Winning four races on a single card is a big deal for any jockey. Today at Tampa Bay Downs, it also turned into a major event for bettors.
Thanks to leading jockey Samuel Marin’s fourth victory in the ninth and final race aboard 7-1 shot Develop Product, no one hit today’s late Pick-5, creating a carryover pool of $83,237.77 into Friday’s card. The 50-cent late Pick-5 will begin with the fifth race.
Today’s Pick-5 got off to a rousing start with Missus Seki’s victory in the fifth race on the turf. A 33-1 shot, she paid $68.20 to win, eliminating a lot of Pick-5 bettors at the start. Gaddiel Martinez rode Missus Seki, a 3-year-old filly owned by Atlas Farm and S. Matthew Kintz Racing and Sales and trained by Kintz.
The sixth race also produced a surprise, as 12-1 shot Break Out emerged victorious. Alonso Quinonez rode the 5-year-old horse for owner Mike Campbell Racing Stable, with Campbell the trainer.
The longshots kept coming in the seventh race, as jockey Vernon Bush guided 6-year-old gelding Protest, an 18-1 shot, to victory. Protest is owned by Carla March and trained by William E. March.
Miss Classified’s victory in the eighth race at odds of 7-2, also with Marin aboard, restored a semblance of normalcy, but the jockey’s bold triumph on owner-trainer Ralph N. Baez’s 4-year-old gelding Develop Product – one of three in the nine-horse field that carried the promise of the carryover – guaranteed the huge Friday jackpot.
“Cap Giveaway Day” coming soon. As the track’s 100-year anniversary nears, supporters of Tampa Bay Downs can display their loyalties by attending the races on Saturday, Jan. 24, which is the annual “Cap Giveaway Day.”
All patrons will receive the centennial black cap with gold lettering against the Tampa Bay Downs 100 logo – certain to be a collector’s item – with their paid admission, while supplies last. Encircling the logo is the inscription “100 Years of Thoroughbred Racing,” and directly below the years “1926-2026.”
Tampa Bay Downs jockeys will be on hand to sign the caps for fans desiring autographs.
“Cap Giveaway Day” kicks off a fun-filled weekend that will also be highlighted by the first “Mouse’s Kids & Family Days” celebration on Jan. 25. Fans of all ages get to meet track mascot Mouse the Miniature Horse, while youngsters can choose between bounce houses, pony rides and a variety of games and special activities.
Buzzy’s Food Truck will also be on the scene.
Thoroughbred racing was first conducted on the site (then known as Tampa Downs, under the aegis of the West Coast Jockey Club), on Feb. 18, 1926, and all fans attending the Wednesday, Feb. 18 card will receive a season’s Grandstand pass for the 2026-27 meet free of charge (a $100 value).
Stay tuned to this space for news of other centennial season promotions and special events.
Around the oval. In addition to his victories comprising the late daily double, Marin won the second race on Chaos Comin, a 3-year-old colt owned by Seven Arms Stable and Jason Hall and trained by David VanWinkle. Marin added the fourth race aboard Passioned, a 5-year-old gelding owned by Kelly’s Racing, LLC and trained by Jon Arnett.
Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:30 p.m. Tampa Bay Downs currently races each Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The track 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.
“Live It Up Challenge” starts Saturday. One of the track’s most popular promotions, the “Live It Up Challenge” handicapping contest, begins Saturday and runs 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. To register and for a complete set of contest rules, visit www.liveitupchallenge.com on the Internet.
