Tampabay downs media guide 16-0273-JK2

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.
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