2013-2014Media Guide;
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2013/ 2014 MEDIA GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to Tampa Bay Downs…...……………………………………………………….……………………………………………. 3 Map, Directions, Telephone Numbers and Addresses..……………..………………………………………...……….................… 4 Media Policies…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…. 5 Staff………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 6 2013-2014 Racing Calendar……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 The Track…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 The Downs Golf Facility.……………….……….………………………………………………………………………………………….9 The Silks Poker Room and Tampa Bay Downs in the Community…..………..………...…….………………………………….…10 Tampa Bay Downs History………………..……………………………….……………………………………………...……..…...11-18 Tampa Bay Downs Logos…………………………………………………………………………………..…………………… 19-20 Jockey Profiles…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21-31 Trainer Profiles…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…….32-44 Owner Profiles………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….45-52 Track Records……………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………………...53-56 Stakes Histories…………………………………………………………………………………...…………….……………………57-102 Discontinued Stakes…...……….…………...………………..………………………………………………………………… 103-106 Arabian Stakes Histories…………………………………..…………………………….…………………………………………107-108 All photographs in the Media Guide are by Tom Cooley except: Page 8: Gray horse, photo by Alan Messerschmidt Page 10: Relay for Life, photo by Bob Argus Page 32: Horses at the gap, photo by Alan Messerschmidt Page 58: Manatee, portofinodiving.com Page 58: Chris Thomas, www.sptimes.com/.../_Chris_Thomas_touched.shtml Page 58: Minarets, collegeprofiles.com/tampa.html Page 58: Space Shuttle Endeavour, www.aerospaceguide.net/spaceshuttle/index.html Page 58: Wayward Lass: http://www.bloodhorse.com/articleindex/article.asp?id=16892 2 WELCOME TO TAMPA BAY DOWNS! Tampa Bay Downs, which has long been famous as the only Thoroughbred race course on Florida‘s west coast, provides Bay area sports fans and visitors with live racing action from December through May, plus an annual two-day Summer Festival on June 30 and July 1. Originally opened as Tampa Downs in 1926, the racetrack has amassed a long and colorful history. It was renamed Sunshine Park in 1947 and entered the modern era that year with the installation of an electric starting gate, photo-finish camera and electronic tote board. During the 1950s, the racecourse was a popular attraction with sportswriters who came to the Tampa Bay area to cover baseball spring training. Legendary names like Grantland Rice, Red Smith, and Arthur Daley became regular visitors, calling the track the ―Santa Anita of the South.‖ Contemporary racing fans and journalists embrace the Downs for its distinctive, country fair-style charm, and it is known it to be one of America‘s most pleasant and well-kept racetracks. In 1965, the track was acquired by a group of Tampa sportsmen and renamed Florida Downs. In 1980, during another switch in ownership, the track was renamed Tampa Bay Downs. Present ownership assumed the reins just prior to the 1986-1987 season, and the facility has been in a state of constant improvement since then. The conclusion of the 1997 season signaled a new era for the Tampa oval as Mrs. Stella Thayer, President and Treasurer of Tampa Bay Downs, announced the installation of a 7/8-mile turf course with a quarter-mile chute. The course was completed in the spring of 1998 and the first turf race was contested on Kentucky Derby Day, May 2, 1998. This improvement has provided more opportunities for horsemen and patrons alike. In 2003 Tampa Bay Downs launched The Downs Golf Practice Facility, a state-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind golf practice and wagering facility. The 22 acres of fully lighted golf property include 270 yards of open range for full-swing shots, plus putting and short-game areas. The Downs Golf Clubhouse features a fully stocked pro shop, snack bar and wagering terminals complete with numerous TV monitors to catch all the action. Area poker fans enjoyed the debut of The Silks Poker Room with the opening of the 2004 season. In July of 2007, the Florida Legislature grant- ed Tampa Bay Downs the right to operate The Silks Poker Room year-round, allowing Bay area card players to take part in poker tournaments during both the live racing season and in summer months. The Silks Poker Room is now open daily from 10 a.m.