TAMPA, FL—APRIL 20, 2018—Tampa Bay Downs, thoroughbred racing facility in Tampa, Florida which opens is 93rd Live Racing season this year will host eight Quarter Horse races this year.

The final card of what will be Tampa Downs' sixth annual two-day Summer Festival of Racing will feature 16 races for the first time in history.

The traditional eight-race Thoroughbred program will now include eight Quarter-Horse races earlier that morning.

The 2018-19 racing schedule for Tampa Downs was released recently by Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation spokeswoman Kathleen Keenan. The Department oversees the Division of Parimutuel Wagering.

Tampa Downs will again will offer a 91-day meet with all but two programs between Nov. 24 and May 5, 2019. The remaining two cards are the Summer Festival of Racing on June 30-July 1, which allows the racetrack to qualify as a year-round, live-racing venue and ensures additional simulcast revenue.

The June 30 program, which has featured eight thoroughbred races in the past, will conclude the Downs' 2017-18 campaign.

Running eight quarter-horse races July 1 is a change from last year, when the Downs held one quarter-horse race to keep its quarter-horse racing permit active. After the July 1 action, live racing will take a break at the Downs for 146 days.