When Parx Racing outside of Philadelphia cancelled its card today due to extreme winter weather, Tampa Bay Downs was left as the only Thoroughbred racetrack in North America to put on a Christmas Eve show.
With bright sunshine, temperatures in the mid-70s, a mandatory payout on the Ultimate 6 wager and victories by such big-name jockeys as Willie Martinez, Daniel Centeno, Samy Camacho and Ricardo Feliciano, a festive holiday gathering was treated to even more excitement than bargained for.
The Ultimate 6, a 20-cent wager demanding bettors select the winners of the last six races, began with a jackpot of almost $290,000 due to the forced payout (normally the entire pool is distributed only when a single bettor picks all six winners).
The winning combination of 1-2-13-5-12-1 produced 10 winners, each of whom took home $22,317 and change after the takeout was ed for. Meanwhile, players who fell short have plenty to look forward to on Friday, with a carryover of $11,384 into the Super High 5 pool.
A pair of 8-1 shots in the two opening legs of the Ultimate 6 served notice the payoff could be a big one. In the fourth race, 4-year-old gelding Paynted Warrior scooted to a healthy lead down the backstretch and had plenty left in his tank to withstand a belated rally by Doc Amster. Ricardo Feliciano rode Paynted Warrior for his father, trainer Benny Feliciano, and the Muirfield Farm ownership concern of Scott Labuda and Bonnie Meyer.
Musical Design captured the fifth race on the turf with an exquisitely timed rally under jockey Daniel Centeno to get past Hopesndreams. The winning 5-year-old Florida-bred mare is owned by Etarip Stables and trained by Robert G. Smith.
Form was restored in the next two races. In the sixth, 7-2 favorite Crystal Reign, a 3-year-old filly, and jockey Carlos Rojas were close throughout and pulled away in the stretch to win for owner James M. Sims and trainer Nestor Marrero. The favorite also won the seventh race on the turf, with Chilean-bred 6-year-old gelding Royal Luck edging Sonic Speed after a hard-fought stretch duel. Ridden by Samy Camacho, the winner is owned by Juan Arriagada and Robert M. Bosso and trained by Arriagada.
The eighth race produced a third 8-1 winner in Duneen Bay, a 4-year-old filly owned by Ricardo Romo and trained by Abraham Gardea. And in one of those oddities loved by numerologist types, Duneen Bay was ridden by Carlos Rojas from the far outside No. 12 post, two races after he won from the far outside No. 11 slot (that horse, Crystal Reign, wore the No. 13 saddlecloth but moved in two spots in the starting gate after a pair of scratches).
The Ultimate 6 air was fraught with tension, and a driving finish in the ninth on the turf did nothing to lessen the mood. Legitimize, a 5-1 shot ridden by Hector Rafael Diaz, Jr., prevailed after a mile by a long neck from Why Not Me.
The winning 4-year-old gelding is owned by Frank Taylor and Blazing Meadows Farm and trained by Tim Hamm.
Tampa Bay Downs is closed on Wednesday to allow horsewomen and horsemen, jockeys, patrons and employees to share the joy of the Christmas holiday with family and friends. The Oldsmar oval will reopen Thursday for simulcast wagering, no-limits action and tournament play in The Silks Poker Room and golf fun and instruction at The Downs Golf Practice Facility.
Thoroughbred racing continues Friday with a nine-race card beginning at 12:46 p.m. The feature event is the seventh, a $54,000, 1-mile allowance/optional claiming race on the turf. Ninja Star, a 3-year-old Florida-bred gelding, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the expected 10-horse field, having won a similar race here on Dec. 14. Israel Rodriguez has the return riding assignment.
Friday is Calendar Giveaway Day. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to secure their 2025 Tampa Bay Downs calendar free of charge (with paid ission). The first 5,000 patrons through the gates will receive one.
