Updated: Tote Failure Delays, Cancels Wagering on Tampa Derby

At 4:52, about a minute after three-year-old filly Waskesiu won the March 9, Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks on the turf, the Tampa Bay Downs tote board displaying the amount wagered on that race, the time of day and the top four finishers froze in place. And stayed that way for almost an hour.

In the interim, the 10 entrants for the day’s showcase event – the Grade III, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race – made their way to the paddock for saddling, then endured a much-longer-than-usual wait before the decision was made to proceed with the race, even though no more wagers could be taken.

Track officials also decided to cancel the 12th and final race.

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“Due to the ongoing delay, the status of all wagers involving the 10th (Florida Oaks), 11th (Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby) and 12th races have yet to be resolved,” Vice President of Marketing & Publicity Margo Flynn said shortly after 7 p.m. It was reported by Thoroughbred Daily News that Tampa Bay Downs lost up to $4.5 million in wagering.

On Sunday, Amtote and Roberts Communications Network issued a statement:

“The issues were not the result of a tote system failure. Rather, the communications network (both primary and backup) that connects the AmTote Mid-Atlantic hub to other wagering hubs failed. Roberts Communications Network (RCN) provides the communications network that connects Amtote’s Mid-Atlantic hub to all other tote company wagering hubs worldwide. RCN designs and installs the communications network in a manner designed to prevent outages of this type. However, the unprecedented nature of the connectivity outage yesterday, which impacted the third-party providers from which RCN provisions bandwidth, took down both the primary and back-up networks.

When the communications links at Amtote’s hub were disrupted, it caused a breakdown in the flow of wagering data between Amtote’s Mid-Atlantic hub and all other wagering locations. The communications disruption was not caused by any failure in RCN equipment or operations. Rather, both the primary and back-up bandwidth providersto the RCN network failed. RCN has not yet received an official reason-for-outage report from its third-party providers specifying a reason for this failure. However, it is believed that the outage, which was much broader than just the racing industry, affected at least three major telecom/internet bandwidth providers in the geographic region that services the Amtote hub.”

From Tampa Bay Downs media:

What happened after the delay, well, if you’re a horse racing fan, made up for the bizarreness.

Didn’t it?

With the Oldsmar oval’s Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes winner No More Time appearing headed to victory, Domestic Product, who had finished second in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park a week before the Davis, surged with every fiber of his Thoroughbred heart under jockey Tyler Gaffalione to snatch the victory away.

Bedlam – at least of a variety perhaps never seen at Tampa Bay Downs, which winning trainer Chad Brown referred to earlier in the day as “a charming old track” – ensued. The connections of No More Time, at least 25 strong, flooded the winner’s circle, and Brown seemed to have no idea Domestic Product had pulled it out.

Believe it.

Whether the margin was a long nose or a short head didn’t seem to matter. The Klaravich Stables-owned son of Practical Joke earned 50 “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points while improving to 2-for-5, while No More Time settled for 25, raising his total to 45 and ensuring both will get to Louisville on May 4 if the connections deem it advisable. The time for the race, 1:45.47, translated into an 82 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.

Grand Mo the First was third and Brown’s colt Good Money, the pace-setter, lasted for fourth.

As for Brown, he did a commendable job after the race controlling his emotions, which still were palpable.

“He (Domestic Product) showed a lot of heart after getting bumped by (third-place finisher Grand Mo the First) and he showed a lot of perseverance,” Brown said. “He got good seasoning today. He had to rate and he was pulling a little bit off a slow pace, and I was really impressed with his heart and the fact he got his nose down on the wire.

“I think this race will serve him well moving forward. That’s why I wanted to run him here because he needed a race like this for a little more experience and a little more seasoning.”

Brown also addressed the delay.

“I was concerned about it because you know how much time it usually takes these horses to warm up and get ready to run, but then again everyone was in the same boat. So any way you look at it, from that perspective the race is going to be run fairly regardless,” he said.

“I’m happy management here decided to go ahead, because this is an important race for the Kentucky Derby and I think they should be commended for putting the (wagering) aside and running the race.”

Gaffalione, who also won the Grade III, $100,000 Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes on Skippylongstocking, was jubilant after the victory on Domestic Product.

“It worked out well because I was able to get right behind Javier (Castellano, on No More Time) the whole way and when we got around the 3/8-mile pole, he started to ask his horse and I just followed him. My horse was very responsive and he did the job well.

“That’s the thing I was most proud of coming into the stretch was that (Grand Mo the First) was kind of leaning on my horse and I felt like if I could just get him free, I had plenty of horse,” Gaffalione said. “He’s still young and he’s still learning but I was very proud when he got (No More Time) at the wire.”

Domestic Product is the second foal of the unraced Into Mischief mare Goods and Services, who has two winning siblings, one of which is stakes placed. The second dam is My Juliet Stakes winner Indian Legend, a half sister to Grade 3 stakes winner Cherokee Queen.

Both Castellano and No More Time’s trainer, Jose Francisco D’Angelo, dealt with the defeat as well as could be expected.

“My horse ran such a great race,” Castellano said. “Unfortunately, that’s horse racing and (Domestic Product) nailed me at the wire. It was such a great race. It was a slow pace all the way on the backside, and turning for home when I asked my horse he took off. He responded, but the other horse ran a little better. I am not disappointed in my horse. He ran such a good race and sometimes it goes that way.”

“It was very close. It was a tough beat. He ran a very good race and got a perfect ride,” D’Angelo said. “I was a little sad afterward, but that’s racing. But we won more points and we’re going to the Kentucky Derby, I think. I think the 45 points he has is very good, so I think so, yes, (headed) for Kentucky. From his race today, it looks like he wants to go longer and that’s a very good thing.

“There are a lot of good things to look forward to with him.”