Handle up despite Tampa Bay Derby Day debacle

Total handle during the recently concluded meet at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., was up 2.4 percent, according to the track, despite wet weather and a communications outage on the track’s biggest day of racing.

Total handle for the 90-day meet was $361.5 million, the track said, with average daily handle of $4.02 million.

Total purse distribution at the meet was up 26 percent to $21.9 million, according to the track. Last year, the Florida Legislature authorized a $5.5 million subsidy for Tampa Bay Downs, and the track put 90 percent of that subsidy into its overnight purse account. Overnight purses increased 36 percent.

The legislature renewed the legislation this year with an identical subsidy for Tampa Bay.

Track officials said that precipitation was higher than average during the meet, leading the track to card 248 turf races, down from 277 during the 2022-23 meet.

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Still, despite those declines, field size was up 9 percent, from 7.58 horses per race in the 2022-23 season to 8.26 horses per race for the recently concluded meet.

The track’s Tampa Bay Derby on March 9 was run this year as a non-wagering event after a communications outage between the track and telecommunications companies in the area. As a result, the track likely lost $5 million in handle, officials said, including the cancellation of the final race on the Derby card.

“The main takeaways are that we improved in most major categories and that the overnight purse increases will remain in effect next season,” said Peter Berube, the track’s general manager. “With the competition for wagering and recreational dollars growing more and more intense, we’re confident we have established a firm foothold both locally and throughout the simulcast market that will enable us to keep moving upward.”

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