The July 19 opening day card at Colonial Downs includes four stakes and and nine races with 10 or more horses entered.
Lofty purses and the closure of Churchill Downs’s backside are among the factors leading a number of high-end trainers to Colonial Downs this summer.
Rick Williams, the new safety officer at Colonial Downs, has a horse-first approach to racing he’s honed at many stops along the way.
Jessica Paquette, formerly on-air handicapper at Boston’s Suffolk Downs, will fill that role in 2021 at Colonial Downs.
Colonial Downs will play host to 25 stakes during its 21-day 2021 live racing meet, which kicks off its seven-week stand July 19.
The MATCH Series will return for 2021 in mid-May at Pimlico. The Series this year will involve Maryland and Virginia only.
Mirroring a national trend, the rate of equine fatality in the Mid-Atlantic dropped in 2020 to its lowest level in the dozen years that records have been kept.
Mike Stidham has been the leading trainer at Colonial Downs since its 2019 rebirth and is planning on being a presence there again in 2021.
Colonial Downs will shift to an earlier post time for its 2021 schedule, which kicks off July 19 and runs through September 1.
Whether horses are breaking from the gate, waiting for the fall of the flag, or following the mobile barrier, racing starters seek teamwork.