Virginia breeders earned millions in 2020 from a Breeders Fund bonus program that paid 40% bonuses on all winning purses nationwide.
The Colonial Downs Group held a ribbon-cutting January 8 to announce the opening of a new OTB and gaming emporium in Dumfries, VA.
Colonial Downs will race 21 days in 2021 in a meet that stretches from mid-July to early September.
David Ross, the all-time leading owner at Colonial Downs, will seek his first Breeders’ Cup victory Saturday when Extravagant Kid tackles the Turf Sprint.
Trevor McCarthy rode three stakes favorites among the five Virginia-restricted stakes Friday at Laurel Park, and he booted all three home to victory.
With the cancellation of the Colonial Downs race meet, five stakes for Virginia-bred or -sired horses will take place Friday at Laurel Park.
Pending Virginia Racing Commission approval, Maryland’s Laurel Park will play host to five stakes restricted to Virginia-bred or -sired runners.
The sudden closure of Colonial Downs left Virginia horsemen in the lurch – but aware things are much better than they were a couple years ago.
Colonial Downs’s 2020 meet came to an end today, when the track, and the state’s horsemen, decided to end the 2020 meet in the face of Covid-19 positives.
Jockey Trevor McCarthy will be off for a period after testing positive for Covid-19, which prompted Colonial Downs to cancel two cards.