For Derby Lane fans, the 80th season may be as good as it gets.
It certainly will be the longest.
Thanks to a deal with Tampa Greyhound Track, which closed its season Saturday, the St. Petersburg track is opening eight weeks ahead of schedule. Live racing also will be available on Sundays for the first time in a decade, and the track will be open on Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
From today until June 4 there will be 242 days of live racing, with the track only going dark on Christmas Day.
"Everybody's excited, we're ready to go," Derby Lane spokeswoman Vera Filipelli said. "Though the first month might be confusing, it's really a "soft' opening."
The Monday matinee has been discontinued and the Wednesday matinee will begin in November. The upscale Derby Club will not open until November because of hurricane-related delays. The facility did not sustain any storm damage but did have several construction projects pushed back.
By opening for racing on Sundays, Derby Lane's enormously popular 35-table poker room will be able to hold tournaments and cash games seven days a week. .
On the racetrack, fans immediately will notice a new red racing surface. Clay was added to the beach sand to create a more consistent surface that retains moisture.
There also will be a number of new kennels, including C & C Kennel (returning after a two-year absence), D'Arcy and Brumage/Filipelli.
"You're going to see a lot of new greyhounds here," said Vera Filipelli, whose husband, John, is a part-owner of Brumage/Filipelli. "You usually don't get this many new dogs from across the country in one season.'"
