~ Exclusive seating options and experiences unveiled for Virginia’s first-ever Kentucky Derby qualifying race including limited General Admission tickets at fan-friendly prices ~

NEW KENT, Va. (January 8, 2025)—Colonial Downs Racetrack today unveiled a series of special ticket and experience packages for the Virginia Derby on March 15 including a limited number of General Admission tickets now available at the fan-friendly price of just $5. Additional seating, ticket, and experience options have been created especially for this historic day of racing on the Road to the Kentucky Derby including special trackside seats and boxes, the Trackside Dining Pavilion and Lounge, the Homestretch Derby Party Tent, and an elevated experience in the elegant Colonial Downs Jockey Club.

All tickets are now on sale at www.ColonialDowns.com. Quantities are extremely
limited, so fans are encouraged to buy their tickets today.

“We are pulling out all the stops to make this historic Virginia Derby an unforgettable experience for Virginia race fans,” said Frank Hopf, Senior Director of Racing Operations at Colonial Downs. “Whether you’re looking for a premium experience in the jockey club, a great time in the trackside party tent, or a general admission ticket to experience the thrill of racing along the rail, we have ticket options to make this a great day at the races. Just like our horses, these tickets are going to go fast so get yours today!”

This will be a historic day of racing as the Virginia Derby will serve for the first time ever as a Kentucky Derby qualifier race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with the winning horse securing a spot in the field for the 151st Kentucky Derby at historic Churchill Downs on May 3, 2025. All ticketed guests will receive a special commemorative keepsake to remember this momentous day in Virginia racing.

For this special day of racing, a limited supply of 5,000 general admission tickets
will be available for the fan-friendly price of just $5.

Colonial Downs is also offering unique ticketing options exclusively for the Virginia
Derby including:
Apron Box Seats and Group Packages

• Reserved trackside table and seating for six – Price: $300/box; Can be purchased in increments of 1, 2, 4, or 6 boxes; Amenities: Convenient access to food, beverage, and wagering locations and a viewing area along the rail.
• Trackside Pavilion Dining and Lounge – Premium trackside table with seating for eight and access to covered lounge area; Price: $680/table; Amenities: Exclusive buffet included, full cash bar, easy access to wagering locations, viewing area along the rail and bleacher seating
• Jockey Club
• Bar High Seats: $75/person including premium buffet and full cash bar; Seats assigned at check-in; Viewing area in the front of the High Rollers Bar and access to wagering locations
• Tables for Two, Four, or Six: $95/person including premium buffet and full cash bar; Tables assigned at check-in; Direct views of the races and access to wagering locations
• Tables for Eight: $600/table including premium buffet and full cash bar; Tables assigned at check-in; Viewing area in the front of the High Rollers Bar and access to wagering locations.
• For the 2025 race season, Colonial Downs will host a special March meet with races
  on Thursday, March 13, Friday, March 14, and culminating with the Virginia Derby
  Day on Saturday, March 15. Derby day will feature at least ten races beginning at
  noon and culminating in the Virginia Derby later that afternoon. This special three-day spring race event is part of a 44-day race season at Colonial Downs that will run
  from Thursday, March 13 to Saturday, March 15 and continue with 41 days of live
  racing each Wednesday through Saturday from July 9 through September 13 with a
  special day of racing on Labor Day, Monday, September 1. The season will include the
  annual Colonial Downs Festival of Racing on Saturday, August 9 featuring a slate of
  high-profile graded stakes races.
  

Horse racing dates and events for the 2025 calendar year in Virginia are set and include a healthy combination of thoroughbred, standardbred and steeplechase competitions that will be held at venues across the Commonwealth. 

The season kicks off March 1 with the Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point (PTP) meet at The Hill in Boston, Virginia and concludes November 1 with the Montpelier Hunt Races at James Madison’s homestead in Montpelier Station. In between, six more spring Point-to-Points will be conducted — three of which feature a sprinkling of National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned jump races — in addition to six full NSA sanctioned jump meets.

Following Rappahannock’s kickoff event, the PTP schedule continues with the Warrenton Hunt PTP March 15 at the Airlee Race Course, the Piedmont Fox Hounds PTP March 22 at the Salem Course in Upperville, the Old Dominion Hounds PTP April 5 at the Ben Venue Farm in Ben Venue, the Blue Ridge Hunt PTP April 12 at the Woodley Farm in Berryville, the Loudoun Hunt PTP April 20 at Morven Park in Leesburg, and the Middleburg Hunt PTP April 27 at Glenwood Park. The first five PTP’s are on Saturdays and the last two fall on Sundays. Information on these meets can be found at centralentryoffice.com.      

“We’ve had a good experience running sanctioned steeplechase races at the Old Dominion and Blue Ridge meets and will be adding the Loudoun Hunt Meet at Morven Park to the mix this year,” said NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo. “We thought it would be good to reach out to Point-to-Point meets that were well established and had good racecourses that were safe to race over and give them a chance to expand their racing opportunities. We refer to them as hybrid meets now since they include regulated NSA sanctioned races and other races they traditionally have run that are not regulated. These mixed meets give Point-to-Points a bit more validity and substance.”

A trio of one-day NSA sanctioned jump meets will also be held in spring with another four-pack of events scheduled in fall. The Middleburg Spring Races are slated for April 19 at Glenwood Park followed by the Foxfield Spring Races April 26 in Charlottesville and the 100^th running of the Virginia Gold Cup Races on May 3. Autumn’s docket includes the Foxfield Fall Races October 5, Middleburg Fall Races on October 11, International Gold Cup card on October 25 and the 90^th running of the Montpelier Hunt Races a week later.     

“Montpelier had their strongest race card ever in 2024 and had the biggest crowd that I’ve ever seen there,” noted Gallo. “And Foxfield put a tremendous amount of effort into their course and are presenting themselves beautifully with major renovations and increased purses.” 

Two major additions to the Virginia steeplechase stakes schedule that debuted in 2024 will continue in 2025 — the Grade 1 Colonial Cup, which was run during the spring Gold Cup card, and the Grade 1 Will Allison Stakes, which was contested during fall’s International Gold Cup card. The pair represented the first Grade 1 steeplechase stakes ever to appear on the Commonwealth’s calendar.  Additional meet details are available at nationalsteeplechase.com.   

A total of 44 pari-mutuel thoroughbred race days at Colonial Downs in New Kent were approved by the Virginia Racing Commission at its December meeting and include two separate meets for the first time ever. A new three-day spring meet will debut March 13 -15 and feature dirt racing only, including the $500,000 Virginia Derby, to be followed by a 41-day summer stand from July 9 – September 13. 

The Virginia Derby, now a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will transition to the dirt after 21 years on turf and highlight the spring session on March 15. Another feature at the spring meet is the $250,000 Virginia Oaks, which is now a Kentucky Oaks points race. The winning horse in each race will receive 50 points toward the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby or Oaks respectively. The second- through fifth-place finishers will earn 25-15-10-5 points on a sliding scale. Post time will be 12:30 PM on Thursday and Friday and 12 Noon Saturday for the Virginia Derby card. 

The expanded summer thoroughbred schedule will feature racing four days per week, Wednesday through Saturday, with a post time of 12:30 PM except Fridays when twilight cards start at 4 PM. Racing also will be offered on Labor Day, Monday, September 1. Sundays will serve as a make-up day for any cards that are cancelled during the meet. 

Colonial’s “Festival of Racing” and its three graded stakes — the G1 Arlington Million, G2 Beverly D and G2 Secretariat — is slated for Saturday, August 9 and will have a special 12 Noon post time. Racing also will start at Noon on Saturday, September 6 for a stakes-laden card that will replace the former Virginia Derby program — which had traditionally been held toward meet’s end. Steeplechase races will also be mixed in throughout the campaign as well. More details are at colonialdowns.com.

A pair of seven-week pari-mutuel standardbred meets totaling 28 race days will be held at Shenandoah Downs in Woodstock, pending VRC approval. The spring campaign will extend from April 26 – June 8 while the tenth annual fall season will run from September 13 – October 26. Four additional non-wagering harness cards will be contested during the Shenandoah County Fair from August 27-30. 

First post is scheduled for 1:05 PM every Saturday and Sunday at the historic Shenandoah County Fairgrounds which has hosted pacers and trotters on its half mile oval for 105 years. Key stakes include a round of eight Virginia Breeder’s championship races for 2- and 3-year-olds, each with a purse of $80,000-plus, and four Virginia Sired Stakes races for 2-year-olds with a $60,000-plus purse. More harness racing details are available at shenandoahdowns.com.  

Information on Virginia’s overall horse racing and breeding industry can be found at virginiahorseracing.com.