TAMPA BAY STAKES, ENDEAVOUR PROMISE TO HEAT THINGS UP IN FEBRUARY

By Mike Henry —-

TAMPA BAY STAKES, ENDEAVOUR PROMISE TO HEAT THINGS UP IN FEBRUARY

OLDSMAR, FL. – Tampa Bay Downs will conduct six stakes races on the first two Saturdays in February, with track officials hopeful of attracting a number of top horses in training.

The Oldsmar oval turf course will be spotlighted on Feb. 1, with a pair of Grade III, $175,000 stakes on tap. Both are at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth. The Tampa Bay Stakes is for horses 4-years-old-and-upward, while the Endeavour Stakes is for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

The following Saturday, Feb. 8, is Festival Preview Day, with four stakes being run on the main dirt track. The showcase is the 45th edition of the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a mile-and-a-sixteenth test for 3-year-olds vying for “Road to the Kentucky Derby” qualifying points. The top five finishers will receive 20, 10, 6, 4 and 2 points toward earning a spot in the Run for the Roses starting gate on May 3.

Three-year-old fillies will compete for “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” points on Festival Preview Day in the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at a distance of a mile-and-40-yards. As with the Sam F. Davis, the top five finishers earn points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale, which could aid their quest to compete at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Oaks on May 2.

Leading sprinters of both sexes will also have their chance to shine on Feb. 8, with the $125,000, 6-furlong Pelican Stakes for horses 4-and-upward and the $100,000 Minaret Stakes for fillies and mares 4-and-upward.

During one of the colder Tampa Bay Area winters in memory, it’s reassuring to look forward to events that herald the approach of spring, no matter how far away it seems right now.

Promotions sure to delight. Fans eager for warmer, sunny weather to arrive and stick around for a while have their fingers crossed that next weekend will fit the bill. In addition to exciting Thoroughbred action, Tampa Bay Downs has a pair of super-fun promotions planned for Saturday and next Sunday.

The always-popular Cap Giveaway Day is scheduled Saturday. The first 5,000 fans will receive the brand-new edition of the Tampa Bay Downs lid with the distinctive track logo, with their paid admissions. Patrons will also have a chance to get their caps autographed during the afternoon by many of the track’s leading jockeys on the first floor of the Grandstand.

Next Sunday, Tampa Bay Downs will hold its first “Mouse’s Kids and Family Day” of the meet in the Backyard Picnic Area. It’s a great opportunity to share the excitement of Thoroughbred racing with the younger generation. Numerous child-friendly activities will be offered, including pony rides, bounce houses and games of skill. There will also be a food truck stationed nearby.

Around the oval. Two large carryover pools stand to entice Wednesday. The Super High 5 was not hit in today’s final race, so the carryover will be $24,918 in the first race of the day with seven or more starters. The wager requires bettors to pick the first five finishers of a race in exact order.

The carryover for the Ultimate 6 is $24,909. That 20-cent wager requires bettors to select the winners of the final six races on the card. The entire pool is awarded if there is only a single winner.

Samy Camacho continues to keep the proverbial pedal to the metal as he chases a fifth consecutive Tampa Bay Downs riding title. He rode two winners today on a sloppy track to give him 41 for the meet, three more than runner-up Samuel Marin.

Camacho won the second race on Zip Code Envy, a 5-year-old mare owned by Charles Nielsen and trained by Jon Arnett. Zip Code Envy was claimed from the race for $10,000 by trainer Peter Wasiluk, Jr., for new owner Omar Londono.

Camacho added the third race aboard Whiskey Or Wine, a 4-year-old colt owned by S. Matthew Kintz Racing and Sales, Inc., and trained by Kintz.

Kathleen O’Connell sent out two winners to extend her lead in the trainers race to 19-16 from runner-up Juan Arriagada. O’Connell won the first race with The Goddess Factor, a 4-year-old filly owned by Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds, LLC and ridden by Antonio Gallardo. O’Connell added the eighth with Princess Britni, a 5-year-old Florida-bred mare owned by breeder Joseph DiBello’s DiBello Racing LLC and ridden by Jose Ferrer.

Thoroughbred racing continues Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:40 p.m. The feature is the eighth race, a $54,500, 6-furlong allowance/optional claiming event for older fillies and mares. The 6-5 morning-line favorite is Launch, a 4-year-old stakes-winning filly from the barn of trainer Jorge Delgado. David Egan is the jockey.

Tampa Bay Downs races each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The track is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.