Reside Thoroughbred racing is having fun with a resurgence in Virginia and Colonial Downs is main the best way. The observe is about to host what can be its greatest and greatest season of stay racing in its historical past when its gates open on July 13, 2023 for a nine-week meet that may final till Sept. 9.

Colonial Downs is positioned in New Kent County, Va., alongside I-64 in between Richmond and Williamsburg. Nearly all of the guests to the world arrive by way of Richmond, which is house to the world’s main airport and is simply half an hour away. The observe opened in 1997 and raced Thoroughbred dates till 2013. After a six-year hiatus, the observe reopened in 2019 after historic horse racing (HHR) machines had been legalized in Virginia. The observe was purchased by Churchill Downs Inc. in 2022 and now is able to host its most anticipated stay race meet in years this summer time.

Attending to Know Colonial Downs

Reside racing at Colonial Downs can be contested each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all through the season, and all races on the 2023 meet can be telecast on FanDuel TV or FanDuel Racing. Colonial Downs is house to North America’s only one ¼-mile circumference primary dust observe, making it the second largest configuration within the nation. However let’s face it, Colonial Downs is synonymous with turf racing, which is contested on a 7 ½-furlong interior observe and the outer 1 1/8-mile Secretariat turf course. Over 80% of the races on the 27-day 2023 Colonial Downs meet are anticipated to be contested on the grass.

Main Race Dates

The Colonial Downs season will host 25 stakes races together with 4 graded stakes providing a complete of $5.375 million in purses. Twenty-two of the 25 stakes can be run on the grass. The observe’s signature race is the Grade 3 New Kent County Virginia Derby, which is able to headline a six-stakes closing day on Sept. 9. The purse of the Virginial Derby has been raised this yr to $500,000. The corresponding race for 3-year-old fillies, the Virginia Oaks has had its purse raised from $50,000 to $250,000 for 2023.

The massive information on the Colonial Downs stakes schedule, nevertheless, can be a trio of high-profile graded stakes that can be run at Colonial Downs for the primary time in 2023. The Arlington Million, the Beverly D. Stakes, and the Secretariat Stakes – previously run at Arlington Worldwide – will all be run at Colonial Downs this yr and are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12. The $500,000, Grade 1 Beverly D. can be part of the Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence and can be a “Win and You’re In” race for the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Observe Tendencies

Colonial Downs is thought for its turf racing and the vast majority of the races on the meet are run on the grass, with usually solely about 1-2 dust races carded on any given day. Turf sprints are run at 5 ½ furlongs on the outer turf course, whereas the overwhelming majority of the grass route races are run on the interior turf. The Colonial Downs grass programs are large and truthful and there’s little or no desire when it comes to submit positions on both turf course going both lengthy or quick.

Handicappers ought to pay attention to the observe traits when it comes to most well-liked operating types, based mostly on the outcomes from the corresponding meet run at Colonial Downs in 2022. In Colonial Downs turf sprints, 61 of 72 races run at 5 ½ furlongs had been gained by horses that raced inside 4 lengths of the early lead. Pace horses had the benefit with horses racing on or near the tempo profitable 33 of the 72 turf sprints for 46%. Stalkers racing between 1 ½ and 4 lengths off the early tempo gained 28 of 72 for 39% wins. Which means closers gained solely 15% of the turf sprints in 2022.

Turf routes alternatively are likely to play fully the other at Colonial Downs with closers holding the benefit. Nearly all of Colonial’s 108 interior turf routes had been run at both one mile or 1 1/16 miles and closers excelled at each distances. Closers racing at the least 4 lengths off the early tempo gained 46 of the 108 interior turf routes for a win share of 43%, together with 45% at one mile. Solely 10 turf routes had been run on the outer turf and people races gave the impression to be truthful to all.

On the Colonial Downs primary observe, there have been solely 11 dust route races run in 2022. Sprints are far more prevalent on the principle observe, however Colonial ran solely 42 dust sprints in 2022. Early pace horses loved an enormous edge in dust sprints, with 64% of the winners racing on or near the tempo. Stalkers gained a lot of the different races and closers racing greater than 4 lengths off the early tempo gained simply 5 of the 42 races for 12%.

Jockeys and Trainers to Watch

Purses are good, so Colonial Downs attracts quite a lot of good horsemen to compete at its nine-week summer time meet.

The defending main rider at Colonial Downs from the 2022 meet is Jevian Toledo, who led all jockeys with 25 wins from his 137 mounts for an 18% win fee. Colonial’s 2021 main rider Horacio Karamanos tied for second within the standings with 18 wins (16%) together with Leonel Reyes (15%). Different jockeys anticipated to vie for spots within the high within the standings embrace Joe Rocco Jr., (13 wins in 2022 to go together with 20 wins in 2021), Samy Camacho (14 wins in 2022), Yan Aviles (17 wins in 2022), Victor Carrasco (13 wins in 2022), and Feargal Lynch (11 wins in 2022). Jareth Loveberry can even determine prominently into the combination when he is ready to return from his current harm. Notably, Irad Ortiz Jr. rode 18 largely high-profile races at Colonial Downs in 2022 and gained 10 of them for a 56% win share, so respect his mounts when he visits the Virginia observe.

Within the coach ranks, the main coach on the 2022 Colonial Downs meet was Michael Stidham who gained 13 races from 61 starters for 21%. He edged Michael Trombetta who gained 11 races from 51 starters for 22%. A few former Arlington stalwarts, Larry Rivelli and Chris Block, are anticipated to name Colonial Downs house for 9 weeks. Rivelli gained 9 races on the 2022 meet and Block gained seven. A large assortment of nationally outstanding trainers are anticipated to have a number of starters at Colonial Downs this season led by Steve Asmussen, who gained eight races on the 2022 meet. Others to observe embrace Todd Pletcher, Graham Movement, and Shug McGaughey, who every gained three races at Colonial Downs in 2022.

Another trainers that horseplayers must be keenly conscious of based mostly on their 2022 outcomes at Colonial Downs embrace Mike Maker, who gained 5 of his 9 begins in 2022, Robert Falcone who gained 5 races from six starters, and Mary Lightner, who gained with 4 of her six starters finally yr’s meet.