*Written by Ryan Fitzmaurice for the Northern Virginia Daily, published on September 3rd, 2025.*
Harness racing in Virginia has weathered more than a century at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds. On Friday, that tradition turns a new page when state and local leaders cut the ribbon on a $2 million, 172-stall barn, a project the Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) calls a landmark step in securing the sport’s future in the state.
The ceremony takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the fairgrounds in Woodstock.
The investment highlights how Woodstock became the sport’s lifeline. When Colonial Downs, in New Kent, closed in 2014, harness racing in Virginia nearly vanished. The VEA turned to the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds, one of the last remaining vestiges of the sport in Virginia, to keep the industry alive. A decade later, Shenandoah Downs has grown from 10 race days to 28, proving the track’s importance to the sport’s survival and growth in the state.
For the past ten years, the VEA has operated pari-mutuel harness racing at Shenandoah Downs, expanding on the legacy of non-betting races long held at the fair. Darrell Wood, public relations and marketing director for the VEA, said the Woodstock track became pivotal in keeping harness racing alive.
“It was really the only fair track in Virginia,” Wood said. “A lot of other states — Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, even Canada — have many county fairs with racing, but here, Woodstock was it. It’s been a great partnership and a great way to keep harness racing going and thriving.”
The barn replaces the tents and portable stalls the VEA rented each season from a Pennsylvania company, structures that left horses and horsemen vulnerable to high winds and storms.
The decision also reflects changing economics. Rental and transportation costs for portable stalls have surged since the COVID pandemic, Wood said, and with race days growing from 10 to 28 annually, the temporary approach became less sustainable.
“Twice a year we were putting up and taking down a whole village of tents,” Wood said. “It made sense to invest in our own facility. Within a few years we’ll have recouped that investment and provided a safer environment too.”
The barn also supports the fair itself. During August, it will house up to 400 pens for cows, goats and sheep, before being converted into horse stalls for the fall meet. Its design allows for flexibility, with capacity starting at about 170 stalls.
Wood said the investment is about more than horses. It’s about strengthening Woodstock’s role on the national harness circuit, attracting stables from outside states and boosting the local economy.
“This is a heck of a structure,” Wood said. “It shows that people here care and are working to carve out a strong future for the fairgrounds and everything that happens there.”
The barn continues a pattern of reinvestment by the VEA. In 2016, according to information provided by Erica Hammett of Commonwealth PR, the group spent nearly $800,000 to widen and upgrade the track surface, allowing larger racing fields that meet national standards. Now, with both Colonial Downs and Shenandoah Downs thriving, Wood said the sport is on an upward trajectory in Virginia.
“This is a big step. I think we’ll get notice locally and even in national publications,” Wood said. “People will be saying, ‘Look what they’re doing in Woodstock, Virginia.’”
Friday’s ceremony will feature remarks from Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matt Lohr, state Sen. Timmy French, R-Woodstock, and VEA Executive Director Jeb Hannum, among others. For Wood, the day marks both celebration and momentum.
“This might not be a culmination but it’s another landmark. A big stepping stone driving everything forward,” Wood said. “We’re hoping the lure of the Shenandoah Valley and Woodstock grows with each project we do. The more people talk about it and travel here, the more racing becomes a part of their annual trip, something they share with friends — and it just mushrooms from there.”
