Colonial Downs will spotlight two new $100,000 stakes races on Saturday, July 26—the Reigh Count and Love Sign—honoring a pair of Virginia-bred greats. The Love Sign, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, will go as race 8, followed by the Reigh Count, a seven-furlong dash for older runners.

First post for the 10-race card is 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Trainer Rudy Brisset holds a strong hand in the Love Sign with recent claimers Bourbon Breeze and Top Gun Girl, tabbed at 5-2 and 4-1, respectively. Since claiming Bourbon Breeze for $30,000 in February, Brisset has watched the Omaha Beach filly blossom with two wins and a fourth in the Saylorville Stakes.

“I saw that filly break her maiden at Keeneland, and I always kept her in the corner of my eyes,” Brisset said in a release. “”When I saw her in for (a tag) at Turfway going two turns, I got together with one of my clients and we decided to claim her. My wife and I own September Farms, and the owner was nice enough to invite us in, so it’s been a fun ride.”

Bourbon Breeze will break from post 6 with Francisco Arrieta aboard.

Top Gun Girl, claimed for $80,000 in May, has finished behind the likes of Pigalle and Asternia in tough allowance spots and will benefit from cutting back in distance. In her first start for the new connections, she led a long way before settling for second behind the stakes winner Pigalle in a 7 ½-furlong allowance contest at Churchill.

“Shorter is better for her, but
that was the race I had in front of me,” Brisset said. “When you have a horse you’re aiming to get on the lead, you never know – sometimes they can carry that speed a little longer. 
So that’s what we tried to do; obviously, it was not a bad try. She ran a big second to a very nice mare.”

She’ll leave from post 9 with Ben Curtis in the irons.

Their top rivals include Ms. Bucchero (7-2), Alani (3-1), and Sunset Express (8-1), while longshots Mosienko, Costa Amalfitana, Admiral Hopper, and Happy Clouds round out the field.

The Reigh Count features Patriot Spirit as the 7-5 morning line favorite. The 2024 Illinois Derby winner returns to Colonial, where he’s two-for-two, including a dominant maiden win and an allowance score. Trained by Mike Campbell, the Constitution colt comes off a runner-up finish in the Knicks Go on Kentucky Derby Day and will be ridden by Mychel Sanchez from post 7.

His main challenger is Worcester (7-2), who has thrived since joining Brittany Russell’s barn. The Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes winner draws post 8 with Sheldon Russell aboard. Inveigled (5-1), Bouncer and Celtic Contender (each 6-1), and Kavod (8-1) are also contenders, while O’Conner Sunset and My Handsome Man are longer shots.

WHO WAS REIGH COUNT?