KENTUCKY OAKS, DERBY POST POSITION DRAWS TO BE SIMULCAST SATURDAY

By Mike Henry —-

KENTUCKY OAKS, DERBY POST POSITION DRAWS TO BE SIMULCAST SATURDAY

OLDSMAR, FL. – The post position draws for the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and the Longines Kentucky Oaks will be simulcast Saturday night at Tampa Bay Downs from the second-floor terrace at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Both draws will take place between the fifth and sixth races of Saturday’s opening-night Churchill card.
The Longines Kentucky Oaks, which is scheduled for Friday, May 2, is limited to 14 horses, while the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3 has a maximum of 20. Post position assignments for both races will be made through a random draw.
Tampa Bay Downs is the place to watch and wager in the Tampa Bay area all next weekend. In addition to full cards of Thoroughbred excitement, Tampa Bay Downs will simulcast the 151st edition of the Longines Kentucky Oaks and the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, as well as every race from Churchill Downs and numerous other tracks around the country.
Owen Almighty, who won the Grade III Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 8, is expected to be the only 3-year-old Kentucky Derby entrant with Oldsmar oval form. The Longines Kentucky Oaks is expected to consist of two Tampa Bay Downs “graduates:” La Cara, who won the Suncoast Stakes here on Feb. 8, and Fondly, who broke her maiden here on Feb. 14 before winning the Virginia Oaks on March 15 at Colonial Downs.
Kentucky Derby Day tickets, which are $10, are available online at www.tampabaydowns.com . Reserved seating is sold out. Children 17-and-under are admitted free. Valet parking is $25 and the gates will open at 10 a.m. Automatic wagering terminals will be set up outside in front of the main Grandstand entrance for fans who decide to grab their tickets early and watch elsewhere.
Plenty of Kentucky Derby souvenirs will be on sale in the Gift Shop, including glasses listing all 150 winners of the race for $9.95 each. There will also be food-truck specials on the grounds, in addition to the usual concession stand and restaurant fare.
The 2024-2025 Tampa Bay Downs meet concludes on Sunday, May 4, which is Fan Appreciation Day. Admission is free and there will be food and drink discounts throughout the day, as the management and staff thank patrons for their support throughout the season.
Around the oval. Samuel Marin is on the verge of capturing his first jockeys championship at Tampa Bay Downs after riding two winners today to maintain his lead over five-time champ Samy Camacho, 106-99.
Marin won the first race on Sweet Nola, a 5-year-old Florida-bred mare owned and trained by Juan Arriagada. Marin added the third race with Belly Dance, a 4-year-old filly owned by GOP Racing Stable and trained by Gerard Ochoa.
There are seven days remaining in the meet, but Camacho only has Friday and Saturday’s cards left. He begins a five-day suspension for careless riding Sunday, which will extend through the end of the meet. Camacho also incurred an eight-day careless riding suspension last Friday, to be served at the start of next season’s meet.
Camacho rode three winners today, capturing the sixth and seventh races back-to-back. He won the sixth race on Fenwick, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Yanez Stable and trained by Reynaldo Yanez. Fenwick was claimed from the race for $8,000 by trainer Derek Ryan for new owner Metro Thoroughbreds LLC.
Camacho added the seventh on the turf on Lucky Curlin, an 8-year-old gelding owned by Amaty Racing Stables and trained by Jose A. Gallegos. Lucky Curlin was claimed for $10,000 by trainer Benny R. Feliciano for new owner MCR Stable. Camacho added the ninth race on the turf with Accent, a 3-year-old filly owned by Jeffrey Drown and trained by Chad Brown.
Marcos Meneses rode two winners. He won the fifth on Classy Lil Betty, a 4-year-old Florida-bred filly owned by Seven Gables and trained by Cathy Rountree. Meneses added the eighth aboard Gowokegobroke, a 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Charles D. Nielsen and trained by Jon Arnett. Gowokegobroke was claimed for $16,000 by trainer Maria Bowersock for new owners Gail M. Rose and Earl a. Rose.
Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:35 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs 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.