COX, Nellie Mae (Stonnell), 75, of Goochland, Virginia, died peacefully on February 24, 2015, surrounded by loved ones. Born January 2, 1941, in Richmond, she was the daughter of the late Clayton Anderson and Nellie Sheldon Stonnell. She was preceded in death by her son, Michael Wray Cox; and sister, Carolyn Stonnell Baber. She is survived by her husband, Sidney B. Cox Jr.; children, Sidney Barbee Cox III, Robin Cox Petrine; and son-in-law, Dave Petrine and Lisa Cary Cox; sister,… Continue reading →

A trio of Virginia-bred horses — Simmstown, Star of Magic and Callipella — reached the winners circle on a mild Saturday (February 20) in the Mid-Atlantic region. Star of Magic and Simmstown, respective 7 and 8 year old geldings with a combined 75 starts between them, both captured six furlong sprint races in very different fashion.

7-year-old Star of Magic scores a gate to wire victory February 20th at Penn National in his 48th lifetime start. Photo courtesy of B… Continue reading →

Carolyn Rogers, a longtime owner, breeder, buyer, seller, and patron of the Thoroughbred industry, died Feb. 14 in Leesburg, Va., at the age of 88.   Just a day before, Rogers had cheered on her homebred Lovable Lady to a commanding four-length victory at Laurel Park in the fourth race.

Carolyn Rogers, shown here courtesy of LoudounNow, passed away February 14, 2016.

Rogers and her late husband, Sam Rogers Jr., owned White Oaks Farm in Virginia and had been… Continue reading →

John Dale Thomas, Track Superintendent of the Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA), spent two weeks at the Middleburg Training Center in December and directed a much needed track improvement project to the facility’s racing surface. The VEA donated his time, which enabled Thomas to conduct the effort. “Several of the trainers based at Middleburg asked if I could do something about it and the VEA gave me their blessing and encouraged me to… Continue reading →

1931 – 2016

Samuel Charles Deane passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 15th, surrounded by his loving family.  Born June 15, 1931 to Floyd Deane and Cornelia Dickerson, Sam was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia by his sister, Florence Burnett.  He was a Korean War veteran, serving two years as an airplane and helicopter mechanic while stationed in Germany.  Upon returning stateside in 1955, he married his sweetheart, Barbara Jane Rose of Fairfax, Virginia, and they… Continue reading →

Virginia betting handle figures from Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) are in for calendar year 2015 and despite a drop of 15% from 2014, there are  reasons for optimism. A total of $79,478,622 was handled in 2015 versus $93,858,388 in 2014.