Tampa Bay Downs has another big afternoon of racing lined up on Saturday, January 19. During Premier Day, two headline races are offering $125,000 guaranteed stakes, and another race is guaranteeing $50,000 in prize money. With so much money on the line for the top finishers, the action on the track will be intense!
The first big money race on January 19 will be the Wayward Lass Stakes. This is a full 1 1/16-mile race, all the way around Tampa Bay Downs' dirt track, for fillies and mares who are four years old and up. The winners in this race are guaranteed to share in $50,000 of prize money.
Then come the two main events. The Pasco Stakes is a race for three-year-olds, and the Gasparilla Stakes are held for three-year-old fillies. Both races are seven furlongs (7/8 mile) and both have a guaranteed prize pool of $125,000! Part of the stakes are funded by two statewide thoroughbred groups. The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (FTBOA) contributes $25,000 to the total, while another $50,000 comes from the Florida Sire Stakes prize fund. The Florida Sire Stakes are a series of races to help promote racehorses bred and raised in the state of Florida. All of the horses racing in the Pasco Stakes and Gasparilla Stakes were sired by a Florida stallion.
To make the action even more exciting, Tampa Bay Downs is offering a High Rollers Handicapping Contest during the Premier Day card! The sharpest handicapping minds around will post the $1,000 entry fee and compete against each other by placing wagers on five of the races on the Premier Day schedule. Whoever finishes with the most money wins $20,000 and a free seat at either the 2019 or 2020 National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.
While you're at Tampa Bay Downs, check out everything else there is to do! Dine in any of the Downs' four bars and restaurants, work on your golf game at the sprawling Downs Golf Practice Facility, or try your luck with the cards in the Silks Poker Room. There's fun and excitement for everyone at Tampa Bay Downs!
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