Jill Byrne

In conjunction with BES Studios, the Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) was awarded a Telly Award in recognition of a sixty second TV commercial titled "Virginia Wins With Horses" that was submitted in the annual competition which honors excellence in video and television across all screens. The BES Studios and the VEA  received a "Silver" in the Travel & Tourism Regional TV category--the highest achievement awarded by the Telly awards judging panel, a body of over 200 executives from television networks, production companies, global agencies, immersive content studios, and streaming platforms....

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...

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...

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....

Colonial Downs Racing presented by Woodford Reserve, which kicks off its 27-day "More Racing, More Money and More Fun" Thoroughbred racing season July 11, has unveiled a $3.5-million stakes schedule highlighted by the 19th running of the GIII Virginia Derby. In all, 24 stakes will be contested over the nine-week campaign, 20 of which are scheduled for the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest grass racing surface in the country. Purses for the 2022 stakes program will increase by $850,000 over 2021 totaling over $3.5 million in stakes dollars up for...

Rick Williams has been named Safety Officer for Colonial Downs, it was announced Tuesday. Williams will begin his role when the Colonial backside opens up July 5 ahead of its summer race meet, which kicks off July 19. Williams has a diverse racing background that includes stints as a groom, jockey agent, and in several front side departments including photo finish, mutuels and track maintenance. Before retiring in 2012, he spent his prior 15 years in a regulatory position with both the Ohio and Kentucky Racing Commissions and was involved...

Nominations for the 2021 Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA) opened June 7 and will close Monday, Aug. 2. Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin is the principal sponsor of the awards in association with The Jockey Club, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA), the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and Breeders' Cup. Godolphin sponsors the Stud and Stable Staff Awards in England, Ireland, France and Australia. While the 2020 TIE Awards ceremony took place virtually, a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year's ceremonies are planned as an in-person...

A total of 25 stakes races worth more than $2.7 million will be offered at the upcoming seven-week Thoroughbred racing season at Colonial Downs--from July 19 through Sept. 1--featuring a minimum $500,000 in average daily purses and the GIII $250,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby Aug. 31. The 2021 meeting will be scheduled every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with daily first post time at 1:45 p.m. ET. All Colonial Downs races will be televised on TVG. Colonial Downs welcomes back fans to this year's 21-day meeting with free admission. "Since we...

Virginia's Colonial Downs Racetrack will host live racing this summer from July 19-Sept. 1 with premium tickets going on sale Monday, Mar. 15. General admission is free. The seven-week meet will have racing every Monday-Wednesday with a daily first post of 1:45 p.m. Colonial will award approximately $500,000 in daily purses with more than $2.75 million devoted to the stakes schedule. Opening week will see over $400,000 dispersed to Virginia-bred and restricted stakes races. Closing week offers over $1.2 million in stakes, including the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks, both...

The Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards (TIEA), presented by Godolphin, will be handed out during a virtual ceremony to be held during Breeders' Cup week, Thursday, Nov. 5. "We are excited to land on this date for the awards ceremony," said Katie LaMonica, Director of Charitable Initiatives for Godolphin USA. "It's such an exciting week in our industry and we wanted our finalists and winners to be a part of it as they are the backbone of our industry and contribute to the overall success of our sport. I would like...

The GIII Virginia Derby, the marquee event of the Colonial Downs season, highlights the New Kent oval's 2020 stakes schedule. The turf event for 3-year-olds anchors the 18-day meeting's closing day Saturday, Aug. 29. Also featured on Virginia Derby Day: the Virginia Oaks, Rosie's S. and Kitten's Joy S. The 2019 Rosie's winner Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah) went on to win the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. The 2020 season kicks off July 23 with live racing days over a six-week period will run every Thursday, Friday and...

For many, the impending return of structured racing to Virginia at Colonial Downs in New Kent evokes stirring memories of a horse culture firmly embedded in the Commonwealth's history. On a personal level, I cannot help but harken back to my days as a track and field athlete at the College of William and Mary in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, when I would routinely pair 18-mile training days with evening trips to a musty OTB down the road in Hampton to bet Penn National and Charles Town. I'd often...