Made the top two choices in the morning line, Deterministic and Grand Mo the First headline a competitive field of 12 entered in the Grade 3 $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby, one of six turf stakes on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs. Both qualified for Kentucky Derby 150, and both have transitioned to grass for the second half of their 3-year-old campaigns.
The local derby, at 1-1/8 miles over the Secretariat Turf Course, is scheduled as race 10 of the 12-race New Kent County Virginia Derby Day program, which is seeded with $1.3 million in stakes purses. Next year, as a 50-point race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Virginia Derby will transition to the dirt track and be held on March 15, 2025, anchoring a new spring meet at Colonial Downs.
After running fifth in the Peter Pan (G3), St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable’s Deterministic has run twice on the lawn. The Gotham (G3) winner trained by Christophe Clement rallied to finish ¾ lengths shy of Neat for a second-place finish in the Manila (G3). One of three Virginia Derby entrants who exit the Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), including Fulmineo and Izzy d’Oro, Deterministic again demonstrated his ability to produce a late bid on the grass to finish third. Tabbed as the 3-1 morning line favorite, the Liam’s Map colt will receive the services of Manny Franco.
When the connections of Deterministic decided not to run in Kentucky Derby 150, it opened a spot in the starting gates for Granpollo Stable’s Grand Mo the First, who had earned his qualifying points running third in both the Florida Derby (G1) and Tampa Bay Derby (G3). After his Run for the Roses, trainer Victor Barbosa Jr. returned the Uncle Mo colt to the turf for his next start, and Grand Mo the First triumphed in the Bear’s Den at Gulfstream Park in August. Paco Lopez gets the call aboard the 4-1 second choice in the morning line.
Two up-and-comers who add to the intrigue in the Virginia Derby include Belladonna Racing, Peachtree Stable, Twin Brook Stables and West Point Thoroughbreds’ Zverev, who finished three lengths back last out in the Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga for Cherie DeVaux and 100% Racing Stable’s Herchee, who is a perfect two-for-two for trainer Helen Pitts.
Here is the complete field for the $500,000 Virginia Derby (G3) from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line: Herchee (Edgar Morales, Pitts, 5-1); Grand Mo the First (Lopez, Barbosa Jr., 4-1); Deterministic (Franco, Clement, 3-1); Izzy d’Oro (David Cohen, Blake Kelly, 30-1); Frontline Warrior (Vincent Cheminaud, Shug McGaughey, 30-1); In a Jam (Mychel Sanchez, Mark Casse, 6-1); Desvio (Ben Curtis, Madison Meyers, 8-1); Massif (Sheldon Russell, Brittany Russell, 30-1); Echo Lane (Antonio Gallardo, Rohan Crichton, 15-1); Oscar’s World (Martin Garcia, Brian Lynch, 12-1); Fulmineo (Victor Carrasco, Arnaud Delacour, 15-1); Zverev (Jorge Ruiz, DeVaux, 10-1).
