Thank you TVG! - TVG Day at the Track at Tampa Bay Downs
Contributed By Post Time PetePosted on 4/10/11 4:14 PM
Let me start out by saying that this article was not written with the intention of being an advertisement for TVG. However, I've been a TVG account holder for a little over two years now. Their television coverage is entertaining, their website gives me all the tools I need, and their customer service is second to none. As if I needed another reason to love TVG, they gave me one.
On Saturday, April 9th 2011, TVG sponsored a fan appreciation day at Tampa Bay Downs. I live in the Tampa area and frequent Tampa Bay Downs, so when I received the e-mail inviting me and a guest to this sponsored event, I was excited. My dad had not been to a live race in quite some time, so it was a great opportunity for us to get out and enjoy the day.
The weather was perfect – 85 degrees and sunny. We arrived at Tampa Bay Downs at 11 AM. Multiple signs directed us to the TVG Event Pavilion Tent at the north end of the Grandstand. Upon signing in, we received two programs, two TVG visors, a $10 wager voucher, two free drink tickets (ice tea, water, and coffee were provided free all day, liquor and soda was extra) and were invited to enjoy a free lunch buffet. We grabbed seats closest to the rail under the tent and immediately went to work handicapping our picks for the day.
Around noon, the lunch buffet opened up. Admittedly we didn't have high expectations since it was, after all, a free event. TVG evidently had other plans. They offered Caesar salad, broccoli salad, fresh fruit, fresh rolls, honey BBQ or hot wings, lasagna, and if that wasn't enough, they also featured fresh cut ham and roast beef. Major kudos to the Tampa Bay Downs food and beverage staff – the food was excellent!
The racing was good, but it was a hard day to bet. We did hit the trifect on race 5, but many of the favorites were either winning or finishing in the money, so it was hard to find good opportunities. We enjoyed the early races from the event pavilion tent where we had an excellent view of the track. For some of the later races we drifted over to the Grandstand where TVG had a reserved section right in front of the finish line.
All in all it was a great day at the track and we really have to thank TVG and Tampa Bay Downs for putting this event together. I very sincerely hope they make this an annual event. I'm not sure if TVG is offering this at other tracks around the country, but if it comes to a local track near you make sure to check it out!
If you don't have a TVG account, you can register for a free one at www.tvg.com. With your TVG account you can be on over 150 tracks, receive free handicapping information, earn wager rewards, and receive free membership to one of the largest and fastest growing horse racing communities in the world!
