Horseracing fans were treated to another great season of racing in the 2008-2009 Tampa Bay Downs meet.  With steady daily average purse money, a record-setting $2.6* million dollar stakes program, and year-round poker, Tampa Bay Downs is the place to be in the winter! Tampa Bay Downs was pleased to announce one new graded stakes races for its 83rd season: The Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, held on Festival Preview Day, February 14. The Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes is a 1 1/16 mile test for three-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail. 
Tampa Bay Downs is the only Thoroughbred race track on the West Coast of Florida, and is known as one of America's oldest and most well-maintained racetracks.  Tampa Bay Downs first opened its doors in 1926 under the name of Tampa Downs, and has since had a long and colorful history.  The present owner purchased the track in 1986, and since then the Tampa Bay Downs has been continually improving.

Tampa Bay Downs added its 7/8th mile grass track, complete with a ¼ mile chute, in 1998, and has become one of the most popular turf courses in North America. The millennium brought even more amenities to Tampa Bay Downs, including the Downs Golf Practice Facility, which allows patrons to practice their swing while viewing and wagering on simulcast racing; as well as The Silks Poker Room, the card room that has become one of the hottest spots in town and both are open 7 days a week.

Simulcast racing is broadcast throughout the track mainly on new flat-screened plasma or LCD televisions on both live racing days and during the track's off-season. Join us for all the sporting excitement at Tampa Bay Downs! Gates open at 11:00 AM and post time for the first race is 12:25 PM, unless otherwise noted.

The Silks Poker Room is now open 7 days a week 12:30 P.M. -12:30 A.M.

* estimated