GALLARDO WINS 4, TIES CAMACHO ATOP STANDINGS; DIAZ WINS 3

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – Antonio Gallardo won four races today, moving into a tie with Samy Camacho atop the Tampa Bay Downs jockey standings with 88 victories apiece.

Gallardo is gunning for his sixth Oldsmar riding crown, which would move him into a tie with Daniel Centeno and Mike Manganello for most ever at the track. Camacho seeks to repeat his 2018-2019 title.

Gallardo won the second race on Dohko, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Maria Stables and trained by Jose L. Sanchez. Gallardo added the third on Quiet No More, a 7-year-old mare owned by Carrol Stubbs and trained by Cody Axmaker.

In the seventh race on the turf, Gallardo and 5-year-old Florida-bred mare Proper Manners were elevated from second to first when Silver Tunes, the first horse across the wire, was disqualified for coming in and hampering Proper Manners’s rally in deep stretch, causing Gallardo to angle to an outside path. Proper Manners is owned by Six SandBaggers Stables and trained by Baltazar Galvan.

Gallardo rode Hide the Demon to the 5-year-old’s first triumph in more than a year in the eighth race to wrap up his four-bagger, giving him seven winners over the last two racing days. Hide the Demon is owned by Mellon Patch, Inc., and trained by Michael Campbell.

Hector Diaz, Jr., rode three winners. He captured the fourth race aboard Highrhythmdixie, a 4-year-old filly owned by Hugo Bracho and Antonio Francesco and trained by Antonio Machado. Diaz garnered the fifth race on the turf on Girl Dad, a 3-year-old gelding owned by RAP Racing Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and Danned Racing and trained by George Weaver.

In the ninth and final race on the turf, Diaz piloted 3-year-old filly Nancy Work to a come-from-behind maiden victory for owner Wayne Spalding and trainer Kathleen O’Connell.

Kentucky Derby Day tickets going fast. Tickets are selling briskly for the Saturday, May 1 card, which will be highlighted by the simulcast of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance at Tampa Bay Downs that day will be limited, so anyone wishing to attend must purchase their tickets in advance, either online or at the Customer Service window on the first floor of the Grandstand.

Advance wagering on the Kentucky Derby will be available Friday, April 30 for those unable to secure a ticket for May 1. The April 30 Churchill Downs card includes the running of the Longines Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-old fillies.

A front-row box seat for six people in the Grandstand is $350, with other boxes available for $250. General-admission tickets are $10 each, with seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. The gates will open at 10 a.m. and there will be a noon post time for the Tampa Bay Downs program, which is expected to consist of 12 races.

Kentucky Derby Picnic Area tables have sold out. Individual Picnic Area tickets, which are $10, are still available. All online purchases include a service fee.

Mint juleps will be sold in official Kentucky Derby souvenir glasses. For details, visit www.tampabaydowns.com on the Internet or call (813) 855-4401.

Around the oval. Saturday is Oldsmar Cup Day, as Tampa Bay Downs celebrates the mutually beneficial relationship between Tampa Bay Downs and the city. Oldsmar residents will be admitted free of charge with proof of residency.

The Oldsmar Cup is Saturday’s eighth race, an open $16,000 claiming contest on the turf for horses 4-years-old-and-upward. Ten horses are entered in the mile-and-a-sixteenth race.

Thoroughbred racing at Tampa Bay Downs continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:17 p.m. The feature is the eighth race, a $31,250 allowance/optional claiming race for 3-year-old fillies going 7 furlongs. The 2-1 morning-line favorite is trainer Arnaud Delacour’s Be Sneaky, who finished second in the Suncoast Stakes here on Feb. 6 to Curlin’s Catch. Diaz will ride Be Sneaky for Delacour and owner Lael Stables.

Racing will be held each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through May 2, with that day Fan Appreciation Day. There will be free Grandstand admission and parking, and beers, sodas and Nathan’s Hot Dogs will be sold at discounted prices.

The May 2 card will also mark the unofficial conclusion of the Oldsmar oval’s 95th anniversary season. The meeting proper ends Wednesday, June 30, which is also the first day of the ninth annual, two-day Summer Festival of Racing. The July 1 Summer Festival card is officially the first day of the 2021-2022 meeting, which is expected to resume in late November.