The M. Tyson Gilpin, Jamestown and Punch Line Stakes will be contested at 5 1/2 furlongs while the Brookmeade and Bert Allen Stakes will be run at the 1 1/16th miles distance.

Dare To Dream Stables’ Embolden headlines a 14-horse field in the Punch Line Stakes scheduled as Race 8, final Virginia-bred event on the card. The 3-year-old The Factor gelding is fresh off a pair of Grade 3 efforts at Keeneland and Saratoga. In his prior race, the Michael Stidham trainee finished second in the Edward P. Evans Stakes and in 2019, wired the field in capturing the Jamestown Stakes. Trevor McCarthy will ride Embolden, who was bred by Nancy Terhune and Ernest Frohboese.

Embolden wins the 2019 Jamestown Stakes for 2-year-olds over the Colonial turf. Photo by Coady Photography.

The pair also bred Reform School, a 3-year-old Munnings colt who will compete in the Punch Line and is coming off an allowance win at Charles Town last month. In ten life starts, the Crystal Pickett trainee has finished in the top three eight times. Sheldon Russell has the mount.

Twin Creeks Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Largent looks to add to an already impressive 2020 campaign in the Bert Allen Stakes. The Todd Pletcher trainee has three wins and a pair of runner-ups so far from five starts including a victory in the Edward P. Evans Stakes July 20 at Colonial. In seven outings, the 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has never finished worse than second. He was bred by Lazy Lane Farms and will have Trevor McCarthy up top.

Largent wins the 2020 Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial Downs July 29. Photo by Coady Photography.

Paul Hirsimaki’s Divine Interventio, winner of $354,644, makes his first Virginia-bred stakes start in the Bert Allen. The 7-year-old Malibu Moon gelding has 43 career outs and 27 “in-the-money” finishes. The Hugh McMahon trainee was bred by the William Backer Revocable Estate and will be ridden by Katie Davis.

Morgan Ford Farms’ River Deep is also in the field. The 6-year-old Arch gelding won the Hansel and Bert Allen Stakes in 2018 and the Evans last year, but has struggled in 2020. He recently prepped in the Blue Ridge Hunt’s Woodley Cup feature September 19 in Berryville and defeated five others at a one-mile distance. Sheldon Russell, who has ridden River Deep in all three of his stakes wins, will be aboard again.

Divine Interventio pushed his bankroll close to the $300,000 mark with a win March 16, 2019 win at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Eagle Point Farms’ What The Beep looks to make it two straight in Virginia-bred stakes company when she faces a field of five other fillies and mares in the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes. The 5-year-old Great Notion mare won Colonial’s Camptown Stakes by one length July 29 with Forest Boyce in the irons. She was also up top when What The Beep won the ’18 Gilpin edition and will ride again Friday for trainer Karen Dennehy Godsey.

What The Beep captured the $100,000 Tyson Gilpin Stakes last August at Colonial Downs. Photo by Coady Photography.

Country Life Farms’ Bella Aurora is one of six fillies and mares in the Brookmeade Stakes field. In nine starts, the Michael Trombetta trainee has competed in six stakes including a win in the Gin Talking last December at Laurel. The 3-year-old Carpe Diem filly finished second in the ’19 Jamestown and third in this year’s Camptown. Bella Aurora was bred by Morgan’s Ford Farm and will be ridden by Julian Pimentel.

Competition could come from Newtown Anner Stud’s Tasting the Stars, who has only five lifetime starts. The Michael Stidham conditioned filly appeared in the ’19 Virginia Oaks at Colonial. The 4-year-old daughter of Bodemeister was off for a year and just returned with a fifth in the Twixt Stakes September 5 at Laurel. She was bred by Audley Farm Equine and will be ridden by Trevor McCarthy.

Bella Aurora (#4) was best in the 2019 Gin Talking Stakes at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

The Jamestown Stakes for 2-year-olds attracted a field of seven including a pair who broke their maiden this summer. Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser’s Kenny Had a Notion won a tight maiden special weight at Delaware July 30 and most recently, finished sixth in the First State Dash Stakes. The Great Notion gelding was bred by Althea Richards. Rashid’s Thoroughbred Racing and Kingdom Bloodstock’s Cool Enough captured a $20,000 maiden claimer in New Kent August 5, wiring the field after the race was moved to the dirt track. The Tamarkuz filly was bred by Morgan’s Ford Farm. Jorge Ruiz and Forest Boyce have the respective mounts.

