Colonial Downs

Virginia's Colonial Downs has cancelled its Friday's card due to an excessive heat forecast. The National Weather Service is predicting heat indices for Friday ranging from 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit, numbers that examine the combined effects of temperature, wind speed, and humidity. Thursday's nine-card will still be run as scheduled with a first post of 1:30 p.m. ET. Friday's card will be brought back as drawn on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Post time will be 1:30 p.m. Officials at Colonial Downs came to the decision jointly with the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. The TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These will include decisions from around the country. New York Track: Saratoga Date: 07/12/2023 Licensee: Tyler Gaffalione, jockey Penalty: Three-day...

A little more than four years ago, horse racing returned to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Colonial Downs for the first time since 2014. Under the leadership of then track Vice President Jill Byrne--one of Virginia's own--the track staged racing three days a week for about a month and since then, the meet has expanded both in terms of length and in terms of popularity among the betting public. In August 2019, Ben Massam drew on his Virginian roots--Ben was a championship-caliber track and field athlete at the College of...

The colt had been getting a little fractious in the gate and now he half sat down: too low for Jareth Loveberry to climb out, but not low enough to scramble underneath. "Get me out!" the jockey hollered. He was just trying to lift himself clear when his mount came back up and pinned a calf against the steel. The pain was excruciating. It was only five seconds or so before they got the gate open but that was enough, as they stretched him out, for the agony to be...

Churchill Downs Inc. has requested permission from the American Graded Stakes Committee to move the GI Arlington Million S., the GI Beverly D. S. and the GI Secretariat S. to Colonial Downs. The three races were fixtures at Arlington Park before that track closed in 2021. Last year, the Million and the Beverly D. were run at Churchill Downs. The 2023 races are slated to be run on Aug. 12. In November, it was announced that Churchill had acquired the assets of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment LLC, the owners of Colonial...

The 2023 racing dates at Colonial Downs will hold steady at the same 27-program level that the turf-focused track ran this year, but the full first season under the ownership of the gaming company Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), will see a shift to Thursday-through-Saturday racing instead of the Virginia track's traditional Monday-through-Wednesday slot. The number of racing dates had been a concern for mid-Atlantic horsemen who were leery about CDI bloating the racing schedule beyond what the region's horse population might be able to sustain. Those concerns were raised back...

Jessica Paquette, a New England native with nearly 20 years of experience in horse racing, will be the new voice of Parx Racing starting in December. In accepting the position, Paquette becomes the only full-time, year-round female track announcer in the United States. "I am grateful for the women in the racing industry who have paved the way for my generation to work in so many different areas," said Paquette. "My hope is that I can similarly help inspire young women who may want to be part of our sport."...

Retired trainer Peter Howe, one of just four people to train an American champion over jumps and on the flat, and the father of Colonial Downs Vice President of Racing Jill Byrne, died Thursday night in Charlottesville, Va. He was 83. Howe was born in Hartford, Conn., and became an accomplished rider of show horses--competing at Madison Square Garden, the Washington International Horse Show and other top venues--before transitioning to racehorses. Training mainly for Marion du Pont Scott's Montpelier Stable, Howe conditioned a small but quality stable of flat and...

Buoyed by a record-breaking handle of more than $6.5 million on New Kent County Virginia Derby Day, Colonial Downs shattered all wagering marks this racing season, the fourth under the management of Colonial Downs Group and ownership of Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. Total handle for the 26-day live racing meet was $74,940,840 for a daily average of $2,882,340, up more than 29% from the 2021 average daily handle mark of $2,231,765 during that season's 21-day session. This race meet marked an all-time wagering high in the history of Colonial Downs. "The...

Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) presented a check for $66,000 to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) on Virginia Derby Day, which was held Sept. 6. "Colonial Downs is once again proud to support the TAA during our record-breaking 2022 racing season," said Jill Byrne, vice-president of racing operations at Colonial Downs. "The care of horses, both during and after their racing careers, is of the utmost importance and the TAA does such a great job to make sure this is accomplished. We were delighted...

Sendero became the second stakes winner and seventh winner overall for his freshman sire City of Light (Quality Road) with a maiden-breaking victory in the Jamestown S. at Colonial Downs Wednesday. Sent off the 1-5 favorite, the bay colt was hustled out of the gate and rushed up to press the pace four wide down the backstretch through a quarter in :22.66. He stuck his head in front nearing the stretch and bound clear while Bee Mountain chased him home in second. Sendero missed by just a neck when second...

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will sponsor the Kitten's Joy S. on closing day of the Colonial Downs meet. A presentation of a TAA blanket and swag bag will be made to the winning connections following the running of the race. "We're thrilled to again partner with the TAA in sponsorship of the Kitten's Joy Stakes," said Colonial Downs Vice-President of Racing Operations, Jill Byrne. "We appreciate and value the importance of what the TAA provides to the industry and are happy to recognize their great efforts on our biggest day...