TAA on Hand for Tampa Bay Derby Day

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Tampa Bay Downs will highlight accredited aftercare during Saturday's card, which features the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. The track will honor TAA with a named race on the day's undercard. Following the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance named race, a presentation will be made in the winner's circle and winning connections will be given a TAA blanket and gift bag with branded merchandise.

A representative from TAA will also be on-site to host the winners of the VIP Experience from the “Off to the Races” online benefit auction. Generously donated by Tampa Bay Downs and Tom Cannell, the winners of this VIP Experience will enjoy premium dining, access to the paddock and winner's circle for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Race.

“We are very excited to welcome back Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to the 2024 Tampa Bay Derby,” said Margo Flynn, Vice President of Marketing, Tampa Bay Downs. “We are proud to support their mission and spread awareness for accredited aftercare.”

Emily Dresen, TAA's Director of Funding and Events, said, “We are so excited to be back at Tampa Bay Downs for the Tampa Bay Derby. Tampa Bay Downs has remained a committed partner and advocate for accredited aftercare, and we are thrilled to participate on one of their biggest days of racing.”

The TAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome Thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding.

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Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance On-Site At Tampa Bay Derby

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be featured at Tampa Bay Downs with a named race on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard Saturday, March 11. Following the running of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Race, a presentation will be made to the winning connections including a branded blanket and swag bag. Tampa Bay Downs will feature and promote accredited aftercare awareness throughout the race day and race meet.

As part of Tampa Bay Down's support, a VIP experience has been donated to the winners of the January 2023 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance “Off to the Races” online benefit auction of bucket list racing events. This all-inclusive VIP experience consists of dining, premium seating, winner's circle access, and more.

“We are excited to have Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on-site during the Tampa Bay Derby with a featured race and hosting a VIP experience,” said Margo Flynn, Vice President of Marketing and Publicity at Tampa Bay Downs. “We value aftercare and think this is a great opportunity to promote everything that the TAA does on one of our biggest race days.”

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is thrilled to have such longstanding support from Tampa Bay Downs” said Emily Dresen, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Director, Funding & Events. “Accredited aftercare is important to Tampa Bay Downs, and they continue to promote safe and proper aftercare for our equine athletes through a variety of avenues, and we are so excited to be here for the Tampa Bay Derby.”

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Jason Beem Hired As Track Announcer At Tampa Bay Downs

Jason Beem, who has called races at numerous Thoroughbred tracks since 2006, has been hired as the announcer at Tampa Bay Downs. He will begin on June 30, the first day of the track's two-day Summer Festival of Racing.

The 41-year-old University of Washington graduate currently announces at Grants Pass Downs in Oregon and will begin his third season at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., on July 19. At Tampa Bay Downs, he replaces Richard Grunder, who retired on May 2 after 37 years and more than 37,000 races at the Oldsmar oval.

Beem was chosen from among dozens of applicants after a nationwide search. A lifelong fan of racing with a strong social media following, Beem is excited to bring his enthusiastic style to a track that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 20 years.

“I love the racing there and am excited to become a part of it,” said Beem, who hosts an hour-long podcast each Monday through Friday – the Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast sponsored by Twinspires – on which he interviews many of the sport's leading figures.

“From calling races at Colonial Downs and Monmouth Park (in 2019), I got to know a lot of the horses and horsemen who compete at Tampa, and it really appeals to me as a fan. It's good, quality racing, the turf races are outstanding and it's a very horseplayer-friendly track.”

Margo Flynn, the Vice President of Marketing and Publicity at Tampa Bay Downs, believes Beem will be embraced by listeners accustomed to Grunder's energetic, fan-friendly style, while attracting new followers through his social-media platforms. In addition to his podcast, Beem is active on Twitter ( @BeemieAwards ) and Instagram ( @jasonbeemracing ) and has a YouTube channel.

“Jason hit all the checkpoints we were looking for,” Flynn said. “He sees racing through a fan's eyes and understands the need to cultivate new fans and develop ways to target them. He has a big pair of shoes to fill, but he has the experience and love of the sport to make his own mark at Tampa Bay Downs. We are excited to have him on board and to introduce him to our fans on June 30 and July 1.”

Beem, who started his announcing career in 2006 at River Downs (now Belterra Park), describes his race-calling style as high-energy and information-driven. “I have a quick delivery, I try to get as much information as I can to the horseplayer and I'm very descriptive. Accuracy, obviously, is the most paramount thing for me.

“It's funny because I still get nervous before every race, even a $2,500 claiming event,” he said. “I'm surprised that I always have that adrenaline rush when they're entering the gate, but I'm glad that hasn't stopped after 15 years.”

Beem knows it is a next-to-impossible task replacing Grunder, who is a jockey's agent at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. In an almost-eerie coincidence, both called races at since-closed Portland Meadows in Oregon at similar stages of their careers, with Beem working there from 2006-2014.

“I don't look at it as trying to replace him, because he is a legend,” Beem said. “I just want to be a great member of the Tampa Bay Downs team, get to know the horse-playing community and get a lot of people excited about horse racing.”

