Colonial Downs will host an expanded 44 days of live racing in 2025, led off by a special three-day Virginia Derby meet from Mar. 13 through Mar. 15, followed by the track's traditional summer meet from July 9 through Sept. 13.
The $500,000 Virginia Derby, a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will transition to the dirt and be held Mar. 15, anchoring a new three-day spring meet which will also include the $250,000 Virginia Oaks, a Kentucky Oaks points race. The winning horse in each race will receive 50 points to the GI Kentucky Derby or the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, respectively. The second- through fifth-place finishers will earn 25-15-10-5 points on a sliding scale.
Colonial Downs' summer schedule expands to 41 days for 2025, with racing Wednesday through Saturday. Racing will also be offered on Labor Day, Sept. 1.
The Colonial Downs Festival of Racing and its three graded stakes races is slated for Aug. 9.
“We're excited to bring Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks qualifying races to Virginia for the first time in 2025,” Senior Director of Operations Frank Hopf said. “We look forward to an outstanding 2025 season with participation from horsemen not only from Virginia, but also from throughout the Mid-Atlantic as we expand our summer dates.”
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