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 Corporate
Name: Tampa Bay Downs, Inc.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2007, Oldsmar, Florida 34677
Street Address:
11225 Racetrack Road, Tampa, Florida 33626 (click for map)
Telephone: (813) 855-4401
Fax: (813) 854-3539
Web Site: www.tampabaydowns.com
When Tampa Bay Downs President and Treasurer Stella F.
Thayer announced plans to construct a turf course inside the main oval in
the spring of 1997, skeptics questioned if it was money well-spent.
The answer was a resounding “YES.” Since staging its first race on the grass
on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2, 1998, the 7/8-mile
grass track, complete with a ¼-mile chute, is one of the most popular turf
courses in North America. On any given racing day, a turf event at Tampa Bay
Downs may feature several horses from the most prominent stables in the
country.
In 2010, Christophe Clement sent Eclipse Award winner Gio Ponti to Tampa Bay
Downs to prepare for the Dubai World Cup. The Tampa Bay Derby, now a Grade
II $350,000 race, has produced two of the last six Kentucky Derby winners:
Street Sense in 2007 and Super Saver in 2010.
Previously known far and wide as the only Thoroughbred track on the west
coast of Florida, Tampa Bay Downs has grown by leaps and bounds since
opening in 1926. No longer is it a sleepy stopover for horsemen preparing
for northern meets or a pleasant off-day diversion for sportswriters
covering spring training baseball.
Entering its 87th season of racing, which runs from December 1–May 5, Tampa
Bay Downs continues its pattern of progress and innovation. Among numerous
recent upgrades, one of the most noticeable to fans and horsemen is the
introduction of Trakus, the electronic system which displays the positions
of each horse during a race on the television monitors.
On the structural front, Tampa Bay Downs is in the early stages of a “green
initiative” that could lead to a net-zero environmental impact in future
years. Improvements include a CREE LED lighting system in the clubhouse, the
addition of a Gaco Sil S-20 “Cool Roof” coating system and a
state-of-the-art geothermal HVAC system designed to save energy and costs
while requiring virtually no maintenance.
After Stella F. Thayer took full control of the track in 1986 – six years
after the name was changed from Florida Downs to Tampa Bay Downs to reflect
the rapid growth of the tri-county area and beyond – change started coming
quickly.
In 1988, when late Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens brought his Triple
Crown candidate, Cefis, to contest the Tampa Bay Derby, rival horsemen took
notice. The sand-based Tampa Bay Downs dirt track has a well-deserved
reputation for getting runners fit, and the proof is in the upgrades in the
track’s extensive stakes program.
In 1990, Tampa Bay Downs was the first track in Florida to conduct
inter-track wagering (ITW) when it accepted the simulcast signal from Calder
Race Course in Miami.
Tampa Bay Downs opened the Downs Golf Practice Facility in the spring of
2003, and it has blossomed into a favorite destination for both local
players and visitors seeking to lower their handicaps. Area poker fans
enjoyed the debut of the Silks Poker Room in 2004. It is open for no-limit
games daily from 10 a.m.–4 a.m.
Prior to the beginning of the 2009-10 meeting, Tampa Bay Downs affiliated
itself with the Thoroughbred Retirement of Tampa (TROT), a 501(c)(3)
organization dedicated to repurposing Tampa Bay Downs Thoroughbreds into
show and pleasure horses, after their racetrack careers end.
The 2009-10 season also saw the arrival of Mouse, a rescued Miniature Horse
who serves as the Tampa Bay Downs mascot and interacts splendidly with
patrons of all ages. The track also has an active social media following,
with profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
In addition to the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby, on March 9, the 2012-13 stakes
schedule includes five other Grade III events. The $250,000 Sam F. Davis
Stakes for 3-year-olds, the $150,000 Endeavour Stakes for older fillies and
mares on the turf, and the $150,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on
the turf (all Grade III) were run on the same day, February 2, Festival
Preview Day. The Tampa Bay Stakes for older horses on the turf was February
16 and the Hillsborough Stakes for older fillies and mares on the turf was
March 9, Tampa Bay Derby Day (also known as Festival Day).
Tampa Bay Downs stages its lucrative Florida Cup Day on April 6, with six
races for registered Florida-bred horses offering a total of $450,000.
Officers: Stella F. Thayer, President and
Treasurer; Peter N. Berube, Vice President and General Manager; Howell
Ferguson, Vice President and Secretary; Greg Gelyon, Vice President of
Finance; Margo Flynn, Vice President of Marketing & Publicity; Tom
McLaughlin, Vice President of Facilities and Track Surfaces
Legal Counsel: Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen
Director of Racing: Allison De Luca
Mutuels Manager: Frank White
Director of Admissions: Melissa Wirth
Simulcast Coordinator: Cathy Dwyer
Director of Group Sales: Nicole McGill
Security: Karen Kibbey, frontside security; TRPB agent, backside
security
Track Announcer: Richard Grunder
Association Veterinarians: Robert Calley, D.V.M; Kristen Pastir,
D.V.M.; Nancy Davis, D.V.M.
Track Photographer: Tom Cooley
Director of Food Services: Richard Toda
Nearest City: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater; Total Population,
3,000,000
Nearest Airport: Tampa International Airport, 8 miles from track
Track Data: 1-mile track, 3/8-mile
and 7/8-mile chutes;
homestretch 976 feet; loam and sand soil composition; turf course: 7/8
mile with a ¼-mile chute located inside main track; stable accommodations
for 1,400 horses
Seating Accommodations: Grandstand, 4,300; Clubhouse, 1,700
Price of Admission: Grandstand, $2; Clubhouse, $3; free grandstand
admission on weekdays
Parking: Capacity, 5,000; free General Parking, Valet, $5
Dress Requirements: Gentlemen - collared shirts required in Skye
Terrace Dining Room; no shorts permitted for gentlemen or ladies
Simulcast Information: Open year-round; full-card simulcasting of
Thoroughbred, harness, greyhound and jai-alai signals day and evening seven
days a week except Christmas Day and Easter Sunday
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