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Despite On-Track Limitations, Tampa Bay Downs Enjoys Strong Betting Season

When Richard Grunder called the 37,587th and final race of his marvelous 37-year Tampa Bay Downs career on May 2, it was as if a giant balloon whished into another dimension, never to be recaptured.

While 21st Century technology permits fans to revisit Grunder's greatest calls, such as the riveting Street Sense-Any Given Saturday duel in the 2007 Tampa Bay Derby, the Fan Appreciation Day card earlier this month was fraught with the reminder that change is inevitable in all avenues of life.

That truism had been reinforced when the 2020-'21 Oldsmar oval meeting resumed back on Nov. 25, slightly more than eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic turned everyone's world upside down. No one was certain how Thoroughbred racing fans would respond to temperature checks, mandatory face coverings and strict social distancing. Attendance was limited to about 30 percent of capacity, resulting in a combined 20.22-percent decrease in on-track and in-state handle on Tampa Bay Downs racing from the 2018-2019 (non-pandemic) meeting.

But that was more than offset by a 20.87-percent jump in out-of-state handle, from $303,474,481 to $366,794,971. The Oldsmar oval's deserved reputation as a winter hot spot that attracts runners from many of the top stables along the East Coast enabled the track to post a 16.62-percent increase in total commingled handle from 2018-2019, with the 2020-2021 season total of $394,698,371 more than $56-million above the figure from two seasons ago.

Average wagering handle per race jumped 18.62-percent, to $482,516, and average handle per entry rose 16.24-percent, to $58,370. Horsemen did their part, as the average field size increased about 2 percent, from 8.1 per race in 2018-2019 to 8.27.

The increase in wagering revenue was passed along to the horsemen. Tampa Bay Downs raised purses by 10 percent on four separate occasions, resulting in a 40-percent increase from Nov. 25 to the May 2 Closing Day card.

“Higher purses enable us to attract better horses, which in turn produces more fan interest and more wagering activity,” said Margo Flynn, the track's vice president of marketing and publicity. “We are optimistic those trends will continue next season and beyond. Our main track and our turf course are regarded as being among the most consistent and safest surfaces in the country, which serves as another enticement for owners and trainers to bring their top horses to Tampa Bay Downs.”

And, over time, the fans started coming back as attendance restrictions were gradually relaxed and people became more comfortable following the mask-wearing and social-distancing protocols. Tampa Bay Downs remains a popular destination for regular customers, first-time visitors and vacationers hoping to make a few bucks while basking in Florida sunshine and savoring Thoroughbred competition.

“As this season progressed, we seemed to notice more new faces throughout the facility than in past years,” Flynn said. “It's an encouraging sign that people are choosing an afternoon at the track as a fun activity to begin returning to some kind of normal lifestyle.”

The track's biggest day of racing, the March 6 Festival Day card Presented by Lambholm South, lived up to its reputation for world-class racing. In the Grade 2, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, lightly raced 3-year-old colt Helium turned back all challengers, springing a 15-1 upset under 56-year-old jockey Jose Ferrer, a Tampa resident.

That same afternoon, fellow 3-year-olds Domain Expertise and Winfromwithin set records in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and the Columbia Stakes, respectively. Such excellence was not overlooked by bettors, who wagered an all-time Tampa Bay Downs record of $15,229,366 on the day's action.

The season climaxed on another high note, with a crowd of 4,872 – roughly half of what would be expected in “normal” years, but limited by COVID-19 – attending the May 1 card highlighted by the simulcast of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.

The gains in wagering and purse increases are positive signs for the 2021-2022 meeting, which begins on July 1 (the second day of the track's two-day Summer Festival of Racing) before resuming in late November.

Tampa Bay Downs has positioned itself in recent years as the premier multi-entertainment facility on the west coast of Florida, with horse racing, The Silks Poker Room, The Downs Golf Practice facility and numerous fine-dining options luring new and repeat customers alike.

The competition to be leading jockey was tight throughout the meeting, with Samy Camacho and Antonio Gallardo trading the lead several times. Camacho, who had won the title in 2018-2019, overcame a 2-for-43 slump in the meeting's second half to overcome his rival, riding four winners on May 2 to turn back Gallardo, himself a five-time track champion, by a 107-103 margin.

The trainer's race, by contrast, was over almost before it had begun. Gerald Bennett possessed the numbers, the skill and the touch to send out 56 winners, 22 more than his closest pursuer, Jose H. Delgado. The title was the sixth in a row for Bennett, who along the way passed the late Frank H. Merrill, Jr., as the No. 1 Canadian-born trainer in racing history with 3,975 victories.

Track officials acknowledge it will take fans some time to get used to a new announcer (Grunder remains active in the sport as a jockey's agent at Canterbury Park in Minnesota). “Richard's departure will be keenly felt,” Flynn said. “Many fans and simulcast bettors associate his voice with Tampa Bay Downs, and the next announcer will have some big shoes to fill.”

For Tampa Bay Downs, which will celebrate its 96th anniversary season eager to build on past successes, Grunder's trademark calls and vast knowledge are legacies to build on.

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