattering Breezes Relaunch Star
* -- Stakes, track record
$$ -- Purse increased to $100,000
109

Stakes Histories
The $100,000 Turf Dash
Fastest Time: 54.63 BOLD THUNDER (2015)
Slowest Time: 58.11 SNEAKING UPONYOU (2010)
Longest Priced Winner: $24.80 FAST FLYING RUMOR (2016)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.80 WHENTHEDOVEFLIES (2005)
Closest Winning Margin: NECK WESTERN KIND (2006)
CASTLES IN THE SKY (2009)
BRIDGETOWN (2011)
Largest Winning Margin: 4 3/4 Lengths FAST FLYING RUMOR (2016)
Shortest Priced Loser: $ 0.90 CHAMBERLAIN BRIDGE (2009)
Track Condition: FIRM All except
GOOD 2005, 2010, 2012 and 2013
YIELDING 2008
Richest Purse: $ 100,000 2014-present
Fast Flying Rumor winning the Turf Dash on 1/9
Other Notes: Fast Flying Rumor earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 108 for his 2016 victory, the highest in Tampa Bay Downs history on
either turf or dirt. Five-time Tampa Bay Downs leading jockey Daniel Centeno has won five of the 12 runnings of the Turf Dash; he helped
Bold Thunder to a stakes and course-record performance in 2015. With his record-shattering performance in the 2014 Turf Dash, 5-yearold
gelding Ancil earned an invitation to Royal Ascot in England for his owners, Kathy Thompson of Brooksville, Fla., and Scott Farmer,
and his trainer, Joan Scott. It was one of five stakes victories during the 2013-14 meeting for Centeno. Trainer Dennis Ward saddled
two-time Turf Dash Stakes winner Great Attack in 2012 and 2013 for his son, trainer Wesley Ward. Great Attack won the Grade III Twin
Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs in 2012 on Kentucky Derby Day and competed in two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
He finished second in the 2011 Turf Dash. Great Attack is owned by Jeffrey Seder’s Houyhnhnm Stable. The Houyhnhnms were a race of
intelligent horses in Jonathan Swift’s classic Gulliver’s Travels. Trainer Jamie Ness was unbeatable in this race from 2007-10, winning backto-back
with Lookinforthesecret, then saddling Castles in the Sky and Sneaking Uponyou. Centeno was aboard for the first three Ness
triumphs and Huber Villa-Gomez rode Sneaking Uponyou. Bridgetown, the 2011 Turf Dash winner, was second in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Turf.
110

Stakes Histories
Wayward Lass Stakes $50,000 Guaranteed Fillies&Mares 4-up 1 1/16-Mile
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2016 White Clover (1:45.38) Victor Lebron Calumet Farm George Arnold, II Savings Account Her Majesty’s Flag
2015 Awesome Flower 1:43.87) * Fernando De La Cruz Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey Michael Maker Elusive Fate Swinger’s Party
2014 Dress the Part (1:45.13) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Ambusher Montana Native
2013 Magic Hour (1:45.48) Ronnie Allen, Jr. Janis R. Whitham Ian Wilkes Fire Assay I Like It
2012 Arena Elvira (1:44.57) Leandro Goncalves Carolyn Wilson William Mott R Gypsy Gold Dash Dot Dash
2011 Choragus (1:44.39) Leandro Goncalves Lothenbach Stables Anthony Reinstedler C C’s Pal Striking Dancer
2010 Don’t Forget Gil (1:44.76) Daniel Centeno Alan Brodsky Mark Hennig Choragus Miss Match (ARG)
2009 Striking Tomisue (1:45.50) J. Bridgmohan TomisueHilbert&J.R. Menard Nicholas Zito Moon Catcher Boudoir
2008 Cash’s Girl (1:44.93) Pablo Morales Cash is King LLC Tim Ritchey Lil’s Lassie Colony Queen
2007 Funny Annie (1:45.23) Cecelio Penalba Matthews Stable Michael K. McDonald Porta Clasica Gadolinium
2006 Tasha Sangue (1:45.61) Carlos Montalvo George I. Elso Walter Rosas-Canessa Preach It Pitanga
2005 Joyful Ballad (1:44.71) Jose Lezcano Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Slews Final Answer Grab Bag
2004 Pampered Princess (1:45.77) Jesus Castanon Martin Cherry Martin Wolfson Crimson and Roses Dakota Light
