Photo:

Tampa Bay Downs / X

A power failure that hit an area near the racetrack forced Tampa Bay Downs to cancel the last four races on its nine-race card Sunday.

Dark clouds loomed over the racetrack, suggesting a thunderstorm
might have been to blame for the loss of electricity. However, a post on X from
track management said “no lightning” was seen in the area.

Click here for Tampa Bay Downs entries and results.

The outage came just as horses were behind the starting gate
being readied to load for a $27,500 claiming sprint. After about a half-hour wait, the power still did not come back on, so the remaining races for claimers were canceled, according to text message sent to horsemen at 3:47 p.m. EST.

TECO Energy, the power company based in Tampa, Fla., reported about 1,000 customers were without power in an area bordered on the west by the racetrack. A notice on its website estimated service would be restored at 7 p.m. EST.

The interruption was reminiscent of what happened in March,
when a tote-system crash caused the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Downs to be run as a
non-wagering event. Other than the familiar feeling, that costly failure that ultimately
was blamed on an internet service provider appeared to be completely unrelated
to what happened Sunday.

If weather ultimately was to blame, it was supposed to
improve late Sunday afternoon after a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms
in the Tampa Bay area. The same storm system interrupted the Daytona 500 auto
race on the Atlantic coast of Florida.