The Virginia Equine Alliance’s “Virginia Downs” will kick off its first of six days of live parimutuel racing Sunday at Great Meadow with a six-race card.
A pair of Grade 2 races usually contested in Virginia — the Commonwealth Derby and Turf Cup — will take place at Laurel Park next Saturday.
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 Virginia Racing Commission endorsed a proposal to run nine stakes — including the G2 Virginia Derby — in Maryland this year. But hurdles remain.
For racing and breeding in Virginia and Maryland, only one thing about the future is certain: the only way forward is change.
For Keswick Stables, Stellar Wind is the end of the line: the last horse out of the last mare. “Nice to go out with a bang,” says Keswick’s owner.
Quirky, stubborn, and flighty are words to describe Virginia-bred Stellar Wind, who has deep mid-Atlantic roots. Also: Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks winner.
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.