Margo Flynn has faced her challenges for 28 years at Tampa . Bay.
The career break that began as a seasonal paddock analyst and eventually led to his appointment as vice president of marketing and publicity asked Flynn to focus on enhancing the customer experience. and race on the track.
However, there are few things more difficult than trying to help solve the current dilemma of increasing wallets.
“We needed some additional revenue from within the state in Tampa,” Flynn said. “Gulfstream Park At least there’s a casino, but we don’t. We’re really fighting an uphill battle to keep our wallets at an acceptable level and that’s getting harder and harder at the moment.”
Unlike Florida’s Broward County, where Gulfstream Park is located, Tampa’s Hillsborough County is not allowed to use slot machines at racing facilities. Tampa Bay Downs offers a poker room, which generates a relatively small amount of money for the racetrack and wallet.
“Sure, it’s an improvement, (but) it doesn’t have a casino,” Flynn said. “It created a different crowd. When we brought it into the poker room, we tried to expose ourselves to horse racing.”
Tampa Bay Downs’ Silks card room has large glass windows that allow views of the racetrack. There is also racing on plasma televisions, and tellers in the room try to create a cross between card games and horse betting.
“I don’t know how many successful crossovers there have been over the years. I think most establishments can say the same thing,” Flynn said. “I think there have been a number of horsemen who have switched to poker. Hopefully they continue to play their horses as well.”
As wallets and racetracks depend on pari-mutuel betting, especially on track betting, the track continues its efforts to attract sponsors on the track. Flynn and her team have been involved in a number of renovations aimed at improving the guest experience ahead of the 2023 season. New additions include The Veranda—floor-by-floor benches on the second floor of the grandstand have been leveled and now a lounge-style area serving an aperitif buffet and a private bar.
“It’s a really great area to watch the races and enjoy the experience,” Flynn said. “There are also tellers walking around. More of a casual area for those who aren’t the biggest fans.”
Margo Flynn at Tampa Bay Downs
She also mentions that “pragmatic” improvements, such as free Wi-Fi, have been made in the backseat.
Introducing people to horse racing was the perfect fit for Flynn, as horse racing had been in her family long before she was born. Her Australian great-grandfather was a trainer, and her grandfather was a trainer and jockey who even rode horses in India for the then emperor. Flynn’s father also began his coaching career in Down Under before moving to the United States. His horses ran in New England, New York and the Mid-Atlantic.
“Obviously I was thrown into the day-to-day care of horses from a very young age,” says Flynn. “And sometimes when you get older and you have aspirations to do other things or hang out with your friends — and then sometimes, maybe, you get a little annoyed with the horses. Obviously, they always come first. .”
Hoping to become a meteorologist, Flynn began attending the State University of New York campus in Oswego. Her career plans changed after she returned home for the summer.
“My dad had a project horse, and he said, ‘Here, I’m going to give you this horse for you to do something about in the summer,'” Flynn said. “And, of course, it won, and it won again. And the rest is history.”
Goodbye weather conditions, hello race conditions.
Flynn began training while also working in the publicity department at Rockingham Park in Salem, NH. She then moved to a full-time position at the track after her role expanded under Bill Nader. After Nader left to join the New York Racing Association, Flynn stayed in New England for a year before being offered a seasonal job as a paddock analyst at the Tampa Bay Downs.
Margo Flynn with Paco Lopez and Claude McGaughey after Endeavor Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Despite loving the job, Flynn told the superintendent that she was unlikely to return if there was a seasonal opportunity because she has a daughter in middle school and because of the cost of moving to Florida.
“He came back the next day with an offer to work full-time,” she said. “However, I have to get my job done, so to speak.”
Flynn developed a position that included marketing, advertising, and sponsorship programs, and maintained work in the paddock.
“There’s nobody in those positions, so I can do as I please,” she said, “but it also means I have to take those positions while I’m doing rowing and everything else, including being the knight of communication.
“At the time, there was a lot of work to do when it came to racing. And I did that for about 15 years before giving up on rowing a few years ago.”
While her current role “wraps the whole thing” and pulls her in different directions, Flynn added, “it makes every day interesting.”
As Flynn looks ahead, the longtime Tampa Bay Downs veteran doesn’t see himself moving forward any time soon.
“I see my role transitioning a little bit, becoming more of a supervisory role,” Flynn said. “But I definitely see my future in the next few years here.”
