Colonial Downs announced it would sell off the properties of its former OTBs, marking what the company called “the end of an era for Virginia horse racing.”
At its meeting yesterday, the Virginia Racing Commission rejected several Colonial Downs proposals – and made clear it’s fed up with the company and its owner.
Colonial Downs today abandoned its plans for racing in 2015 and sued the state Racing Commission to win recognition of its dissident horsemen’s group.
At issue before the Virginia Racing Commission: Colonial Downs’s proposals to run 1 day of live racing 2015 and 4 in ’16, and its request to reopen 2 OTBs.
Saturday’s Virginia Derby — err, Commonwealth Derby — finally belonged to a Virginia horse, after being run in Maryland. Confused?
Horse racing in Virginia will likely turn back to the future with a “country fair” style; proposed venue Morven Park, near Leesburg, fits that perfectly.
Virginia horsemen are moving forward with a plan for racing in the Commonwealth. But a new move by Colonial Downs may keep state OTBs shuttered.
The future remains murky, the Virginia Racing Commission learned, with the present characterized by shuttered facilities, withheld payments, and failed negotiations.
Colonial Downs announced today it would close all of its off-track betting facilities and its advance deposit wagering company, EZ Horseplay.
With the clock ticking and no 2015 race meeting scheduled, the Virginia Racing Commission will meet tomorrow in Richmond.