The biggest race held annually at Tampa Bay Downs is the Tampa Bay Derby which is a major prep race on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

Since then, the turf course has drawn rave reviews for its safety and consistency and draws some of the finest turf trainers in the country such as Bill Mott, Christophe Clement and Graham Motion to compete their finest young turf horses. The turf course is a recent addition and was added in only in 1998. The main track is one of the most fair surfaces in the country and horseplayers are hard pressed to find a specific bias on a regular basis. The main track is a standard one-mile oval and inside that there is a seven furlong turf course with a quarter mile turf chute. Tampa Bay Downs has one of the oldest and richest histories of the actively operating tracks in Florida and while it has undergone several name changes over the years, the “Oldsmar Oval” has been a mainstay and has developed a reputation in recent years for having big fields, competitive racing and a low-takeout. There are many major racing events held every year at Gulfstream Park including the Florida Derby, the Holy Bull Stakes and, for the first time in 2017, the $12 million Pegasus World Cup which will replace the prestigious and historic Donn Handicap on the stakes schedule. The extraordinary sculpture cost in excess of $30 million and is the second largest statue in the United States behind only the Statue of Liberty. One of the most notable features is the Pegasus statue which depicts a Pegasus fighting a dragon. Gulfstream Park is currently owned and operated by the Stronach Group.

The track, with the advent of casino gaming, underwent a major renovation in the early 2000s and is one of the most modern facilities in the country. The main dirt track is a mile and an eighth and the turf course is one mile. Gulfstream Park held their first race in 1939 and since then has developed into a true powerhouse in the horse racing industry. While these lack some of the prestige and purses of the major stakes races, it is in Florida in January or February that some of the most talented three-year-olds make their debut and you could be seeing a future star before they make it big. In the winter, some of the most important races to watch at Florida race tracks are the nondescript maiden races early in the year. With key prep races for the Kentucky Derby held in Florida as well as the former site of some memorable Breeders’ Cup races, the action in the Sunshine State cannot be missed.

Horse racing has been a part of the landscape in Florida for decades and the state has been the location of some of the greatest moments in horse racing history.

Florida off track betting sites