Tampa Bay Downs, a US thoroughbred horse race track, first opened in 1926, just outside of Tampa, Florida, under the appellative West Coast Jockey Club. It has also been know as Sunshine Park and Florida Downs and Turf Club.

In 1943, the United States Army used the as a training facility; the track was renamed in 1946 Sunshine Park. The third name change came in the year 1965 when it became Florida Downs and Turf Club, and in 1980, the track went on to be renamed Tampa Bay Downs.

Later on, in the 1950s, the venue attracted many legendary sportswriters who came to cover baseball spring training; they began calling it the “Santa Anita of the South.”

The track's annual showcase is Festival Day, featuring a Grade-II centerpiece called the Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade-III Hillsborough Stakes. Tampa Bay Downs is the only Thoroughbred racetrack on the Florida west coast; it offers live race action, simulcasting, and poker.

BETMANIA players can find Tampa Bay Downs Betting Odds on competing horses, including horse racing bet types such as Win/Place/Show, Exactas, Trifectas, Superfectas and many more. Visit our Racebook to learn more about the available bet options and other popular race tracks.

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Tampa Bay Downs Racetrack Facts:

  • Racecourse type: Flat, American Thoroughbred (dirt).
  • Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
  • Purse: N/A
  • Venue Capacity: N/A
  • Track length: main track one-mile oval. Turf course is 7 furlongs. Includes a ¼ mile inner chute.
  • Important track records: On February 12, 1981, Julie Krone, then a 17-year-old apprentice jockey and now a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame member, got her first career victory here on Lord Farkle.