Colonial Downs

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...

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...