Tampa Bay Downs cancels Florida Cup stakes

The Florida Cup, which was to be run March 29 at Tampa Bay Downs, has been canceled, according to Allison De Luca, longtime Tampa racing secretary.

Even though Tampa has continued to race uninterrupted since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, and there were no plans to stop as of late Friday, the Florida Cup still has been removed from the stakes schedule, owing primarily to a downturn in revenue stemming from significantly diminished wagering handle on recent programs.

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This was to be the 18th running of the Florida Cup, a 6-race, $660,000 series for registered Florida-breds. The stakes were to be the last ones run at a meet scheduled through May 3.

According to a Tampa Bay Downs press release, Peter Berube, the track’s vice president-general manager, said a portion of the Florida Cup purse money will be allocated to the track’s overnight purse account, enabling Tampa Bay Downs to continue its 2019-2020 meeting beyond next week, as circumstances allow.

Tampa Bay Downs began racing without fans Wednesday as public-health officials urge citizens to adhere to social distancing to slow the spread of the virus.