Tampa Bay Downs Picks – Thursday, December 24, 2020

Tampa Bay Downs joins Gulfstream Park in being one of the very few horse racing tracks with regular racing schedules on Thursday, December 24. You’ll find the usual array of maiden, allowance, and claiming races on Tampa Bay Downs’ nine-race card.

Spectators are welcome at Tampa Bay Downs, and while you might prefer the thundering of hoofbeats over watching It’s a Wonderful Life for the 987th time, you should expect the weather to be something less than jolly: A 70% chance of thunderstorms, highs in the mid-70s, and winds around 20 mph.

Hmmm, It’s a Wonderful Life suddenly doesn’t sound all that bad.

Besides, you can always find Tampa Bay Downs’ full race card — including horses, jockeys, M/L odds, and wagering options — at one of our best online racebooks.

In either case, read on for my picks and predictions for Thursday, December 24, 2020, at Tampa Bay Downs.

This is a claiming race for two-year-olds running a distance of one mile on turf for a purse of $19,950.

I’m backing one of the second-favored entries (there are two at 4/1) in this race — Mi Cleopatra and I, with Antonio Gallardo in the irons. This filly moneyed three of her four career starts, winning two.

Neither of the two longer-odds entries in this race look capable of reaching the finish line in time to pick up a paycheck.

This is a maiden special weight race for two-year-old fillies running a distance of one mile and 40 yards for a purse of $27,500.

My money is on the 9/5 favorite here — Diamond Ore, ridden by Samy Camacho. This filly moneyed two of her three career starts.

There’s a 20/1 longshot in this seven-horse race, but I don’t see a happy ending at the finish line for her.

This is an allowance race for three-year-olds and upward running a distance of one mile on turf for a purse of $22,750.

I’m sticking with the 3/1 morning line favorite in this race — Kendama, with Roberto Alvarado Jr. in the irons. This three-year-old gelding finished in the money three of his five career starts, winning one.

There are a few longer-odds entries in this race, but none look capable of finishing in the money (even against this lackluster field), so let’s save ours.

Even race tracks take a day off now and then, so we can thank Gulfstream Park for bucking the trend and featuring a regular day of horse racing for December 24.