Trainer Michelle Hemingway doesn’t bring a ton of horses over in the afternoon for the races, but when she has this season, they’ve been ready to run. Hemingway has won with 5 of her 16 starts so far this meet and hit the board with 6 others, and for her recent successes at Tampa Bay Downs she’s been awarded the Martin’s Italian Restaurant Trainer of the Month Award.
A native of Virginia, the 42 year-old trainer has been coming to Tampa for the winter months since 2022, shortly into her training career. She often splits her horses’ starts in the winter months between Tampa and Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
“Tampa is very special to me,” said Hemingway. “It’s a track that feels like home. This has been an incredible meet for us. A big thanks goes to Nick Sallusto of Thorostock and all of our owners.”
Hemingway has actually won with her last four starters over the last few weeks, two here at Tampa Bay Downs and two down at Gulfstream. April 18th was a particular banner day for the conditioner as she won with No Merlot at Tampa Bay Downs and scored a double at Gulfstream the same day, including a win in a $75,000 Handicap with Runaway Diva.
As the meet winds down at Tampa, Hemingway is looking forward to heading back to her home state of Virginia for the summer.
“Hopefully we’ll spend the summer at Colonial Down, which has been our spot for the last couple of summers,” said Hemingway. “We hope to get some new clients for Colonial and develop some promising young horses as well.”
Tampa Bay Downs continues racing through May 3rd, 2026, racing Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
