One of the track’s most popular promotions, the “Live It Up Challenge” handicapping contest, begins Saturday, running through the March 7 Festival Day 46 card highlighted by the Grade III ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade II Hillsborough Stakes on the turf.
Players may register for the contest free of charge at www.liveitupchallenge.com any time before 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
All wagers are mythical, with players required to make selections each racing day in any two of the three randomly selected “Challenge Races.” A player’s bankroll is based on the payoffs for their selections based on a $2 win, place and show wager.
Participants start the contest with one free lifeline. If a player’s selections in both of a day’s “Challenge Races” do not hit the board, they lose a lifeline. Players may purchase up to eight additional lifelines for $5 each upon signup; up to eight more for $10 each on Jan. 31; and up to four more for $25 each on Feb. 14.
Once a player loses all their lifelines, they are eliminated. Players can only lose a maximum of one lifeline per day.
The player with the largest bankroll will be declared the Grand Prize winner and will receive two seats in the High Rollers Contest in February of 2027 at Tampa Bay Downs, a $2,000 value. The second, third and fourth-place finishers will receive one High Rollers Contest seat apiece in February of 2027 at the Oldsmar oval, a $1,000 value.
A bonus prize of $500 will go to the player who selects the most winners during the contest. The recipient of the “Most Winners” bonus may have been eliminated and does not have to remain active by the close of the contest period.
If all players are eliminated before the conclusion of the contest, the four players with the highest bankrolls will win the prizes.
To register and for a complete set of contest rules, visit www.liveitupchallenge.com on the Internet.
Around the oval. Leading jockey Samuel Marin and trainer Michael Simone each won three races today, teaming up on two victories. They combined to win the second race with Protégé, a 6-year-old horse owned by Paterpop Racing. Protégé was claimed from the race for $5,000 by trainer Jose H. Delgado for new owner Carole Star Stables. Marin and Simone were victorious again in the eighth with Wheelingndealing, a 6-year-old Florida-bred mare owned by Jane Perry.
Marin also won the third race on Maca Abarrio, a 4-year-old Florida-bred filly owned by GOP Racing Stable and trained by Gerard Ochoa. Simone tallied in the seventh with Super Tiz, a 4-year-old ridgling owned by Roger B. Sterling and ridden by Richard Mitchell.
In today’s fourth race, a mile-and-40-yard maiden special weight event for 3-year-old fillies, trainer Chad Brown’s Kentucky-bred betting favorite Market Chill took command at the top of the stretch and powered to a 5-length victory from Athenix. Caura rallied late for third.
Market Chill was making her first start on dirt after three turf efforts as a 2-year-old. She toured the distance in a time of 1:41.66 under jockey Samy Camacho. Market Chill is owned by Klaravich Stables and trained by Chad Brown.
The sixth race, a 1-mile maiden special weight contest for older horses on the turf, was taken by 7-10 favorite Tiz Freedom, who posted a 2-length victory under jockey Edgard Zayas. Tiz Freedom, who had never raced outside of New York before today, is owned by Silverton Hill, LLC and trained by Bill Mott.
Zayas added the ninth and final race, also on the turf, with Rezasrolex, a 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding owned by Robert Cotran and trained by Joseph Orseno. The victory was the ninth in a row and 13th from 17 career starts for Rezasrolex.
Jose Batista rode two winners today. He captured the first race on Lady in Heels, a 7-year-old Florida-bred mare owned by Martin Goodell and trained by Gerald Bennett. Batista also won the fifth race on Moral Power, a 3-year-old colt owned by Stacey Posadas and trained by Pedro Posadas.
Thoroughbred racing continues Wednesday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:20 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs currently races on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule and is open every day for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf instruction and pleasure at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.