2003 Win’s Fair Lady (1:43.94) Joseph Judice Sabine Stables Steven Standridge La Nina Dancer Four Plus Four
2002 Technical Key (1:45.20) Bobby Walker, Jr. Steve Richardson Don Rice Coolbythepool Pearly White
2001 Inside Affair (1:45.10) Juan Umana Harold Queen Heather Giglio Royal Fair Silver Stockings
2000 Inside Affair (1:45.23) William Henry Harold Queen Anthony Dutrow Misstress Kipper Quila
1999 Little Won (1:46.45) Joseph Rocco, Sr. John Spencer, III Arnold Fink Native Gate Dancer Summit Park
1998 Topic Gallapiat (1:46.0) Gary Bain Richard Cummins Bob Peterson Hail the Queen Cindy’sSonnet
1997 Jeffreys Mom (1:46 2/5) Jose Velez, Jr. Queen’s Land Farm R.J. Richards, Jr. Duchess Grace Effervescence
1996 Roadways (1:48) Jesse Garcia P. D. K. Racing Ltd. Kenneth Wirth Littlest Secretary Kate Howard
1995 Cavada (1:45) Ricardo Lopez Bebe Dalton Archie Smith, Jr. Jellied Madrilene Norfolk Lavender
1994 Current Gossip (1:46) Sebastian Madrid Sheila Dimare David Brownlee Miss Obsession Debby’s Honeypiat
1993 Magal (1:44 4/5) Scott Spieth Dolores Tamargo Ray Tamargo My Gallant Birdie Golden Wildcat
1992 Forli’s Lass (1:45 4/5) William Henry Star Racing Stable Art Pedregal, Jr. Sassy N Brassy Magal
1991 Leave It Be (1:46) Maureen Andrews D. Liberty Stables Norm Wismer Sassy N Brassy Victorious Trick
1990 Tia Juanita
1989 Stutz Goldrush
1988 Queen Alexandra
1987 Queen Alexandra
1986 Is Rosalind
1985 Sunset Strait %
111
*- Stakes record
%- Run at 1 1/8-mile

Stakes Histories
The $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes
Fastest Time: 1:43.87 AWESOME FLOWER (2015)
Slowest Time: 1:48.0 ROADWAYS (1996)
Longest Priced Winner: $95.00 TASHA SANGUE (2006)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.40 MAGAL (1993)
Closest Winning Margin: NOSE INSIDE AFFAIR (2000)
Largest Winning Margin: 10 Lengths WIN’S FAIR LADY (2003)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 MAGAL (1992)
Track Condition: FAST All except
GOOD 1991 and 1996
WET FAST 2003
Richest Purse: 2008 $ 65,000
White Clover winning the Wayward Lass on 1/23
Other Notes: White Clover’s victory was one of two stakes scores during the 2015-2016 meeting for the trainer-jockey combination of George
“Rusty” Arnold, II, and Victor Lebron, who also won the Suncoast Stakes with 3-year-old filly Weep No More. Awesome Flower’s 2015 Wayward Lass
victory not only was achieved in stakes-record time, it was her fourth stakes triumph since June of 2014. Dress the Part, the 2014 winner, was 3for3
at Tampa Bay Downs during the 2013-14 season, all with Ronnie Allen, Jr., in the irons. Her sire, Malibu Moon, also sired 2013 Kentucky Derby
Presented by Yum! Brands winner Orb. The 2013 Wayward Lass Stakes winner, Janis R. Whitham’s 4-year-old homebred Magic Hour, takes a backseat
to few Thoroughbreds in terms of pedigree. Her sire, Awesome Again, won the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Magic Hour’s dam Affluent won four Grade
I stakes for Whitham and trainer Ron McAnally; Affluent’s sire, the great Affirmed, won the 1978 Triple Crown. Arena Elvira’s thrilling Wayward Lass
victory in 2012 was her fifth consecutive stakes triumph for local owner Carolyn Wilson. Previously, Arena Elvira won a pair of stakes at Saratoga in
the summer of 2011, the Grade III Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct and the Grade II Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs. Arena Elvira’s Wayward
Lass jockey, Leandro Goncalves, won the 2011 edition on Choragus. Don’t Forget Gil, the 2010 winner, loved Tampa Bay Downs; she won the Grade
III Florida Oaks in 2009. Inside Affair, owned by Harold Queen of nearby Clearwater, Fla., won the Wayward Lass in 2000 and 2001. In 1985, the first
running of the Wayward Lass Stakes was at 1 1/8 miles. Queen Alexandra won both the 1987 and 1988 editions of the Wayward Lass Stakes. She was
trained by George Baker.
