Beverly D.

Colonial Downs may be wrapping up a historic 2023 season with Saturday's GIII New Kent Country Virginia Derby but several firsts paved the way this summer for brighter things to come in New Kent, VA. In addition to hosting its first Grade I races, the Arlington Million and the 'WAYI' Beverly D., Colonial welcomed a new face in the steward's stand. North Carolina native Whitney Verbal joined veterans Jack Houghton and Pat Bovenzi in making the calls Wednesday-Saturday and has been nothing but a welcome breath of fresh air in...

In the absence of Godolphin standout and GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf winner Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), the role of morning-line favorite for Saturday's feature at Virginia's Colonial Downs fell to GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational winner Atone (Into Mischief). A Godolphin-bred gelded son of leading sire Into Mischief, the Michael Maker trainee, owned by Three Diamonds Farm, put a career best 103 Beyer Speed Figure to take down Brazilian standout Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 28. He'll stretch out to 1 1/4 miles...

With continued challenges facing Churchill Downs' newly installed turf course, which has included the cancelling of a number of grass events, the Louisville track has announced the hiatus of both the $300,000 GII Secretariat S. and the $200,000 GIII Pucker Up S. Both were scheduled for Arlington Million Day next Saturday, Aug. 13, which is to be held at Churchill for the first time after the closing of Chicago's Arlington Park last year. Churchill is moving forward with plans to host the GI Arlington Million and the GI Beverly D....

The GI Mister D. S., formerly known as the Arlington Million, will be run with a purse of $600,000 Aug. 14 at Arlington Park, in what is likely to be the final year of racing at the Chicago-area plant. The Million, along with the rest of its traditional accompanying stakes, was scrapped last year due to the uncertainty surrounding racing dates and purses at the track. Renamed for longtime Arlington owner Dick Duchossois, the Mister D. will be the centerpiece of an eight-stakes card that also includes the 1 3/16-mile...

Amid uncertainty over whether or not the track will be dark in 2020 as negotiations with Churchill Downs continue, the Arlington Racing Department has released the track's 2020 Stakes Schedule. The August 15th $1-million dollar GI Arlington Million is the highlight of the 18-stakes schedule worth $3.65 million. Opening May 1, the highlight of the 68-day race meet is the International Festival of Racing where, in addition to the 1 1/4-mile Million, Arlington also hosts the 1 3/16-mile $600,000 GI Beverly D. Stakes for fillies and mares and the 1-mile $500,000 GI Secretariat Stakes for sophomores. Both the Million and the...