1/ST BET and Xpressbet are offering a $25,000 Exacta-Thon on Saturday’s racing at Tampa Bay Downs. The 12-race card that features Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes hopefuls in the Tampa Bay Derby will provide horseplayers an extra boost to their balance.

As you play Saturday’s Tampa Bay Downs races, give extra consideration to exacta bets. That’s because players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet who cash any exacta combination in at least 6 of the 12 Tampa Bay Downs races on Saturday will share in an additional $20,000 in free cash. The player(s) who hit the most exactas on the day will be rewarded with their share of an additional $5,000.

Bonuses paid in last week’s Exacta-Thon at Gulfstream featured $81.63 more into accounts of those who had winning exactas in at least 6 races. A dozen customers each received $416.67 more in the pursuit of the most exactas on the day. Two weeks ago at Oaklawn those bonuses reached $338.99 and $714.29, respectively.

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 1

Notable: Well-drawn #1 Calisue looks most trustworthy having never missed a top-4 on dirt at Tampa and I like that she’s not been a lifetime member of the non-winners of three claiming condition like some others. Use her in the top two spots with some others. More focused tickets and smaller budgets lean to the inside trio in the wagers.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-box 1 with 2,3,7,10 ($8)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 2

Notable: #1 Practical Way looks like a short-priced favorite too tough to tackle. He’s coming off a blowout win and goes for ridiculous-percentage Tampa trainer Jose D’Angelo, well over 40% since the start of February, according to Betmix data. Add Irad Ortiz Jr. to the saddle and the price shrinks. Five of these 10 come off of claims and only Practical Way moves to a high-percentage barn. Use that one with some of the others who are staying pat with their previous trainers.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-wheel 1 with 8,9,2 ($3)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 3

Notable: Maiden races on a track’s big day often are places where local connections have debut horses they wait to unveil for the inflated purses. This races goes for $15-20K more than a typical Tampa maiden special weight and win-early trainer Bill Morey sends Mr Bolt here off a zippy workout tab. Good intra-race bet considering it’s likely the simulcast audience overplays #5 Mellifluous from Gulfstream for Bill Mott. #3 Snowname makes plenty of sense and is the exacta mate for me. Could vouch for a small wheel 10-ALL vs. the straight win play given the Exacta-Thon emphasis on number of exactas won.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Straight 10-3 ($1)
Or (in lieu of a win bet in the race) Wheel 10-all ($10)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 4

Notable: Similar approach to Race 3 in that there are some locals debuting here for inflated purses who appear to have some ability. #11 Catholika gets the nod in her debut, notably with Samy Camacho aboard. He’s been far and away the best dirt sprint jockey at the meet – 28% wins according to Betmix data – and teams rarely with Juan Avila (winning 2 of 4). She’ll be my key at what I think will be a nice price with big barns like Pletcher and McGaughey involved.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-box 11 with 1,3,9,6,12 ($10)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 5

Notable: True, #4 Mayfly has been a lifetime bridesmaid with 5 runners-up in 7 starts, but the addition of Lasix very much intrigues and is expected to but her over the hump. Daniel Centeno hits 21% on turf at the meet and is among Tampa’s best, according to Betmix data. Plus, after some losses at shorter prices, the value could be there as Chad Brown, Christophe Clement, Graham Motion and Brendan Walsh trainees are expected to take plenty of action.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-wheel 4 with 1,9,5 ($3)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 6 // Challenger Stakes

Notable: Six-horse field will give Exacta-Thon players a mathematical sense of confidence, but my trust for these runners is thin. Has defending champion #3 Skippylongstocking overcome whatever issue that forced him to exit the Pegasus World Cup mid-race? Three others were beaten 14-3/4 or more lengths last time. Local allowance winners #4 Sherlock’s Jewel and #6 Impacto are at least coming into the race on the proper trajectory.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
4,6 with 3,4,5,6 ($6)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 7 // Columbia Stakes

Notable: #7 In a Jam comes out of Gulfstream races with very legitimate fractions and has been in razor-sharp form. That’s going to play very well here against the other main contenders who are deep closers like #3 Move to Gold and #9 Tok Tok. Solid lean to this one and hope we get a fair win pool price to boot.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-wheel 7 with 3,4,8,9 ($4)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 8

Notable: Very hot pace projected over the demanding, 7-furlong sprint distance, so I’ll lean to a pair of classy closers, #1 Sterling Silver and #4 Cheetara. Prefer the former overall, but she was a flat fourth over this track in this same race last year, which gives some pause if there’s an issue with the footing.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Part-Wheel 1,4 with 1,4,3,6,10 ($8)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 9 // Hillsborough Stakes

Notable: Arguably the best race in America this weekend (along with Santa Anita’s Beholder Mile), we’ve got a fabulous field of fillies and mares on the turf. The pace looks rather manageable for someone who can stake claim to the early lead, and with the infield turf chute start in play, inside speed almost gets a 3-turn advantage. #2 Marketsegmentation isn’t a blazer, but took advantage of a slow pace in the New York in wiring under Jose Ortiz, comes in freshened since summer and is the ‘other’ Chad Brown trainee here in terms of price vs. deep closer #1 Fluffy Socks (pictured above). Don’t be surprised if #8 Star Fortress is flying late; she’s better than her last.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 2-8 ($2)
Part-wheel 2 with 1,7 ($2)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 10 // Florida Oaks

Notable: #3 Pharoah’s Wine has a big work for her second start off the layoff and I’ll give her an excuse after being unprepared at the start of the Sweetest Chant. She’s drawn very well and has a top local turf pilot aboard in Daniel Centeno. Should be a nice price in a race with a lot of good options. Let’s see if he can get her in the top-2.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Key-Box 3 with 5,6,7,11 ($8)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 11 // Tampa Bay Derby

Notable: Hard to imagine any of these winning except #5 Domestic Product and #7 No More Time. The former comes out of a better series of races, but the latter has the Sam F. Davis win over the track for a barn that can’t miss at Tampa. But the top 2 wagering choices haven’t made up the Tampa Bay Derby exacta since Street Sense and Any Given Saturday in 2007; it’s a race where something kooky happens far more often than not. From an Exacta-Thon standpoint, spending $2 to advance boxing the chalk might be contest savvy, but from the gambling approach, stake your claim to one of these two logical runners and spread deep in the second spot looking to hook a bigger fish.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 5-7 ($2)
Wheel 5-all ($9)

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Tampa Bay Downs // Race 12

Notable: Trainer Chad Brown looks to have this turf allowance surrounded with #2 Startup Mentality and #3 Notinamillionyears. They look highly similar in past performances, form cycle, favorable post draws and more. #1 Evita moved too soon into the pace last time in a similar race and shrewdly Arnaud Delacour adds blinkers, which can really work with a horse like this. A win bet on #1 Evita should be the value of the race against the two Browns for serious bettors. From an exacta standpoint, go super-conservative here toward a potential Exacta-Thon bonus in gamesmanship.

Exacta-Thon Plays:
Box 1-2-3 ($6)

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