Nine Virginia-bred horses scored victories in the second half of May including a trio of veterans who have combined to make 177 starts. Fur Lined, Galitzianer and War Colony reached the winners circle for the 13th, 12th and 10th times respectively in their careers.

11 year old Fur Lined got the best of six other horses at Mountaineer Park in a six furlong claiming race on Memorial Day. The Trust N Luck mare stalked… Continue reading →

Champions Stellar Wind (Virginia-bred) and FinestCity each worked at Santa Anita Saturday morning (May 27) for the Grade I, $400,000 Beholder Mile slated for Saturday June 3rd.

Stellar Wind, Eclipse Award winner as outstanding three-year-old female of 2015, went five furlongs in company under exercise rider Jose Contreras in 59.80, while FinestCity, winner of an Eclipse Award as best female sprinter of 2016, went the same distance in 1:03.20 for trainer Ian Kruljac. Mike Smith was aboard.

Stellar Wind,… Continue reading →

Virginia-bred horses will have a big presence in Saturday’s (May 27th) $100,000 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth. Rose Brier (7-2), Special Envoy (6-1) and Just Call Kenny (6-1) will all compete in the stake’s 13 horse field.

The trio were bred respectively by William Backer, Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone and Althea Richards. The event is race 9 on the card, is set at one mile on the turf, and will go to post at 4:52 PM.

Rose Brier is… Continue reading →

Preakness Day is Saturday May 20th! The big race goes off at 6:45 PM and racing fans are eager to see if Always Dreaming can win the second leg of the Triple Crown. It certainly would make Belmont Day that much more intriguing!

Virginia connected horses will make their presence felt on the Preakness Day under card at Pimlico, led by Virginia businessman and HBPA President David Ross, who has a pair of horses in stakes races that… Continue reading →

The eyes of the racing world will focus on Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse this Friday and Saturday for Preakness weekend. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming will try to win his second straight Triple Crown leg Saturday at 6:45 PM. Both race programs are packed with under card stakes races and intriguing wagering options for horseplayers. Virginia connected horses are sprinkled throughout Friday’s Black Eyed Susan card including a pair of stakes contenders.… Continue reading →

Virginia pari-mutuel wagering figures have been tabulated for the month of April along with the first four months of 2017. Betting Handle placed via the four partner Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies continues to show gains in addition to solid business numbers at the two Richmond area Off Track Betting (OTB) Centers.

Three of the four ADW partner companies had their best months of the year.  TVG, which handled $3,206,742… Continue reading →

Virginia-breds had another solid weekend at tracks around the country, highlighted by a pair of victories at the competitive Belmont Park spring meet. Carbon Data and Max James connected on May 12th and 13th respectively — the former in a 1 1/4 miles, $90,000 maiden special weight test and the latter in a 1 1/16th miles, $41,000 maiden claimer.

Carbon Data battled head-to-head, literally, with runner-up Into the Breach from the top of the stretch to the wire.… Continue reading →

The following article appeared in The Racing Biz last week.

by Nick Hahn

Virginia’s “country racing” experiment uses the timing and tradition of steeplechase venues to create opportunities for primarily Virginia-based horsemen to race. Flat racers have been part of steeplechase cards for decades, but the concept of raising the level of flat races in popular one-day steeplechase stopovers in Virginia has been at least one answer for the 2013 closure of Colonial Downs.

For the last three years, the… Continue reading →

FOILED VA-BRED DERBY HOPEFULS EARN REDEMPTION
by Nick Hahn | May 10,2017
Reprinted with permission of the Racing Biz

Virginia swept the Oaks/Derby double over the weekend at Churchill Downs — though you might not know it — in manners that couldn’t be more opposite. Under a masterful, measured, front running ride of jockey John Velazquez Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Mike Smith kept passing fillies aboard Abel Tasman in going from last to first in the Kentucky… Continue reading →

Central Virginia residents got a chance to bet the Kentucky Derby for the first time in four years Saturday at two new Off Track Betting Centers in the Richmond area — Ponies & Pints downtown, and Breakers Sports Grille in the west end.

Fans filled the Ponies & Pints OTB all afternoon to bet action from Churchill Downs.

Ponies & Pints held a $1,000 Fancy Hat Contest soon after Always Dreaming crossed the finish line to win the Triple… Continue reading →