News

Trainer Madison Meyers, a Lexington native now based in Virginia, achieved a long-held career goal by winning her first graded stakes race at Keeneland with the gelding Desvio in the Sycamore Stakes (G2T). The victory was particularly meaningful as it was Meyers’ first-ever start at the track. Desvio’s win was also the first graded stakes success for his owners, the mother-and-son team of Stonelea Stables and Bonnie Rye Stable, who have a long personal history with Meyers. Meyers had purposefully waited to bring a runner to Keeneland until she had a horse, like the stamina-driven Desvio, that she felt was ...

Thoroughbred stallion Cross Traffic will relocate to Mt. Airy Farm in Millwood, Virginia, for the 2026 breeding season, marking a significant win for the state’s breeding program. The move gives Mid-Atlantic breeders valuable access to a proven, elite-level sire—a combination of quality and Virginia Breeders Fund incentives not seen in decades. Cross Traffic, who captured the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes, was North America’s leading freshman sire in 2018 and has since produced multiple major earners, including Eclipse champion filly Jaywalk. O’Sullivan Farms is excited to stand the stallion at the historic farm to revitalize Virginia’s stallion ranks The full article can ...

Upcoming Events 2025 International Gold Cup The 88th running of the International Gold Cup will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. The event is a cornerstone of the fall steeplechase season in Virginia, drawing competitors and fans from across the region. VTA and VHBPA members are invited to join horsemen in the VTA/Owner’s tent on Member’s Hill A Word from the Board TOBA AWARDS—Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association “Audley Farm is very honored to receive the TOBA Virginia Breeder of the Year for 2024. Accepting the award at the ceremony was Turner Kobayashi, General Manager of Audley Farm Equine ...

Meet Peter Vegso, publisher of the popular “Chicken Soup for the Souls” series of books — and the winningest horse owner in Virginia Derby history. His powerhouse trio of homebred horses — Orchard Park, Silver Tree and Go Between — captured Virginia’s 3-year-old turf showcase at Colonial Downs in 2002, 2003 & 2006 respectively. Legendary trainer Bill Mott conditioned all three. Edgar Prado rode the first two to victory and Garrett Gomez was up for the latter. The 22ndedition of that race — now called the Old Dominion Derby — will be contested this Saturday at the New Kent track ...

“Written by Chris McGrath for the Thoroughbred Daily News, originally posted on September 2nd, 2025.” Amy Moore (Sara Gordan Photography) There are decades where nothing happens,” said Lenin. “And there are weeks when decades happen.” By the notoriously slow-burning standards of Thoroughbred breeding, however, for Amy Moore it has felt more like a decade when centuries have happened. The way it began, in a sprint maiden at Saratoga on 16 August 2015, could hardly have been less auspicious. The previous September, as she prepared to surface from a 30-year immersion in employee benefits law in Washington D.C., Moore had bought a Blame filly at Keeneland. ...

Whenigettoheaven (#1) won the $100,000 Meadow Stable by a head over Going Up on Aug. 30, 2025 at Colonial Downs. (Credit: Coady Media) Saturday’s card at Colonial Downs featured a pair of Virginia-bred, -sired or -certified handicaps, with Ken Ramsey’s 6-year-old gelding Whenigettoheaven taking the $100,000 Meadow Stable and The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s mare Hollywood Walk defending her crown in the $100,000 Camptown. Trained by Nolan Ramsey and ridden by J.G. Torrealba, Whenigettoheaven went straight to the front in the Meadow Stable, setting the pace under pressure from odds-on favorite Determined Kingdom. After being headed in mid-stretch, Whenigettoheaven dug back ...

Doncho, who set a world record of 59.75, is expected to start in the Sept. 6 $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs. (Credit: Coady Media) Trainer Michelle Lovell confirmed that JAL Racing’s Doncho, who earlier this month set a world record going 5½ furlongs on turf, will be entering the $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes on Old Dominion Derby Day at Colonial Downs. Doncho had also been entered in Sunday’s Disco Partner Stakes at Saratoga but will scratch from that race. “The Da Hoss was the original plan,” Lovell said. “It’s better spacing, four weeks after his race at Ellis, and four ...

Congratulations to Quest Realty’s Amrit who took top honors in the $40,000 Virginia Breeder’s Fund 2025 Yearling Futurity held August 24 at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. Winner of the Virginia-Bred/Sired colt & gelding class, Amrit advanced to the final round — as did the top two finishers from four different classes that morning — and was named Grand Champion by judge Cary Frommer. The champ is by Oscar Performance out of Jumpin’ Nancy by Jump Start. Interestingly, this marked the second straight year the Futurity Grand Champion was out of Jumpin’ Nancy — the 2024 winner was Paynted By ...

Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes winner Giocoso (#1 white silks) is one of 32 3-year-olds nominated to the Grad 3 $500,000 Old Dominion Derby at Colonial Downs on Sept. 6, 2025. (Coady Media)  Nominations have been released for the six turf stakes set for Old Dominion Derby Day on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Colonial Downs. Featuring $1.3 million in total purses, the Grade 3, $500,000 Old Dominion Derby headlines the card, alongside the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks (Listed), $150,000 Colonial Cup, $150,000 Da Hoss, $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie’s Stakes, and $125,000 Kitten’s Joy. The 1 1/8-mile Old Dominion Derby drew 32 3-year-olds, led by ...

Hollywood Walk (Coady Media)  The Estate of R. Larry Johnson sends out the defending champions of Saturday’s $100,000 Meadow Stable and $100,000 Camptown, as trainer Mike Trombetta’s runners Determined Kingdom and Hollywood Walk headline the sibling 5½-furlong turf sprint handicaps for older Virginia-bred, -sired or -certified Thoroughbreds at Colonial Downs. With nine races on tap, the Camptown is slated as Race 7, immediately followed by the Meadow Stable. Post time is set for 12:30 p.m. ET. Determined Kingdom will take on 11 older males in the Meadow Stable, including last year’s runner-up Whenigettoheaven. The two met again in June and Whenigettoheaventurned the tables ...