The Bert Allen and Punch Line Stakes are each included in Friday’s Stronach Pick-5 wager that features a $100,000 guaranteed pool.

Virginia racing enthusiasts can wager the action at any Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, VA-Horseplay Off Track Betting Center or online at TVG.com, Xpressbet.com, Twinspires.com and NYRABets.com.

Online betting handle on horse racing continues to surge in Virginia as handle figures through the first eight months of 2020 were announced. The overall handle through August was $91,903,837 compared with $62,223,376 in 2020, good for an astonishing 47.7% increase.

Top handle producer of the four Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies licensed in Virginia was TVG, whose $48,818,924 handle represents a 62.8% gain over last year. In August alone, they accepted $7,790,255 in bets, the third most ever recorded in a single month by an ADW partner. For the year, TVG is averaging $200,077 in bets per day, the highest figure ever attained.

Twinspires was next with $26,591,715, a 22.65% increase over last year’s $21,681,171.  Xpressbet experienced a 46.80% percent boost while accepting $12,1467,624 in wagers so far this year compared with $8,275,182 in 2019. NYRABets, newest of the four online partners, showed a 90.53% increase with a handle of $4,345,574 versus $2,280,733 a year ago.

Separating the breeds, thoroughbred racing has experienced a 52.83% gain from ADW handle while harness racing, which was slower to rebound after the Covid-pandemic first hit in mid-March, is up 7.70%.

Looking ahead, September’s numbers could be strong. The Kentucky Derby was held early in the month and five more Grade I stakes are still on tap including a trio from Santa Anita on the 26th — the $300,000 American Pharoah, $300,000 Awesome Again and $300,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes. Top harness stakes include the $700,00 Little Brown Jug on September 24.

Looking farther ahead, the Preakness — -this year’s third leg of the Triple Crown — is slated for October 3. In addition to ten other stakes that Pimlico has scheduled on the Preakness under card, Keeneland has three Grade I’s the same afternoon and Belmont has two. The Shadwell Turf Mile, First Lady Stakes and Claiborne Breeders Futurity are in Kentucky and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and Belmont Derby Invitational are in New York.

In addition to the four online betting sites, racing fans can also wager in person at any Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Richmond, New Kent, Vinton and Hampton, and at any VA-Horseplay OTB in Henrico (Breakers Sports Grille), Chesapeake (Buckets Bar & Grill) and Collinsville (The Windmill OTB & Sports Grill).

Established in 1922, the Virginia Gold Cup race meet in May attracts about 50,000 spectators, making it Fauquier County’s largest event.

The following appeared in Fauquier Now September 13, 2020 and was written by Don Del Rosso.

I’m confident we’ll go back somewhat closer to the old Gold Cup — that racing will have the usual, wonderful people come who love to cheer the horses.— Virginia Gold Cup Association President Will Allison

Faced with severe revenue challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Virginia Gold Cup Association took unprecedented steps to salvage this year’s spring and fall steeplechase meets at Great Meadow near The Plains.

In March, VGCA board shut its office at 90 Main St. in Warrenton and later decided it would leave the storefront space to help reduce overhead costs.

A month later, the cash-strapped nonprofit group laid off its four-member paid staff.

“The COVID-19 epidemic shattered the financial position of the Virginia Gold Cup for 2020,” VGCA President Will Allison explained. “We were not allowed to sell the things we usually do to raise money” — most importantly admission tickets but also sponsorships to help support the spring steeplechase meet at the 374-acre course in Northern Fauquier.

Though the state’s social distancing mandates prohibited spectators, the organization still conducted the Virginia Gold Cup race meet, which dates to 1922, on June 27 — eight weeks later than normal.

VGCA ultimately refunded about $1 million in ticket sales money because spectators couldn’t attend the event, said Dr. Allison, a Warrenton dentist.

But the “generosity” of the Virginia Equine Alliance and the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association allowed the VGCA to hold the June races, he said.

The two organizations combined gave the VGCA $302,000 to fund the June meet’s purses, operational expenses and rent of Great Meadow, according to board Vice President Al Griffin, a Warrenton orthodontist.

VEA and VHPA get their revenue from a percentage of Virginians’ online bets on horseracing. The Gold Cup purses help support the state’s struggling horse industry.

