Tampa Bay Downs 🏇🏾// Sat., Mar. 7, 2026

Happy Saturday & National Flapjack Day 🥞!

We are back on the Kentucky Derby prep trail today with a huge day of racing from Tampa Bay Downs. If you are reading this thinking, “Wait, I thought they covered all the prep races—there is another one from Santa Anita later. Why only Tampa Bay?”—you are in luck and you are correct. We will have coverage later today over on X of the late Pick 4, which includes another prep race.

Back to the early action: we have a full card at Tampa Bay Downs with 12 total races, five stakes races, and the aforementioned Derby prep. The featured race today comes in the 11th, the $400k Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby. This is a 1 1/16-mile route on the dirt course. We have three horses that have previously earned prep points, and with a win today they would jump to 2nd (Talkin and The Puma) or into a tie for 1st (Further Ado). That means we may see a horse effectively secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby today. If any of the other horses win this race, they would automatically jump into the top 5, putting their Derby aspirations that much closer.

The great part of being in Florida for today’s card is that the weather is going to be amazing! We will see highs in the upper 80s with sunny skies. We’ll have a fast track and firm turf for all the action today.

---

🏇Road to the KY Derby and KY Oaks 🏇

"Each year 20 horses have the once in a lifetime chance to run in the Kentucky Derby. To earn a spot in the starting gate, they must travel along the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated races at tracks across the country and around the world. Points are awarded to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points will earn a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May."

-From our friends @ kentuckyderby.com

---

Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -

It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰

---

Tampa Bay Downs 🏇🏾 // Sat., Mar. 7th, 2026

First Post @ 12:15 ET/ 9:15 PT

R1: 5⭑-4-9-6

R2: 2-3-8-4

R3: 5-2-1-7

R4Ⓢ: 2-6-1

R5: 3-8-4-5

R6: 8-11-2-1

R7Ⓢ: 3-8-5-4

R8: 10-2-1-9

R9Ⓢ: 1-6-8-2

R10Ⓢ: 7⭑-3-11-6

🏇R11Ⓢ/DP

Finky: 6-2-8-9

Mr. W: 6-9-8-1

🏇 = Featured Race(s)

⭑Best Bet(s)

R1: Mona L (#5)

R10: Time to Dream (#7)

Ⓢtakes Races

R4: 125K Michelob Ultra Challenger S. (G3)

1 1/16 Miles on Dirt for 4 yr. olds & up

R7: 125K Columbia S.

1 Mile on Turf for 3 yr. olds.

R9: 225K Hillsborough S. (G2T)

1 1/8 Miles on Turf for fillies & mares, 4 yrs. old & up

R10: 220K Florida Oaks (G3T)

1 1/16 Miles on Turf for fillies, 3 yr. old

🏇R11: 400K Tampa Bay Derby (G3)/DP

1 1/16 Miles on Dirt for 3 yr. olds

KY Derby Prep Pts = 50-25-15-10-5

The Tampa Bay Derby is a Grade III thoroughbred horse race run annually in March at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Florida. The race was first run on March 21, 1981, as the Budweiser Tampa Bay Derby Stakes, with Budweiser's sponsorship making it the richest stakes race at the track at the time; it was won by longshot Paristo at 35-1 odds. Such was the race's immediate impact that it was classified as Grade III by 1984, though it was later downgraded to Listed status in 1991 before being restored to Grade III in 2002. That upgrade, combined with steady purse increases, attracted better horses, and the race gained further prestige when 2006 runner-up Bluegrass Cat finished second in the Kentucky Derby, followed by Street Sense winning both the Tampa Bay Derby and the Kentucky Derby in 2007. Kentucky Derby The race continued to grow through the 2010s, briefly reaching Grade II status in 2011, and the purse climbed to $400,000 in 2018. Kentucky Derby Today it serves as a key stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, awarding qualifying points to the top finishers and standing as the centerpiece of Tampa Bay Downs' biggest racing day of the year.

---

Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar

---

Hit us up @_TurtleSports and let us know what you think!

Oh, and don't forget to follow us @_TurtleSports and subscribe to our site so you don't miss any of the action. You'll be glad you did!

/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors