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A bill that would issue Secretariat License Plates has been introduced in the Virginia General Assembly. Proceeds from the plates would go to the development of the Secretariat Museum at Meadow Farm in Doswell, the place of Secretariat's birth.
Friday, January 17, 2003The Virginia Racing Commission Jan. 15 approved a five-year deal between the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and Colonial Downs, and also heard of plans for a $2-million turf festival in the state.
Thursday, January 16, 2003The Maryland Racing Commission voted unanimously Nov. 13 to approve Magna Entertainment Corp. as majority owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, turning the spotlight on Magna to begin fulfilling its promise for Maryland racing. The Preakness Stakes, second leg of the Triple Crown, is a big part of the equation.
Wednesday, November 13, 2002The Virginia Racing Commission has withheld approval of Colonial Downs' request for 2003 racing dates because it does not keep with a three-year plan prepared by the commission and the racetrack in 2001.
Thursday, October 17, 2002The Virginia track ended its meet with increases in attendance and handle.
Wednesday, July 24, 2002Fresh off of a successful weekend that included the $500,000 Virginia Derby, Colonial Downs officials updated the Virginia Racing Commission July 17 on the progress of its five-week summer meet.
Thursday, July 18, 2002Magna Entertainment has plans to transform Maryland's premier Thoroughbred racetracks into "destination entertainment centers," and apparently expand off-track wagering in the state. At this time, though, officials are reluctant to discuss details.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002It's nothing new: put up the money and they will show up to run. Colonial Downs has done that, raising the purse for Saturday's Virginia Derby to $500,000, which attracted the attention of such trainers as Bill Mott and Neil Drysdale.
Thursday, July 11, 2002In what clearly has become one of most interesting race meets in North America, Colonial Downs will kick off its 2002 season the weekend of June 21-23 with 30 races, all of them scheduled for the turf.
Wednesday, June 19, 2002With a little more than a week remaining until the start of the 2002 Thoroughbred meet, and stall assignments nearly completed, the Colonial Downs racing office is expecting more than 90 trainers to stable horses at the New Kent County, Va., racetrack.
Thursday, June 13, 2002Davy Jones, a Thoroughbred owner and former teen idol from the 1960's television classic "The Monkees," is the official spokesman for Colonial Downs in Virginia this season.
Friday, May 31, 2002The Virginia Racing Commission has approved a request that would allow Colonial Downs to become a guarantor of the debt of its parent company, Gameco. The proposal is part of a long-range plan that increases the purse of the Virginia Derby to $500,000 for at least three years.
Thursday, April 18, 2002The purse for the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs could rise to as much as $500,000 from $200,000 based on a plan presented to the Virginia Racing Commission March 20.
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Alice duPont Mills, a longtime Thoroughbred owner and breeder as well as a lifelong philanthropist, died March 13 after a brief illness. She was 83.
Dates for the sixth annual Thoroughbred meet at Virginia's Colonial Downs have been confirmed, and for the second straight season racing will occur in the summer months.
Friday, March 08, 2002An attempt to legalize account wagering and expansion of off-track betting outlets in Virginia failed by a one-vote margin on Wednesday.
Thursday, March 07, 2002Broad-based legislation on racing issues passed the House of Delegates General Laws Committee Feb. 28 after two sets of amendments were discussed. The bill patroned by Sen. Kenneth Stolle passed with a 16-3 vote late in the afternoon.
Friday, March 01, 2002The Virginia Racing Commission on Feb. 20 approved a contract between Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, and also discussed a decline in handle at off-track wagering facilities in the state.
Thursday, February 21, 2002Legislation that would remove impediments to horse racing in Virginia passed the state Senate Jan. 29. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kenneth Stolle, was approved by a 27-12 vote. It now goes to General Laws Subcommittee in the House of Delegates.
Thursday, January 31, 2002Broad legislation that removes impediments to the pari-mutuel industry cleared a Senate committee by a 7-1 vote Jan. 23. Introduced by Sen. Kenneth Stolle, the bill delegates regulatory control of racing dates, provisional licensing, and account wagering to the Virginia Racing Commission.
Thursday, January 24, 2002Colonial Downs reported to the Virginia Racing Commission on Wednesday that the plan to privatize Colonial Downs was approved Jan. 10 by shareholders of the company that owns the Virginia track and its off-track betting facilities.
Wednesday, January 16, 2002The Virginia Racing Commission may take a more active role in regulating horse racing if the recommendations of a blue-ribbon committee are implemented. The panel suggests a need for more off-track wagering facilities, elimination of a law that mandates 150 live racing dates by 2006, and addition of account wagering.
Thursday, December 20, 2001As soon as Housebuster crossed the state line, he became the leading sire in Virginia and, according to Robert Levy, perhaps the leading sire in the mid-Atlantic. For many who attended the open house at Blue Ridge Farm on Sunday, it was the first time for them to see and welcome Housebuster back to America from Japan.
Monday, December 10, 2001Colonial Downs was awarded 26 Thoroughbred dates for 2002, and the Virginia track will again race in the summer.
Wednesday, November 14, 2001At the Aug. 30 Maryland Racing Commission meeting at Ocean Downs, commissioner Terry Saxon erupted in anger over a letter from Colonial Downs president Ian Stewart in regard to the Virginia track's plan to apply for another summer meet next year.
Thursday, August 30, 2001Fresh off a successful 2001 summer meet at Colonial Downs, members of the Virginia Racing Task Force are looking forward to the 2002 Thoroughbred meet. They told the Virginia Racing Commission Wednesday they hope to race again in the summer.
Thursday, August 16, 2001Colonial Downs showed increases in attendance and handle for its first ever summer Thoroughbred meet that ended Tuesday.
Wednesday, August 08, 2001For the fifth consecutive season, Ferris Allen has won -- or at least tied for -- the leading trainer title at Colonial Downs.
Tuesday, August 07, 2001The plan to privatize Colonial Downs moved a step closer to fruition Tuesday when the Virginia Racing Commission, after a public hearing and about an hour of deliberation, voted 3-2 to allow the acquisition of Colonial Holdings Inc. by Gameco Inc.
Wednesday, July 25, 2001Only weeks before the scheduled opening of its Thoroughbred meet, Colonial Downs still hasn't secured a loan to fund purses for its summer meet. It appears, though, that track owner Jeffrey Jacobs and some horsemen are prepared to provide the funds in the interim.
Thursday, June 21, 2001In its early stages, the foal loss syndrome appeared to be contained to Kentucky.
Wednesday, May 09, 2001The Virginia Racing Commission on Monday approved a revised live racing schedule for Colonial Downs that dovetails with dates in neighboring Maryland. For next year, one racing official has floated a plan to create a three-state circuit -- Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware -- designed to capitalize on each state's assets.
Tuesday, May 01, 2001Under the plan approved Wednesday by the Maryland Racing Commission, Thoroughbreds will cease racing in the state from July 8 to Aug. 7. During that period, Colonial Downs, the track in Virginia managed by the Maryland Jockey Club, will run its 25-day meet.
Thursday, April 26, 2001There was little discussion by the Virginia Racing Commission Wednesday about the planned June-July meet at Colonial Downs even though it remains possible there could be racing in Maryland as usual during that period. Colonial Downs gets about 75% of its horses from neighboring Maryland.
Thursday, April 19, 2001In a tense meeting that exposed deep divisions within Maryland's racing community, the state racing commission on Wednesday rejected a plan for ceasing Thoroughbred racing for five weeks this summer so that horses can compete in Virginia. The commission voted 6-2 against the proposal advanced by the Maryland Jockey Club and a task force representing segments of the racing industry in Maryland and Virginia. The plan called for Pimlico and Laurel Park to close for racing from June 10 to July 14 while Colonial Downs, the struggling track near Richmond, conducted a 25-day summer Thoroughbred meet.
Thursday, March 29, 2001The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has banned horses from entering the state if they come directly or indirectly from countries where outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have occurred.
Tuesday, March 27, 2001With the first case of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Ireland, and the British government now saying the situation will last for months, the scope of the highly contagious disease continues to widen.
Monday, March 26, 2001Virginia horsemen have two weeks to secure a loan that will allow Colonial Downs to pay an average of $200,000 in purses daily during a summer meet. The two-week deadline also applies to resolving a racing dates conflict between Virginia and Maryland.
Thursday, March 22, 2001This year's Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships series will feature 30 races worth $3.125 million, and offer $550,000 in bonus money for owners and trainers.
Thursday, March 15, 2001This year's Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships series will feature 30 races worth $3.125 million, and offer $550,000 in bonus money for owners and trainers.
Thursday, March 15, 2001The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has reiterated its position that live racing shouldn't be suspended in the state in June and July, and that Colonial Downs in Virginia should continue to offer Thoroughbred racing in September and early October.
Tuesday, March 06, 2001With Colonial Downs in Virginia planning to hold its Thoroughbred meet from June 10-July 14, the Maryland Racing Commission hasn't yet awarded the customary summer dates to Laurel Park. Commission officials said the issue will be resolved at a March meeting after track officials and horsemen agree on a schedule.
Thursday, March 01, 2001The Virginia Racing Task Force believes it will obtain a loan to fund purses for the proposed spring-summer meet at Colonial Downs this year, but regulators are concerned there won't be enough money or horses to support the plan.
Thursday, February 22, 2001The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has recommended that Maryland's racetracks maintain a schedule whereby there is a shutdown in September. That throws the decision on Colonial Downs dates back to the Virginia Racing Commisssion.
Friday, January 05, 2001John and Rhonda Holland plan a multi-purpose track that would offer Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and steeplechase racing in Nelson County.
Thursday, October 19, 2000Two top officials with Colonial Downs have been subpoenaed by the Virginia Racing Commission to appear at a meeting Wednesday.
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