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Stakes Histories
Discontinued Stakes
The Discovery Stakes $40,000 GuaranteedFillies 2-Year-Olds 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
1991 Aggie Gene (1:27.3) William Henry Star Racing Stables Art Pedregal, Jr. Blanche Be Mine Bet Your Bonnet
1990 Erica’s Dream (1:25.45) * Ricardo Lopez Shirley Howell B.E. Howell National Finalist Wekive Run
GTBOA Stallion Season Auction $25,000 3-Year-Olds-and-Up 1 1/16-Mile
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2000 Ben’s Quixote (1:41.23) Jesse Garcia Sarah and Kenneth Ramsey Kenneth Wirth Keep Striking Kool Ruckus
The Pinellas Stakes $50,000 Guaranteed Fillies 3-Year-Olds 1 1/16-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2001 The Goddess Athird (1:43.08) Danny Scocca Gilbert G. Campbell Kathleen O’Connell Chausson Poire Across the Creek
2000 Jera (1:41.46) * Derek Bell Steve Trizis Peter Klesaris Grey Sky Trouville
1999 Sangam (1:44.19) ^ James McAleney Amy Bhangoo Arthur Silvera Schmoopy Dyna Might
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*- Stakes record
^- Purse formerly $25,000-added

Stakes Histories
Discontinued Stakes
Tampa Bay Downs Steeplechase $25,000 Maiden 4-and-Up 2 1/16 Miles
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2001 P.C. Plod (3:46.83) Craig Thornton Mrs. S.K. Johnston Janet Elliot How Goes It Clearance Code
2000 Red Classic (3:43.82) * Sean Clancy Brushwood Stables James Lawrence Banjo Man Hall of Angels
Vulcan Stakes
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
1999 Mr. Carter (1:12.94) Lenny Frazzitta, Jr. Gladys Moreland Zeljko Krcmar Hogans Chief Dusty Ibis
1998 Broom Rider (1:12.2) * Dodie Duys Allen Koslin Larry Bates Pretty Dee Dee PoppasBeach/DaringLass
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*- Course record
*- Stakes record

Stakes Histories
Discontinued Stakes
Chris Thomas Turf Classic$75,000 Guaranteed3-Year-Olds-and-Up1 1/8-Mile (Turf)
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2009 Dinner in Odem (1:46.68) Phil Teator Peter & Sharyn Wasiluk Peter Wasiluk, Jr. Sir Dave Sporting Art
2008 Revved Up (1:48.48) Daniel Centeno Live Oak Plantation Christophe Clement Victory Alleged I’m Only Laughing
2007 Therecomesatiger (1:49.53) Luis Gonzalez Charles Patton Thomas Proctor Revved Up Puppeteer (GB)
2006 Revved Up (1:48.25) Eddie Castro Live Oak Plantation Christophe Clement Ballonenostrikes Big Tex
2005 Hear No Evil (1:49.40) ^ Melvin Toro Jacks or Better Farm Kenneth Decker Revved Up Headline
2004 Restage (1:48.03) Jesus Castanon Glen Hill Farm Thomas Proctor Coahoma Milky Way Guy
2003 Guardianofthegate (1:50.16) Tommy Pompell Brett Rice Don Rice Total Anilation Dell Place
2002 Guardianofthegate (1:48.12) Dodie Duys Brett Rice Don Rice Fun n’ Gun Viva Pentelicus
2001 Guardianofthegate (1:47.9) Paula Bacon Brett Rice Don Rice Trooper Red Special Coach
2000 Lilys Cousin (1:46.34) * Derek Bell Lois Allen Vincent W. Reedy Atiba Ben’s Quixote
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*- Stakes record
^- Renamed from Columbia Stakes
Race suspended in 2010

Stakes Histories
Discontinued Stakes
The $75,000 Chris Thomas Turf Classic
Fastest Time: 1:46.34 LILYS COUSIN (2000)
Slowest Time: 1:50.16 GUARDIANOFTHEGATE (2003)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 34.40 GUARDIANOFTHEGATE (2001)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 3.20 REVVED UP (2006)
Closest Winning Margin: NECK GUARDIANOFTHEGATE (2001)
DINNER IN ODEM (2009)
Largest Winning Margin: 4 Lengths GUARDIANOFTHEGATE (2002)
Shortest Price Loser: $ 1.00 TV SPORTS DIRECTOR (2002)
Track Condition: FIRM All runnings
Richest Purse: 2005 $75,000
Other Notes: Thomas was a popular radio talk-show host who was also a Thoroughbred owner. Owner Brett Rice and trainer Don Rice won three
times with Guardianofthegate in 2001, 2002, and 2003, with three different jockeys: Paula Bacon, Dodie Duys and Tommy Pompell. Restage, with
jockey Jesus Castanon and trainer Thomas Proctor, was the first winner of the Chris Thomas Turf Classic when it was renamed in 2004. Proctor
subsequently won the race again with Therecomesatiger in 2007 for owner Charles Patton and jockey Luis Gonzalez. Revved Up won the race twice for
owner Live Oak Plantation and trainer Christophe Clement: in 2006 under Eddie Castro and in 2008 with Daniel Centeno in the irons. The winner of
the 2009 Chris Thomas Turf Classic, Dinner in Odem, earned almost $450,000 in his career.
