Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday will host the opening day for its 2018-2019 race meet.
First post is 12:25 p.m. for a ten-race card.
The Oldsmar, Fla., track will then be dark until Wednesday Nov. 28. That day, it will begin its regular schedule of four race days –Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That schedule will run through May 5.
Tampa Bay Downs’s first stakes races will be on Dec. 1, The $100,000 Turf Dash is five furlongs on turf for 3-year-olds and up. The $100,000 Lightning City is five furlongs on turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
The meet will have 28 stakes races with a Tampa Bay Downs record $3.74 million in total purses.
The highlight will be the annual Festival Day on March 9, The card will have five stakes races with total purses of $1 million.
Festival Day’s feature will be the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (Grade 2) at 1 1/16 miles on dirt for 3-year-olds. It is prep race for the Kentucky Derby that will be run May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
