Virginia-Breds Holly Hundy, Lenstar Continue To Propser In Late September
Two Virginia-Bred horses saw their earnings surge into new six-digit levels courtesy of wins this past weekend. Holly Hundy’s victory at Santa Anita pushed her career bankroll to $206,713 while Lenstar’s allowance score at Belmont pushed his to $300,767. The pair were both bred by Lazy Lane Farms and are both out of Cryptos’ Best.
14 of Holly Hundy’s 16 starts have come on the west coast. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.
Holly Bundy’s win was her first since a… Continue reading
Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale Scheduled For October 5-6 at Timonium
Fasig-Tipton has catalogued 553 yearlings for its 2020 Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, to be held on Monday and Tuesday, October 5-6. The auction, which will be held immediately following the rescheduled Preakness Stakes, will be conducted at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland.
Hips 1-200 will be offered in the Monday session, which will begin at 1 pm. The sale will begin with a large group of New York-breds, which are catalogued together as hips 1-154 this… Continue reading
October 10 Virtual Pony Swim Fundraiser Will Support James River Horse Foundation
Get ready for one of the more unique fundraisers to take place during the Covid pandemic — the James River Horse Foundation will be hosting a virtual Pony Swim on Saturday October 10!
The group will be launching a number of pony “rubber ducks” in Stagg Creek in Ashland from Horseshoe Hill Farm, and one will race its way to victory! Nick Hahn, host of the weekly “Off to the Races” radio show, will serve as the pony/duck race… Continue reading
Online Betting Handle In Virginia Continues To Surge as Calendar Rolls Into Fall
Online betting handle on horse racing continues to surge in Virginia as handle figures through the first eight months of 2020 were announced. The overall handle through August was $91,903,837 compared with $62,223,376 in 2020, good for an astonishing 47.7% increase.
Top handle producer of the four Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies licensed in Virginia was TVG, whose $48,818,924 handle represents a 62.8% gain over last year. In August alone, they accepted $7,790,255 in bets, the third most ever recorded… Continue reading
Five $75,000 Stakes For Virginia-Bred/Sired Horses Scheduled Friday October 9 at Laurel
The five Virginia-Bred/Sired stakes that were scheduled to run the last night at Colonial Downs have been rescheduled and will run at Laurel Park on October, 9, 2020. Each stake will have a $75,000 purse and all runners will be guaranteed at least a $5,000 purse. All races are scheduled to run on the turf and nominations will close September 25th.
The five races are:
The Jamestown Stakes ($75,000): For registered Virginia-bred or sired two-year-olds which have not… Continue reading
Despite setbacks, Gold Cup optimistic about future
Established in 1922, the Virginia Gold Cup race meet in May attracts about 50,000 spectators, making it Fauquier County’s largest event.
The following appeared in Fauquier Now September 13, 2020 and was written by Don Del Rosso.
I’m confident we’ll go back somewhat closer to the old Gold Cup — that racing will have the usual, wonderful people come who… Continue reading
Scenes From the Virginia Breeder’s Fund Thoroughbred Yearling Futurity
On September 9, the annual $22,500 Thoroughbred Yearling Futurity took place at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. Owners and breeders of Virginia-Bred and Virginia-Certified horses competed in three categories, and the top two in each advanced to a final round where Grand Champion and Reserve Champion honors are awarded.
The judge for this year’s Futurity was Rick Abbott, a former longtime Pennsylvania bloodstock agent who along with his wife Dixie, had a successful sales consignment business.
Though the Covid-pandemic limited… Continue reading
2019 Causin Commotion Colt Takes Grand Champion Honors at Virginia Yearling Futurity
Knockgriffin Farm’s Virginia-Certified 2019 Causin Commotion colt took Grand Champion honors in the annual Virginia Breeders Fund 2020 Yearling Futurity, which was held September 9 at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds.
The champion is owned/bred by Jim & Katie Fitzgerald at their Marshall, Virginia farm. The dark bay/brown colt is by Unified (Mineshaft).
The Yearling Futurity Champion was a Virginia-Certified 2019 Causin Commotion colt. Photo by Anna Purdy.
Morgan’s Ford Farm’s 2019 Smart Believer bay, who took top honors in… Continue reading
Kentucky Derby: NY Traffic Made Most Of Virginia Sojourn
The following piece appeared on The Racing Biz September 4 and was written by Nick Hahn
In Kentucky, many thoroughbred farms are showplaces, making for wonderful equine scenic drives.
In Virginia, on the other hand, the tendency is for thoroughbred farms to be located at the end of rustic gravel roads, tucked away in hidden hollows, off the beaten path.
But seclusion doesn’t make these farms less ideal, especially for Kentucky Derby hopeful, Ny Traffic, who spent much of his… Continue reading
Attachment Rate Could Pick Up the Derby Pieces for Romans and Virginia Breeders
By Carl Danbury
The morning line for the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby shows Tiz the Law as the overwhelming favorite to capture the blanket of roses a little after 7 p.m. this Saturday, (Sept. 4). Not since 1989, when entry mates Easy Goer and Awe Inspiring were installed as 3-to-5 favorites, has the morning line been so skewed for the favored horse(s).
Yet, one look at the past performances of the 18 horses entered, his Sackatoga Stable owners… Continue reading