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The Diamond Derby
Discontinued
$75,000 Guaranteed Arabian 4-Year-Olds 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2003 Stellarr (1:35.13) Jesus Bracho Dianne Waldron Dianne Waldron Just Lyke Me Tops the Stars
2002 Doran Sbfar (1:34.39) Jesus Castanon Dianne Waldron Phil Saxer Bonuz On the Mufv
2001 Pardon My French (1:33.41) Federico Mata Trackside Farm Loren Nichols Raising Cano LF Fleetwood Mac
2000 Mucho Caliente (1:32.59)* Juan Umana Town and Country Farms Hilton Werneth Djolly Good Storrmy Weather
1999 Dreams of Valor (1:32.85) Tommy Zamora Margo Wallace (lessee) Lynn Ashby Seyvilla Proof Genuine Monarch
1998 Tigres Light (1:35.0) Mike Pindell Town and Country Farms Roger Werneth Paving the Way Tigger
1997 The Wiking (1:34 3/5) C.K. Murphy Town and Country Farms Roger Werneth Vanilla Shaikh Lucky Shawn
1996 Jest You Wait (1:34 2/5) Sean Jones Dunromin Arabians Lynn Ashby Noble Man Light the Night
* - Stakes record
The $75,000 Diamond Derby
Fastest Time: 1:32.59 MUCHO CALIENTE (2000)
Slowest Time: 1:35.0 TIGRES LIGHT (1998)
Longest Priced Winner: $ 21.40 MUCHO CALIENTE (2000)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.60 TIGRES LIGHT (1998)
Closest Winning Margin: NECK DREAMS OF VALOR (1999)
Largest Winning Margin: 12 ½ Lengths JEST YOU WAIT (1996)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .80 SEYVILLA PROOF (1999)
Track Condition: FAST All runnings
Richest Purse: 1999 $95,000
Other Notes: No jockey won this race more than once. Owner Town and Country Farms won three times: twice with trainer Roger Werneth
(in 1997 and 1998) and once with Hilton Werneth (in 2000).
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The Sapphire Sprint
$75,000 Guaranteed Arabian 4YO Fillies 7 Furlongs
WINNER JOCKEY OWNER TRAINER 2nd 3rd
2003 More Adorable (1:37.73) Christobal Morales Kinsman/Cheryl Wright Maureen Stillwell Dream Keeper Sey Proofs Fara
2002 Tornade Du Loup (1:35.99) Jesus Castanon Dianne Waldron Phil Saxer French Braids Allez France
2001 Djezebel (1:35.12) Jesus Castanon Dianne Waldron Maureen Stillwell Djenzel Vamonos Juanita
2000 Adoraable (1:37.2) Gary Boag Kinsman/Cheryl Wright Phil Saxer Prince Tiki Mega C S
1999 Royal Atheena (1:34.79) * Tommy Zamora Genellen and H. Pike Lynn Ashby Lore Zeralda Josniere
1998 Dixie Darlene (1:36) Sean Jones Bill Waldron Bill Waldron Star of Orzell Golly What a Day
1997 Super Tiki (1:38.4) Sean Jones J. and L.E. Brauninger, Jr. Lynn Ashby Shes the Most Hidden Treasure
1996 Sweet Girl Ma (1:36.4) Roxane Losey Sharon and Bob Magness Lynn Ashby Electyra Miss Bobbie Socks
*- Stakes record
The $75,000 Sapphire Sprint
Fastest Time: 1:34.79 ROYAL ATHEENA (1999)
Slowest Time: 1:38.4 SUPER TIKI (1997)
Longest Priced Winner: $10.00 TORNADE DU LOUP (2002)
Shortest Priced Winner: $ 2.40 DIXIE DARLENE (1998)
Closest Winning Margin: HEAD ADORAABLE (2000)
TORNADE DU LOUP (2002)
Largest Winning Margin: 8 Lengths SWEET GIRL MA (1996)
Shortest Price Loser: $ .70 FRENCH BRAIDS (2002)
A FOREIGN AFFAIR (2002)
Track Condition: FAST All except
SLOPPY 2003
Richest Purse: 1999 $100,000
Other Notes: Jockey Jesus Castanon won this race twice for owner Dianne K. Waldron: in 2001 with Djezebel and in 2002 with Tornade Du Loup.
Jockey Sean Jones also won twice: in 1997 with Super Tiki, and in 1998 with Dixie Darlene. Trainer Lynn Ashby won three times: in 1996 with Sweet
Girl Ma, in 1997 with Super Tiki, and in 1999 with Royal Atheena.
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