Nominations closed on Wednesday for the six pack of turf stakes scheduled for Virginia Derby Day on Saturday, Sept. 7, which is closing day at Colonial Downs. With $1.3
million in combined purses, the Grade 3 $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby leads the charge along with the $250,000 Woodford Reserve Virginia Oaks (Listed), $150,000 VisitRVA.com Colonial Cup, $150,000 Korbel Da Hoss, $125,000 Richmond Times-Dispatch Rosie’s Stakes, and $125,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Kitten’s Joy.
A 1-1/8 miles race over the Secretariat Turf Course, the Virginia Derby had 35 3-year-olds nominated, headlined by West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey’s multiple Grade 1 winner Carson’s Run. Trained by Christophe Clement, Carson’s Run most recently took the Saratoga Derby Invitational, bringing his career bankroll to $719,529. Also nominated is his stablemate, St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven
Duncker and Vicarage Stable’s Deterministic, a Grade 3 winner who finished third in the Saratoga Derby.
Stabled at Colonial Downs for the first time, trainer Cherie DeVaux leads all trainers with four Virginia Derby nominees, including Klein Racing’s Brilliant Berti, runner-up in the Grade 2 Secretariat, along with up-and-comers Zverev, The Process and Depiction.
Brad Cox’s trio of derby nominees includes two owned by Qatar Racing in Army Officer and West Hollywood, both upstart allowance winners, as well as Flurry Racing Stables’ Irish-bred Take Me to Church, who sports three wins overseas but has yet to race in the United States.
Forty-two 3-year-old fillies were nominated to the 1-1/8 miles Virginia Oaks, including the top five finishers in July’s Pucker Up (G3) at Ellis Park. The winner of that contest, Qatar Racing’s Waves of Mischief, is one of three nominated to the Virginia Oaks trained by Brendan Walsh. Three Diamonds Farm’s Regret (G3) winner Pin Up Betty was nominated. Trained by Mike Maker, she finished second last out to Waves of Mischief in the Pucker Up and tallies $427,365 in lifetime earnings.
Mark Casse also has three nominees, led by Gary Barber, Rocky Top Stable and LEMB Stables’ multiple stakes winner Dancing N Dixie, who touts a triumph in the Tepin, and Gary Barber’s Mo Fox Given, who exits a fourth-place finish in the Pucker Up. Also nominated was Frederick Hertrich III and John D. Fielding’s Whiskey Decision. the Arnaud Delacour-trained sophomore won the Christina Stakes and then was sent
off as the favorite last out in the Del Mar Oaks.
Exiting a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Arlington Million, Integration leads the 43 older Thoroughbreds nominated to the 1½-miles Colonial Cup. Owned by Woodford Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Pine Racing Stables, William Freeman, Michael Valdes and John Ballantyne, the Shug McGaughey trainee has two graded stakes victories on his resume, including last year’s Virginia Derby.
Stuart S. Janney, III’s homebred Limited Liability joins the list of nominees for McGaughey. Other notable Colonial Cup nominees include LFG Racing’s Grade 3 winner Anglophile, who finished third last out in the Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup, and fellow Brian Lynch trainee Highway Robber who with the score in July’s Turf Cup over his stablemate brought his career earnings to $441,013.
Last year’s winner Nobals tops the 32 nominated to the Da Hoss Stakes, a 5½-furlong dash. Trained by Larry Rivelli, Patricia’s Hope’s Nobals followed up his Da Hoss score with a victory in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1). His stablemate One Timer, owned by Richard Ravin and Patricia’s Hope, boasts five stakes victories, including the Franklin-Simpson (G2), and exits a second-place finish in the Robert S. Molaro to fellow Da Hoss nominee Southern Comfort Stable’s Mischievous Rogue.
Forty-four 2-year-olds were nominated to the 5½-furlong Rosie’s Stakes. including Case Chambers, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Skidmore Stakes (G3) champion Out On Bail. The Tiz the Law colt trained by Mike Maker beat fellow nominee Jet Sweep Joe by a head in the Skidmore, which was the Paul McEntee trainee’s second stakes placed-finish, along with the Tyro.
Going 1 1/16 miles on the grass, the Kitten’s Joy Stakes attracted 39 freshman nominees, topped by three stakes winners in Swinbank Stables’ Kentucky Juvenile winner West Memorial, Lynn Ashby and William Gotwals’ Re Markably, who exits a score in the Dover. With a maiden breaking debut score in the Keswick, Dream Big Racing’s Winfinity was nominated to both the Kitten’s Joy and the Rosie’s Stakes for trainer
John Ortiz.
The Virginia Derby Day program will have 11 races. First post is set for 1:30 p.m. ET