Tampabay downs media guide 16-0273-JK2

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.
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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.