News

Fifteen years after the historic dispersal of Edward P. Evans’ Spring Hill Farm, the Virginia operation’s legacy continues to heavily influence the Keeneland September yearling sale. Following Evans’ death in late 2010, the market fiercely bid on his farm’s stock in 2011, resulting in 221 horses selling for over $62.3 million—the highest-grossing North American Thoroughbred dispersal at a public auction in history. Today, the ripple effects of that monumental sale are still shaping the top tiers of the Thoroughbred industry. The dispersal spread elite bloodlines across the market, paving the way for the massive commercial success of pantheon-level sires like Gun ...

Middleburg-based bloodstock agent Chris Gracie showcases the power of the Virginia-Certified program at Saratoga with Forego Stakes (G1) contenders Book’em Danno and Bring the Smoke, alongside his bloodstock connection to Travers Stakes (G1) hopeful Ocelli. Read Full Story

Apprentice jockey Taylor Kingsley secured her first career stakes victory aboard Quiet Street in the $100,000 Lady Erie Stakes for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Raised in a racing family, Kingsley gained international experience riding flat races in Ireland before transitioning to the U.S. professional circuit. Now based in the Mid-Atlantic, she is currently riding at Colonial Downs in Virginia as she continues to build momentum on her promising career path. Read Full Story

Your voice is needed regarding conservation on working farms! The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) is currently evaluating the Agriculture Best Management Practices Cost Share Program, which is administered through your local Soil and Water Conservation District. As part of this review, they’re asking farmers (which incluces horse farms) across Virginia to share their experiences and perspectives. Whether you’ve participated in the program or not, your feedback will help JLARC better understand awareness of the program and conservation efforts on working farms. (Note: This is not the same survey as the recent Chesapeake Bay conservation practices survey.) Your input can make ...

Colonial Downs, in collaboration with National Steeplechase Association, will host its first steeplechase-only race card in 13 years on Monday, June 29 — capping off opening week festivities. The day features a special first post of 10:45 AM and will be highlighted by the renamed Theodora A. Randolph Stakes which kicks off a new “Triple Tiara” jump series. The novel three-leg series is comprised of Grade 2, $100,000 races for fillies & mares 4 years of age & up at the 2-1/4 miles distance. The second Tiara leg will be held on Thursday, July 23 (The Life’s Illusion Stakes) followed by ...

With Virginia’s summer racing season on the horizon, Frank Hopf, Senior Director of Racing Operations at Colonial Downs, has been busy preparing for the longest meet ever at Colonial Downs. The campaign will run from June 25 – September 7 with racing every Thursday thru Sunday afternoon. Featured returning flat events include the Festival of Racing card on August 1 and the Old Dominion Derby program on Labor Day, September 7. The Festival card includes the G1 Arlington Million, G2 Beverly D. and G2 Secretariat Stakes. The closing day program includes the $500,000 Old Dominion Derby (G3), $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks ...

The Virginia Harness Horse Association (VHHA) announced that a record $500,000 in bonus monies will be available annually to standardbred foals that participate in its lucrative Certified Residency Program beginning with the 2026 foal crop and beyond. The current $400,000 bonus level still applies to the 2025 foal crop, whose owners have less than a month to get their horses registered in the program.      The incentive program began in 2019. Horses become eligible to compete for a bonus pool in their two-and three-year-old racing campaigns if they are raised in Virginia for at least six consecutive months before they ...

Colonial Downs’ stable area will open Wednesday, June 10, welcoming returning horsemen and new arrivals in preparation for the 2026 summer thoroughbred meet. Training is scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 11. Live racing returns to Colonial Downs in less than one month on Thursday, June 25, kicking off a record-setting season that will feature an expanded schedule. The 2026 summer meet will offer 45 days of live racing, conducted every Thursday through Sunday from June 25 through a special Labor Day program on Monday, September 7. The schedule represents the most live racing days in the nearly 30-year history of ...

Due to the predicted heat index for Wednesday September 2nd, the Warrenton Horse Show management has been able to accommodate moving the Futurity up to an estimated 10:30 AM start…We request everyone arrive by 10:00 AM to insure a prompt start.  Join us at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, September 2nd. Show off your, registered, Virginia-Bred, Virginia-Sired, or Virginia-Certified yearlings! The address to the grounds is 60 E Shirley Ave., Warrenton, VA 20186 Virginia-Certified Applicants Horses in the Virginia-certified program must have completed their 6-month residency prior to September 1st, have completed the VTA registration, and be registered ...

Readers of the new book “Eagle Point Farm – A Legacy of Grit and Grace” by DonnaDennehy can saddle up for an unforgettable ride with one very determined Virginiahorsewoman. Donna Gilman Dennehy, at the age of 19, took the reins of her family’sThoroughbred horse farm in Ashland, Virginia and led it on a 50-year journey throughtriumphs and trying times.   “Eagle Point Farm – A Legacy of Grit and Grace,” published by Dementi MilestonePublishing, offers a heartfelt testament to Donna’s abiding love for her land, family and horses.Exceptional photographs capture that feeling and evoke nostalgic memories of a bygone erain Ashland, such ...