The following appeared in The Paulick Report June 27th.

The Jockeys’ Guild and the Virginia HBPA have reached an agreement on a mount fee schedule for races to be run at Colonial Downs beginning with their opening day, August 8, 2019.

The mount fee schedule calls for a minimum fee of $125, the highest in the mid-Atlantic area. Racing is returning to Virginia for the first time since 2013.  Daily purses are expected to average a minimum of $500,000 a… Continue reading →

The annual $22,500 Virginia Yearling Futurity took place at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds on June 23rd under a “Chamber of Commerce” type morning with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures. The 2019 festivities were sponsored by the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and the Virginia Breeder’s Fund.

A 2018 bay colt out of Kiowa was named 2019 Futurity Grand Champion at the annual $22,500 Virginia Breeders Yearling Futurity, held June 23rd at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. The event was sponsored by the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and the Virginia Breeders Fund. The Judge for the competition was Patrick Lawley-Wakelin.

The champ, who also won the Virginia-Bred/Sired Colt & Gelding division earlier in the day, is owned/bred by Corner Farm (Ned Moore & Gillian Gordon-Moore) and John Behrendt.… Continue reading →

The following appeared in The Racing Biz and was written by Frank Vespe

It took the Royal Academy mare Embarr two tries to break her maiden, which she did at Colonial Downs back in 2011 at odds of 31-1. 

In that respect, at least, Fionnbharr looks like a chip off the old block. The three-year-old Exchange Rate filly, Embarr’s first foal to make the races, broke her maiden Saturday afternoon at Laurel Park, also in her second career start, and… Continue reading →

The following piece appeared in the Virginia Mercury publication and was written by Ned Oliver.

Bettors have responded enthusiastically to Virginia’s foray into expanded gambling, wagering $70.8 million last month at two new casinos opened by Colonial Downs.

“I’d rather come down here instead of buying a scratch ticket,” said Clyde DeBoll, a 65-year-old retiree from Henrico as he entered the New… Continue reading →

Here are some scenes from a peaceful morning in June at Stephanie Nixon’s Horseshoe Hill Farm in Ashland.

She currently has about 20 horses that reside on site — five older, retired horses and another 15 Certified ones that are in the new Virginia Residency Bonus program.

“This time of year, it’s a bit more quiet so we do a lot of repair and maintenance work,” she said. “At the peak time, we’ll have between 40-50 horses here.”

Nixon employs… Continue reading →

Other Options Available at Various Price Points for Racing Fans

Colonial Downs is pleased to announce families are welcome as it offers free general admission to everyone during its upcoming 15-day race meeting, August 8 – September 7. Other seating options are available as tickets went on sale this past weekend.

Racing will run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the month-long period. Gates open at 4 p.m. ET and post time for all race days is 5 p.m. ET.… Continue reading →

A total of 30 Virginia-Certified horses reached the winners circle in May and in turn, provided their owners with a 25% bonus on top of purse earnings they collected. Of those, 11 wins came from West Virginia-breds, 9 from Maryland-breds and four each from New York and Kentucky-breds. Horses bred in Pennsylvania won a pair. 

In order to… Continue reading →