Tampa Bay Derby 2027: date and Derby points.

Scheduled · source checked 2026-11-09. The Tampa Bay Derby is scheduled for March 6, 2027 at Tampa Bay Downs and awards 50-25-15-10-5 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the top five finishers. The official schedule is subject to change; a listed date does not confirm a field, post time, odds or result.

Tampa Bay Derby 2027: date, track and Derby points

It appears on the official schedule as the ESMARK Tampa Bay Derby. The official schedule does not list the distance, purse or field for this race, so this guide does not state them. Check the track's own condition book and entries for those details.

How many Kentucky Derby points is the Tampa Bay Derby worth?

The winner earns 50 points, with 25, 15, 10, 5 to the next four finishers. That makes it a major prep on the Derby trail. The 153rd Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, and the points series decides who gets into the gate.

Where it sits on the Road to the Kentucky Derby

• Previous prep on the schedule: Fountain of Youth Stakes, February 27, 2027 at Gulfstream Park.
• Same day: San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
• Next prep on the schedule: Rebel Stakes, March 13, 2027 at Oaklawn Park.
• Other Tampa Bay Downs preps: Sam F. Davis Stakes (February 6, 2027).
• Full Road to the Kentucky Derby 2027 schedule and points

What to examine when the field is posted

Derby preps bring together lightly raced three-year-olds (two-year-olds in the preps run before January 1) who are often trying a new distance or meeting graded company for the first time. When entries are out, compare form over a similar trip and surface, note who is stretching out, and check how each runner's earlier prep finished rather than only where it placed. A horse that needs points and a horse that already has them can be ridden very differently.

From the schedule to a race read

This page is calendar context, not a selection. When a supported card for the race is posted, use the GAMELIN Race Finder to run the exact race: it ranks the active field, tests the offered price and returns BET or PASS. A projected winner is not automatically a bet. To see what a price returns, use the odds payout chart; to test a price against your own estimate, use the fair odds calculator; to price an exacta or trifecta, use the ticket cost calculator.

After the race

A date passing never adds a winner to this page. An official result is added only after it is checked against the track's own release, and it is labeled as a result, not a GAMELIN selection. See the rolling stakes calendar for the next event.