This Saturday, December 15, Tampa Bay Downs interrupts your usual holiday routine with one of its biggest live racing days of the year! The Downs’ annual Cotillion Festival Day (also known as Stakes Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs) offers a full day of activity on the track to go along with all the fun you can have off the track.
To get Cotillion Festival Day started off right, head to the Touch Vodka Brunch at the Downs starting at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. The brunch is set up under the Trackside Picnic Pavilion Tent, giving you an up-close look at the morning workouts on the track as you enjoy a buffet breakfast. Jockeys and trainers will be on hand too! Tickets are just $8 each, and you can buy them online through this site.
The racing action gets started at 12:25 p.m. The biggest races on the Cotillion Festival Day schedule are four Florida Sire Stakes races, held in association with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association (FTBOA). There’s a total guaranteed prize pool of $450,000 available in these races, and every horse in the Florida Sire Stakes was bred in the state of Florida.
- FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes: $125,000 guaranteed purse, seven furlongs for 3-year-old colts and geldings
- FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes: $125,000 guaranteed purse, seven furlongs for 3-year-old fillies
- Inaugural Stakes: $100,000 guaranteed purse with $50,000 “Win Only” bonus, six furlongs for 2-year-olds
- Sandpiper Stakes: $100,000 guaranteed purse with $50,000 “Win Only” bonus, six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies
Watching a big horse race as the competitors thunder down the home stretch to the wire while the crowd urges them on is a real thrill. But even if horse racing isn’t your thing, Tampa Bay Downs offers plenty of other attractions. Bring your golf clubs with you and you can head over to The Downs Golf Practice Facility. With 45 Bermuda grass hitting stations, a covered range area, two chipping greens, and a 5000 square foot putting green, there are plenty of ways to work on your golf game at this nationally recognized facility. There are also three PGA Class A Professionals and a teaching pro on staff to help you iron out your swing. (Keep The Downs Golf Practice Facility in mind on weekdays, too — it’s a fun way to get your office some team building time.)
Card players can also check out Silks Poker Room and deal themselves in for live Texas hold ‘em action. An Ultra Stack tournament begins at 1:00 p.m. with a $55 buy-in and optional $5 add-on. Then after the action ends on the track, a Super Stack Blitz tournament gets underway at 7:00 p.m. with a $70 buy-in and optional $10 add-on. There are also $500 high hand bonuses all day and night. Get in before 4:00 p.m. or stay after 10:00 p.m. and your qualifying high hands can get paid off immediately!
There’s lots to do at Tampa Bay Downs during Cotillion Festival Day on Saturday, December 15! Take a break from holiday shopping and bring your friends and family out for a full day of fun on the track, on the links, and on the felt!
Looking for even more things to do around Tampa? For all that plus more sports and entertainment coverage around Tampa, head to 813area. Make sure you register for free notifications on all kinds of Tampa news and events!
