CNL: Whenigettoheaven repeats in Meadow Stable
Thundering, Pink Ruby also score
Press Release
August 15, 2026
In a trio of state-restricted events contested at Colonial Downs Saturday, Whenigettoheaven successfully defended his title in the $100,000 Meadow Stable Handicap to deny Determined Kingdom’s bid to be a millionaire, while Paco Lopez won twice.
In the other events Dastur Racing’s homebred Thundering rolled to a dominant victory in the $125,000 Find Stakes, while Larry Nafe’s Pink Ruby captured the $125,000 All Brandy Stakes.
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Defending winner Whenigettoheaven stalked Determined Kingdom from the inside through the early stages while Spirited Sol tracked from the outside. After searching for a seam at the top of the stretch, Lopez guided Whenigettoheaven back toward the rail, where the 7-year-old gelding found daylight and drove through to defeat Determined Kingdom by three-quarters of a length for his second consecutive Meadow Stable Handicap victory. Spirited Sol finished third.
Trained by Nolan Ramsey and ridden by Paco Lopez, Whenigettoheaven completed 5½ furlongs on the turf in 1:01.70.
“I tried to be on the lead but Determined Kingdom showed more speed,” Lopez said. “I found myself in a comfortable spot and took it from there. The horse was ready to run well there.”
Whenigettoheaven returned $6.80 to win, $3.80 to place and $2.40 to show. The victory marked his second consecutive Meadow Stable win after he prevailed by a nose over Going Up in 2025.
Maryland-bred and Virginia-certified, Whenigettoheaven improved his career record to 34-8-6-10 with earnings of $544,210.
Facing five Virginia- or Maryland-bred and/or sired older males, Thundering saved ground in a pocket behind the pace, before finding room in the stretch and powering clear to capture the Find Stakes by 3¾ lengths.
Trained by Nolan Ramsey and ridden by Paco Lopez, Thundering completed 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:41.69.
Sent off as the 1-9 favorite, he accelerated through an opening in the stretch and quickly separated from his rivals, drawing away through the final stages.
“I thought maybe I’d be on the lead but all the other horses went for it,” Lopez said. “I was on the best horse, so I saved some ground, and found my lane in the stretch.”
Twelve-time winner Determined Kingdom is trained by Michael Trombetta for the Estate of R. Larry Johnson. The seven-year-old gelding is less than $4,000 shy of one million dollars in earnings.
Facing five Virginia- or Maryland-bred and/or sired older males in the Find, Thundering saved ground in a pocket behind the pace, before finding room in the stretch and powering clear to capture the Find Stakes by 3¾ lengths.
Trained by Derek Ryan and ridden by Paco Lopez, Thundering completed 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:41.69.
Sent off as the 1-9 favorite, he accelerated through an opening in the stretch and quickly separated from his rivals, drawing away through the final stages.
“I thought maybe I’d be on the lead, but all the other horses went for it,” Lopez said. “I was on the best horse, so I saved some ground, and found my lane in the stretch.”
Thundering returned $2.20 to win, $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show. The Maryland-bred 4-year-old improved his career record to 18-4-4-4 with earnings of $361,418.
With eight Virginia- or Maryland-bred and/or sired older fillies and mares in the All Brandy, Pink Ruby pressed longshot leader Lucia Sciarra before taking command early on the far turn. She opened an advantage in the stretch and held off a late bid from post-time favorite Nick’s Notion to win by a neck. Day to Day finished third.
Trained by Lindsay Schultz and ridden by Sonny Leon, Pink Ruby covered 1 1/16 miles over the firm turf in 1:42.43.
“My filly has a lot of class and she set up pressing in second,” Leon said. “When I felt it was time, I let her go and she did the rest. First time on grass was a little bit of a concern but she handled it very well. She kept going today––she never gave up.”
Pink Ruby returned $15 to win, $6.40 to place and $3.80 to show. The Virginia-bred 4-year-old improved her career record to 13-5-0-3 with earnings of $255,613.
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