NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. — Colonial Downs is gearing up for one of the biggest racing events in the history of the Commonwealth — the Virginia Derby.
The Virginia Derby is the Commonwealth's only Kentucky Derby qualifying race. This racing season, the New Kent County track will host a record 48 days of live racing, beginning with the Virginia Derby on March 14. The Colonial Downs racing season will then continue each Thursday through Sunday starting June 25 through Monday, Sept. 7.
The Virginia Equine Alliance says the expanded season is going to bring significant money to the state.
"You see the horses come out, you see the trainers putting the jockeys up in the paddock, you see the jockeys riding the horses, but the network that is connected to these horses and these owners and trainers goes much broader," Aidan Turnage-Barney, with the Virginia Equine Alliance, said. "The farriers, the horse shippers, the people who sell major farm equipment, such as tractors and stuff, it really affects the agricultural sector across the Commonwealth and expands out and affects of thousands of jobs across the Commonwealth, millions of dollars of economic benefit."
Turnage-Barney said the prize money available at some of these races has drawn the attention of top trainers, jockeys, and horses from around the country to Colonial Downs.
Karen Dennehy, who runs Eagle Point Farm in Ashland, trains racehorses and said racing at Colonial Downs has helped save her family farm.
"When I took over in 2005, there wasn't a lot of excitement," Dennehy said. "It was how are we gonna make it? How are we gonna fix our fences? How are we gonna, you know, make ends meet. There were a lot of training centers that shut down then, but with the incentive program and with this racetrack coming back the way that it has, I mean, it's amazing. I've been able to completely fix my farm up. I've been able to pay my employees better. The people that are supported by my farm is unbelievable. So right now it's in completely different times, and I mean it's very exciting times that I'm able to save my family farm."
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