Trainers hoping meet extension gets approved

Horsemen who thought they might be marooned at Tampa Bay Downs when the 2019-20 meet was supposed to end May 3 are expressing relief that officials have applied with the state of Florida for an extension of the meet.

“Everybody is very thankful they’ve applied for more dates,” trainer Mike Dini said. “There’s nowhere else to go.”

“I think the track has been very gracious in accommodating our needs,” trainer Michele Boyce said.

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The ongoing coronavirus crisis has shuttered all but a handful of Thoroughbred tracks across America, with Tampa being one of the few to continue racing this winter and spring without interruption. Since March 18, the Oldsmar, Fla., track has conducted racing without spectators and with stringent health precautions in place because of the pandemic.

Tampa management announced this week that the track has applied for an additional 12 racing dates in May with the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. If approved, Tampa would race on a three-day schedule (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays) spanning May 6-30.

Because state officials are working remotely from their homes, it is unclear when or how an extension might be approved. In the meantime, Tampa has made contingency plans in case it can continue to race, including a condition book that will be released at the appropriate time.

For a trainer such as Dini, who has wintered at Tampa every year since 2005-06, an extension is a financial lifeline.

“I would’ve been at Monmouth Park by now if all this hadn’t come up,” said Dini, who through Wednesday was sixth in the local standings with 17 wins, his career high at Tampa. “But New Jersey is one of the hotspots for the virus and there’s no telling when they might get to start running there. I think that after the Kentucky horses start shipping north out of Miami, I might need to take my stable over there to run at Gulfstream Park. There’s a lot to sort out over the next month or two, that’s for sure.”

* With rain in the local forecast for much of this weekend, the Tampa racing office carded just one turf race on Saturday, and one on the nine-race Sunday card, which starts at 12:24 p.m. Eastern.