“We couldn’t have (conducted the June 27 meet) without them,” Dr. Allison said of the two groups.

The spring and fall races last year produced $2.3 million in revenue, with expenses of $2.4 million, according the organization’s 2019 audit. The VGCA closed that gap using donations.

About 50,000 people attend the Virginia Gold Cup meet each spring — Fauquier’s largest event. The International Gold Cup races, which will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, at Great Meadow, normally attracts about 30,000.

Because of the pandemic, no spectators will be permitted to attend the fall races, Dr. Allison said.

But the Gold Cup association expects VEA and VHPA ultimately to contribute $250,000 to cover the vast majority of the fall race’s costs, said Dr. Griffin, who also serves as president of the National Steeplechase Association, which represents seven states along the East Coast, including Virginia.

VGCA ordinarily pays Great Meadow $250,000 per year to rent the property for the spring and fall meets.

But because the pandemic effectively stopped VGCA from generating revenue, the Great Meadow Foundation this year agreed to charge the association $125,000, Dr. Allison said.

“They’ve been very understanding,” he said.

The Gold Cup Association staff had occupied the Main Street storefront since 1975, according Dr. Allison.

It pays $2,300 on a month-to-month basis, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Allison continues to look for less expensive quarters.

VGCA has “around” $20,000 in the bank, he said.

“Every year — and I’ve been here since 1985 — sometimes we have a little excess” cash after the fall races, he explained. “Most of the time, we’re short. So, we always have to borrow” to pay expenses related to the next year’s spring meet.

The association recently learned The Fauquier Bank will extend it a $100,000 line-of-credit for that purpose, Dr. Allison said. The association plans to repay the loan with spring 2021 race revenue.

The board president remains “confident” that next spring’s races will include spectators, which means ticket, sponsorship and other revenue will return.

“We think certainly, by the turn of the new year, we’ll have a (COVID-19) vaccine,” Dr. Allison said. “We’ll have different restrictions, but I don’t think (the state) will impose” a 1,000-person cap on attendance.

He added: “Gold Cup’s outside. It has natural distancing. So those are favorable things. I’m confident we’ll go back somewhat closer to the old Gold Cup — that racing will have the usual, wonderful people come who love to cheer the horses.”

The pandemic and other factors have caused VGCA’s board to re-evaluate its business model, Dr. Griffin explained.

“What this pandemic has done has forced us to change and modify our way of doing business,” he said. “This is not just Gold Cup. It’s every race meet in America.”

For example, he believes livestreaming meets, which VGCA did last year, shows great promise.

“I think it has the opportunity to create (advertising) revenue for the sport,” he said. “It also increases the sport’s presence.”

Underscoring the importance of making more “efficient” use of resources, Dr. Griffin noted that major sporting events predominantly rely on “electronic” rather than over-the-counter sale of tickets.

“Less than 3 percent of our ticket sales were walk-in,” he said. “And so, we no longer need that (office) space. We don’t do business the same way that we used to 20 years ago. So that expenditure could be placed much better in our budget.”

VGCA will re-staff the operation, but “it’s too soon” to say how that would work, Dr. Griffin said.

Of all the association’s budget-slashing moves, layoffs proved the hardest, according to the two board leaders.

“They were well aware of our situation,” Dr. Allison said of the staff. “They realized we had no money for salaries, and we encouraged them to apply for unemployment. If you’re not selling tickets and setting up tents and all the things of a regular Gold Cup, there’s nothing to do.”

But, “It’s just enough to make you cry. They’ve been wonderful friends and help mates.”

Dr. Griffin called VGCA’s prospects “very positive.”

“We have been one of the very few race meets in America that have been able to actually run,” he said. “We were one of two in the spring. The other race meets — for various reasons — be it health restrictions or financial restrictions — could not run.”

On September 9, the annual $22,500 Thoroughbred Yearling Futurity took place at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. Owners and breeders of Virginia-Bred and Virginia-Certified horses competed in three categories, and the top two in each advanced to a final round where Grand Champion and Reserve Champion honors are awarded.

The judge for this year’s Futurity was Rick Abbott, a former longtime Pennsylvania bloodstock agent who along with his wife Dixie, had a successful sales consignment business.

Though the Covid-pandemic limited some additonal activities that normally take place at the Futurity, the event saw a great turnout of horses. Here are some photos of the scene/vibe: