The following appeared in the Daily Racing Form and was written by Marcus Hersh Million-dollar Virginia- bred earner Gigante returned $3.80 in winning the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday December 21. Even chasing a loose leader who set a slow pace, Fair Grounds-turf-loving Gigante proved too much for the opposition in the […]
Author: Darrell Wood
Virginia Horse Owner Adam Ainspan’s Pair of $500,000 Stakes Wins Came with a Thoroughbred and a Standardbred
When retired Virginia small animal veterinarian Adam Ainspan purchased his first racehorse 22 years ago, he most likely had a dream — as any new owner would — to someday win a stakes race say, with a $500,000 purse. That dream turned into reality for Ainspan on August 31, 2023 when his thoroughbred horse Harlan […]
Virginia Jump Meets Help National Steeplechase Association Achieve Banner Year in 2024
Based on the recent success of running several National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned races at Virginia’s spring Point-to-Point meets the past couple years, that strategy will continue and even expand in 2025 according to NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo. “We’ve had a good experience at the Old Dominion and Blue Ridge meets and will […]
Boston, Virginia-Bred Hall of Fame Thoroughbred Horse, Recognized with Historical Highway Marker in Henrico County
Boston, a Hall of Fame Virginia-bred thoroughbred horse, was feted December 1 at Historic Tuckahoe in Henrico County with a historical highway marker dedication that recognizes his prominence in the racing world. The marker was recently installed near his foaling location in the county along the westbound lanes of Route 6, at 10400-10402 Patterson Avenue. The […]
Ken Brown Retires as Track Superintendent for Maryland Jockey Club
Danny Finke Named Interim Track Superintendent In addition to working at the Maryland Jockey Club, Ken Brown played a big role in Virginia horse racing as well. Most recently, he was a dirt track consultant at the New Kent track from 2019-2023 and back in the late ’90’s, worked on construction of the 1 1/4-miles […]
2025 Colonial Downs Racing Schedule Approved at Dec. 3 VRC Meeting
Schedule includes three-day Virginia Derby meet in March Racing dates for an expanded 2025 season at Colonial Downs were approved today by the Virginia Racing Commission. The 44-day schedule starts with a special three-day Virginia Derby meet from March 13 through March 15 followed by the traditional summer meet from July 9 through September 13. The […]
Brooksforreal Wins Ninth Race in a Row & Prevails in $90,975 Virginia Breeders 2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Championship at Shenandoah Downs
Kelsey Wagner’s Brooksforreal won his ninth straight race in wire-to-wire fashion and track record time Sunday in the $90,975 Virginia Breeder’s divisional championship for 2-Year-Old Colt & Gelding pacers at Shenandoah Downs. A total of eight Breeder’s titles for 2 and 3-year-olds were contested with $720,265 in purse money on the line. Trainer John Wagner’s […]
Virginia Breeders’ $720,625 Championship Day Card Set for Sunday October 27 at Shenandoah Downs
Fields for the 27th annual Virginia’s Breeders Championships are set for this Sunday October 27th at Shenandoah Downs and will help usher out the fall racing season in Woodstock. Eight divisional championships featuring 2 and 3-year-old pacers and trotters of both sexes will be carded on the front end of the 14-race card and run […]
Former Baseball Player/Coach Michael Dailey Wins First Pari-Mutuel Harness Race as a Driver at Shenandoah Downs
Michael Dailey, fresh off a thirty-year career in baseball at the professional, college and high school levels — and just six months removed from finishing third in the Virginia Harness Horse Association’s (VHHA) “Own a Horse for a Day” promotion —completed a successful transition to harness racing professionally when he collected his first pari-mutuel driving […]
Lou’s Starr Authors New Shenandoah Downs Track Record for 2-Year-Olds
Daniel Chansky’s Lou’s Starr authored a new speed record for two-year-olds at Shenandoah Downs Saturday when the Sweet Lou colt pacer crossed in 1:53 2/5 under the direction of Fern Paquet Jr. The Scott Warnick trainee has dominated in all three of his Woodstock starts this fall though Saturday’s was the first in wire-to-wire fashion. […]
