TAMPA BAY: YOU’RE GOING TO LIKE THIS HORSE: RED CRESCENT WINS OWNERS CLUB PURSE

By Mike Henry —-

OLDSMAR, FL. – Trainer John Vinson believes the 134 fans who correctly selected Red Crescent to win the Tampa Bay Owners Club Purse are going to develop a meaningful relationship with the 8-year-old Florida-bred gelding.

“He’s a tough bird. He’s all heart, and he tries every single time,” Vinson said after Red Crescent held off a strong rally by Bumperdoo by a neck to win the eighth race, a 7-furlong allowance/optional claiming event. The time on a fast track was 1:22.79.

Antonio Gallardo rode Red Crescent, who was bred by Pamela Edel and Edward Cahir and is owned by Equine Authority. He paid $6 to win as the second wagering choice.

A total of 782 fans entered the Tampa Bay Owners Club contest.

Red Crescent was off 19 months after being injured in January of 2021. In his first start back, on Sept. 4, he finished second to stakes winner Gatsby, who was third in last week’s Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Marion County Florida Sire Stakes at the Oldsmar oval.

Today’s victory was the ninth in 54 career starts for Red Crescent, who won the 2019 Millions Classic Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West. The winning purse raised his career earnings to $469,410.

“I do expect (the contest winners) to be able to relate to this horse,” Vinson said. “He’s a real honest horse who has run against tough horses his whole life.”

Fans who picked Red Crecent (No. 2) in the contest are now members of a fantasy ownership group surrounding Red Crescent for the remainder of the 2022-2023 meet. Members receive many of the perks associated with Thoroughbred ownership each time Red Crescent returns to compete at the current meet, including free admission; a Tampa Bay Downs racing program; a mutuel voucher; concession-stand discounts; and an attractive “Tampa Bay Owners Club” pin.

The winners will be contacted by e-mail before each of Red Crescent’s subsequent starts at Tampa Bay Downs, and will be admitted to the paddock before his races and inside the winner’s circle after a victory.

Schedule questions? Get a calendar. Four consecutive days of racing highlight the pre-Christmas schedule at Tampa Bay Downs next week, allowing Oldsmar regulars, visitors and vacationing workers and students and their families to enjoy the best of Thoroughbred racing.

The Tampa Bay Downs Racing Office has hunkered down to provide competitive cards, with four turf races scheduled for Wednesday even with fingers crossed the weather cooperates as the calendar turns to winter.

Post time for the first of nine races Wednesday is 12:30 p.m.

Racing will also be conducted Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Christmas Eve) before fans and employees gather around their hearths for the possible arrival of the jolly one himself later that evening.

Tampa Bay Downs will then be off Dec. 25-27 before resuming its normal schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 28, when the track hands out its free commemorative 2023 calendar, chock-full of beautiful photographs, to the first 5,000 patrons (with paid admission).

The first Sunday card of the meet will be held on New Year’s Day. There is much to look forward to, which encourages us to remind everyone to keep taking things one day at a time.

Around the oval. Leading jockey Samy Camacho turned bettors’ dreams into reality, riding Dreams of Tomorrow and Dreaming of Snow to victory today. Dreams of Tomorrow, who won the second race on the turf, is a 5-year-old horse bred and owned by Phipps Stable and trained by J. R. McGaughey. The fifth-race winner, Dreaming of Snow, is a 2-year-old Florida-bred filly owned by Team Equistaff and Winning Stables and trained by Gerald Bennett.

For his part, Bennett sent out two winners, also capturing the ninth race with Tap Dance Fever. Jose Ferrer rode the 4-year-old filly for Bennett and owners J.P.G. 2, Mr. Pug, Winning Stables and Mary K. Thomas.