Tampa Bay Derby
The Tampa Bay Derby is a Grade III Thoroughbred race for 3-year-olds held at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Florida. It covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt and is run on a left-handed track, usually in March. The purse is $400,000, with an extra $50,000 for Florida-breds. Lambholm South has sponsored the race since 2016.
The race began in 1981 as the Budweiser Tampa Bay Derby Stakes. The first winner, Paristo, won at 35-1 in a time of 1:45 2/5. It was upgraded to Grade III in 1984. Budweiser stopped sponsoring in 1987. The event was downgraded to Listed in 1991 and remained there until 2002, when it returned to Grade III. It was elevated to Grade II in 2011 and dropped back to Grade III in 2023. The Tampa Bay Derby is a key prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby; Derby winners Street Sense (2007) and Super Saver (2010) ran here before winning the Derby.
In 2024 the race was run for purse money only with no wagering due to a tote-system outage.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:30 (CET).