Colonial Downs

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...

In 1993, Michelle Lovell rode five races at Saratoga. Then known as jockey Michelle Hanley, she came home with three second-place finishes, but never got that win at the Spa. Twenty-nine years later, she finally made it to the winner's circle. This time it was with the brilliant GII Saratoga Special S. winner Damon's Mound (Girvin), her first Saratoga starter as a trainer. How do the two experiences compare? "Riding here back in the day, I was just super in awe of the place," Lovell explained. "Obviously who wouldn't want...

Necker Island (Hard Spun) crossed the wire first in the $150,000 Chesapeake S. at Colonial Downs Aug. 16, stopping the timer in 1:07.72, the track's fastest six-furlong dirt clocking ever. But after multiple objections and a stewards' inquiry, Necker Island was disqualified and demoted to third for interference in the stretch. The lights had barely stopped blinking on the tote board when speculation sparked to life on social media about whether or not the 5-year-old's status as a track-record holder would be stripped, too. The answer, according to Equibase, the...

Spearheaded by competitive fields on both of its racing surfaces and continued high interest in its Pick 5 wager, officials at Colonial Downs revealed Monday that the average all-sources wagering through the first five weeks of the 27-day Colonial Downs presented by Woodford Reserve race meeting is up 30.7% over the same corresponding time period of the 2021 meet; the $2,625,248 through the first 15 days of the meeting, compared to $2,008,092 through the first 15 days last year. A total of $1,113,614 was bet into the sixth race Aug....

The speedy sophomore Conagher (c, 3, Jimmy Creed--You Should Be Here, by Niagara Causeway), a very sharp wire-to-wire winner of Monday's Housebuster Overnight H. at Colonial Downs, will get his chance at the big leagues in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. at Saratoga Aug. 27. "We'll find out how high we can go with him," trainer Michael Tomlinson said. "Saratoga is an exciting and fun place to be. The atmosphere is unmatched, that's for sure." Off as the 2-5 favorite from his inside draw, Conagher flashed his usual...

By 2026, the gaming corporation that owns Colonial Downs is aiming to nearly double the amount of racing at the turf-centric Virginia track, potentially expanding the current boutique-styled summer race meet from 27 to 50 dates. That news was revealed Thursday morning by Bill Carstanjen, the chief executive officer of Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), who briefly mentioned the dates increase during a public quarterly earnings conference call with investment bankers. The reason has everything to do with CDI's gaming revenue and apparently very little do with the overall scope of...

By unanimous voice vote after zero public discussion among commissioners at a "special" meeting, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) on Tuesday quickly approved a license awarding a Quarter Horse racino license for a track to be constructed in the northeastern part of the state. The license is the ninth and final of its kind to be awarded in Kentucky. Although the focus of press releases announcing the deal accentuated the rebirth of Quarter Horse racing in a state better known as the nation's Thoroughbred epicenter, the real prize for...

Snap Decision (Hard Spun) may be the best jumper in the country, but his next assignment will be in a flat race, Wednesday's $150,000 Colonial Cup at Colonial Downs. As trainer Jack Fisher sees it, he's got nothing to lose. While he wants to win and doesn't think that is out of the question, Fisher said one of the reasons he went into the race is that it should set his horse up for the G1 Jonathan Sheppard S., an Aug. 17 steeplechase at Saratoga. "If nothing else, this will...

With temperatures set to reach the high nineties this weekend in the Mid-Atlantic region, a number of tracks have announced adjusted schedules, but Monmouth Park officials remain confident that the Saturday card featuring the GI Haskell S. will go off as planned. "First and foremost, we are concerned about the safety of the horses and jockeys and want to make sure we do the right thing," said Dennis Drazin, who heads the management team at the Jersey Shore track. "But we've been on top of it all week and right...

With the safety of equine and human athletes in mind, and with excessive temperatures and heat indexes predicted, live racing Monday, July 25 has been cancelled at Colonial Downs. Their scheduled, featured stakes--the $150,000 Colonial Cup at 1 1/2m on turf--will now be run Wednesday, July 27 as originally drawn. Live racing resumes Tuesday, July 26 at 1:45p.m.

Colonial Downs has lowered the takeout rate on its Pick 5 wager from 22% to 12% and the bet will offer a carryover provision for the first time. The wager will have a minimum 50-cent base. The Pick 5, which will be offered on the last five races each day, will pay out 100% of its net pool to those bettors correctly selecting all five winners in the sequence. On days when nobody picks all five winners, 25% of the net pool will be paid to those who correctly selected...