-4 a.m. The 2011-12 season was highlighted by eight track records and a 3-percent increase in on-track handle to more than $40 million. Bettors herald- ed the introduction of Trakus, an electronic system which displays the position and location of each horse during a race and provides handicap- pers with a wealth of valuable information. The track installed a CREE LED lighting system throughout the clubhouse and grandstand and a Ga- co Sil S-20 ‗Cool Roof‘ coating system as part of an ongoing green initiative. Prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, the track introduced a state-of-the-art geothermal cooling system designed to save energy and costs while requiring virtually no maintenance. The 2012-13 season was highlighted by the 33rd renewal of the Grade II, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby for 3-year-olds. For the first time in race history, the top three finishers — Verrazano, Java‘s War and Falling Sky — advanced to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, and Verrazano went on to win the Grade I Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and the Grade I Haskell at Monmouth and Java‘s War won the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland. The $200,000 Florida Oaks, Tampa Bay Downs‘ premier race for 3-year-old fillies, was elevated to Grade III status by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, giving Tampa Bay Downs six graded stakes. 3 CONTACT INFORMATION Physical Address Mailing Address 11225 Race Track Road P. O. Box 2007 Tampa, FL 33626 Oldsmar, FL 34677 Telephone Numbers Main Number 813.855.4401 Racing Office 800.200.4434 Main Fax 813.854.3539 Web and E-mail Address www.tampabaydowns.com [email protected] DIRECTIONS From I-275: Take Tampa Airport exit. Follow signs to Veterans Expressway. Take Expressway to Exit 4 (Hillsborough Avenue). Turn west on Hillsborough Avenue. Travel approximately 10 miles to Race Track Road. Make a right on Race Track Road and travel 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs. From Pinellas County: On Route 19, go to the intersection with Route 580 at Countryside Mall; go east on Route 580 6 miles to the stoplight at Race Track Road; go left on Race Track Road 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs. From St. Petersburg: Take the Bayside Bridge north to McMullen Booth Road; go east on Route 580 4 miles to the stoplight at Race Track Road; turn left on Race Track Road 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs. From Pasco County: On Route 19, go to the intersection with Tampa Road (Route 584); go east on Tampa Road 7 miles to the stoplight at Race Track Road; turn left on Race Track Road 1 mile to Tampa Bay Downs. 4 MEDIA POLICIES Tampa Bay Downs is extremely pleased to have you with us for our 88th anniversary season of Thoroughbred racing. Outlined below are guidelines that will aid your coverage of the upcoming meeting that commenced on July 1, 2013 (resuming Dec. 4): 1. In order to gain access to the stable area, all media MUST have prior approval and the proper credentials. These credentials are available in the Publicity Office, and the press are required to wear their Press ID at all times. 2. All photographers MUST check in with the Track Photographer, Stephanie Van Minos, Ext. 1246. Ms. Van Minos will issue credentials to all photographers, as well as offer any advice on good locations to shoot from, both on the front side and the stable area. These credentials are mandatory in order to shoot from the area adjacent to the track surface; publication credentials alone will not suffice. Ms. Van Minos‘ office is located on the lower level of the Grandstand ad- jacent to the State Licensing Office. 3. Phone lines are available in the Press Box for those who need to file their stories electronically. If any other special needs exist, please contact the Publicity Office, Ext. 1368. Tampa Bay Downs provides free wireless access throughout the facility. 4. The Press Box is located on the fourth floor of the Grandstand. 5. Photography is NOT permitted in the Grandstand or Clubhouse Mutuel areas at any time without prior permission of Track Management. 6. On March 8, 2014 (Tampa Bay Derby Day), winning owners, trainers and jockeys will be taken to the V.I.P. Room for interviews immediately after the winner‘s circle presentation. 7. Parking for all credentialed media will be in the Horsemen‘s Parking Lot, north of the Grandstand. For further information or questions, contact Margo Flynn in the Publicity Office at Tampa Bay Downs at 813-855-4401, Ext. 1368 or [email protected]. 5 TAMPA BAY DOWNS OFFICERS Track Officers Stella F. Thayer.………………...…………..…………………….……………………………………………………...President and Treasurer Howell Ferguson……………………………………...………………………...……………………….………….Vice President and Secretary Peter N. Berube……………………………..………………...…………………………………………..Vice President and General Manager Greg Gelyon……………….……………………………………..…………...…………………..…………………….Vice President of Finance Margo J. Flynn…………………………………………………...…………...…………………...….Vice President of Marketing and Publicity Tom McLaughlin………………………………………………………………………………..Vice President of Facilities and Track Surfaces Operating Officials Stephanie Van Minos…………………………………………………...………………………………………….………….Track Photographer Allison De Luca… ……………………………………………....…………………………...………Director