Tampa Bay Downs caters to horse racing fans and those who prefer tables, not stables.
By RICK GERSHMAN
Published January 20, 2005
[Times photos: Stefanie Boyar]
The horses head around the first turn during a race last week at Tampa Bay Downs.
From left, Allen Beland, 83, Melvin Beland, 75, Joseph Santoro, 79, Orlando Russo, 79, and Joe Palcovich, 81, consult their programs at Tampa Bay Downs. The racing season at Tampa Bay Downs began in December and continues through May.
Horse racing isn’t the only offering at Tampa Bay Downs. In the Silks Card Room, poker players can try their hands at Texas Hold’em, stud and Omaha.
OLDSMAR - "Six. You got it, six. Come on, six."
At that point, Les Bello sounded calm, but body language betrayed him.
As he watched the Tampa Bay Downs horse race on a monitor above, muscles in his neck flexed, then locked to form a pretzel. Though it was a cool day, beads of sweat massed on Bello's forehead, then quickly headed south.
Much like No. 6, Bello's pick to win this eighth race of the day.
"Oh, six. Come on, six. Come on, come on. . . . Yes, yes, yes."
No. 6, a.k.a. Double Fly Pass, started to challenge the leader near the end.
"Six!" Bello bellowed at the monitor. "Come on, six! Go, six!"
No such luck. On this breezy Saturday afternoon, Double Fly Pass finished third. Bello, a retired shipping manager, dropped his ticket to the floor with a soft curse and a shrug.
The 4-year-old thoroughbred "showed," in racing parlance, behind Dance Pro, the winner, and runnerup Blaine's Storm, which "placed." Had Bello bet Double Fly Pass "across the board" - to win, place or show - he would have made some money.
Alas, the Land O'Lakes resident had only bet the horse to win. But despite his intensity, Bello, 57, didn't seem bothered by the loss of his $10 wager.
"That's just how you get when they're running," he said. "Gets you going, gets your heart pumping. It's like nothing else when they're running."
For the day, Bello was down a little cash, but didn't seem too concerned. He enjoys the "action" - knowing he has a stake in the race, knowing every wager holds the possibility of a payday.
"Nobody's out here trying to get rich," he said. "But I'll tell you, when you have a good day at the track, your dinner tastes better that night. And you sleep better."
And when you have a bad day?
"Well, then maybe you don't sleep so well."
He smiled.
"But I always like my dinner."
Bello is old school; he's been betting on races for four decades. But the sport has broadened its popularity base in recent years, thanks in part to the successes of Laura Hillenbrand's book Seabiscuit and that 2003 film, starring Spider-Man's Tobey Maguire.
Racing Stripes, a comedic family film about horse racing, opened last weekend to mixed reviews but respectable box office numbers. Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz lends his voice to a zebra who dreams of becoming a racehorse.
Tampa Bay Downs has worked to cultivate a family atmosphere. A picnic area next to the horse paddock allows kids and families to congregate away from the grandstand and see the horses up close.
The track also offers a "Kids & Family Day" and a Hispanic-themed "Family Fiesta Day" several times during the on-site racing season, which runs from December to May. "The family days are the single most requested days on our calendar," said public relations director Margo Flynn.
Families were in short supply on a recent Saturday visit, however, likely due to an uncommonly brisk, often overcast day. But there were a few kids out and about. Marshall Hughes of Tampa shared pepperoni pizza and pondered the racing form with his daughter, Vicky, 12.
"We have a good time picking horses together, and she's good at it," Hughes said. "Better than me sometimes."
"He overthinks it," Vicky said of her father. "He makes it too hard."
So how does Vicky pick a winner?
"You just know by looking at it," she said. "You know if it's ready to race."
Vicky's appreciation for simplicity would appeal to first-timers here. The process of wagering isn't too complicated. But making informed picks can be a little daunting.
Information about each horse running that day - and the alternates if a horse is scratched from a race - is included in the program. The myriad statistics, computations and permutations could confuse Stephen Hawking.
Even the legend that defines the stats can be a head-scratcher for a newcomer. Best attend with an experienced friend or wager on the cheap for a while before considering betting any real money.
And all prospective bettors should be reminded to only bet what they can afford to lose. Literature is displayed in several areas near the mutuel tellers advertising services to anyone with a gambling problem.
Not everyone at Tampa Bay Downs is here for the horses, though. A golf facility sports a driving range, a 10,000-square-foot putting green and areas to practice approach shots.
And then there's the Silks Card Room, where poker - particularly red-hot no-limit Texas Hold'em - is played from noon to midnight on live racing days.
Like all indoor areas at Tampa Bay Downs, the card room is smoke-free. That's probably a good thing, because the room often is packed with Hold'em, stud and Omaha players. Single-table 11-player tournaments are popular, and horse bettors don't miss out even while contemplating a flush draw. Monitors show the races, and tellers come to your table to take your wagers.
Anita Hellar and her friends prefer seven-card stud and have no interest in the horse races. They travel from New Port Richey a couple of times a month to put their card skills to the test.
Hellar's conversation was interrupted by a shout from a nearby table, where a Hold'em player was on his feet, screaming for a "six or a jack or a heart! Six or a jack or a heart!"
Guessing by the words that followed, he received none of the above. Hellar sighed.
"You get a lot of dumb kids in here these days," said Hellar, 61. "You know, all the poker on the TV. . . . I can't believe how much money they spend. And most of them don't know what they're doing. We should play them and take all their money."
Her friend, Carl Payne, was more understanding.
"Actually, there are some boys who are really good players," said Payne, 63. "And some of them look so young it's incredible."
Payne plays the horses here and there, too, but just for kicks. "I've never spent more than $5 on a horse race," he said. "I like my gambling a little more predictable."
Back in the grandstand, the Hughes father-daughter team was taking time off from picking horses to discuss his upcoming birthday, her soccer team and their picks for the NFL playoffs. The last item, regarding an Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots showdown to be played the next night, brought serious disagreement.
Marshall Hughes said the Colts were a lock and would win by two scores, easy. Vicky, admitting a crush on Pats quarterback Tom Brady, advised him otherwise.
New England, of course, went on to rout the Colts 20-3.
Vicky, you can pick our horses any time.
IF YOU GO
Tampa Bay Downs is on Race Track Road between State Road 580 and Gunn Highway in Oldsmar. Races, which continue through May, are every day in January except Mondays. Gates open at 11 a.m.; post time is 12:25 p.m. Grandstand admission is $2; clubhouse admission is $3. Call 813 855-4401 or go to www.tampadowns.com for information.
