The following was written by Frank Vespe and appeared in “The Racing Biz” June 6th. Larry Johnson is a Virginia thoroughbred horse breeder and owner whose Legacy Farm is based in in Bluefield, VA. His Future Is Now, a 4-year-old Great Notion filly, broke his maiden at Colonial Downs last August and will compete in the Grade 2 Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga June 7th. Johnson also bred Mindframe, 7-2 second favorite in Saturday’s $2 million Belmont Stakes! Frank Vespe’s article follows:

“It ain’t a science,” Larry Johnson laughed about breeding racehorses. 

Maybe not. But he said that a few days before Saturday’s Grade 1 Belmont Stakes – to be run at Saratoga this year and next – in which Mindframe, a horse he bred, is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. The Belmont will be one day after Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now tries to live up to her name in the Grade 2 Intercontinental as the third choice.

Which comes two weeks after Future Is Now won Pimlico’s The Very One, in which another Johnson homebred, Hollywood Walk – who is a half to Mindframe – finished third. Also that weekend, yet another Johnson homebred, Call Another Play, finished third, just missing second, in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan. All are Maryland-breds.

Maybe it’s not a science, in other words, but it sure is a business where it pays to be in the right place at the right time.

“It’s a great ride,” Johnson said. “I don’t do this to necessarily make money. I try not to lose money. But it’s weeks like this: if this doesn’t get you going, you really ought to just go into hibernation someplace.”

Johnson sold Mindframe as a yearling, and he fetched a top bid of $600,000 from Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables. They sent him to trainer Todd Pletcher, and while Mindframe remained unraced – and even unnamed – until the first quarter of his three-year-old season, he’s made up for some lost time with two wins by a combined 20-plus lengths.

Remarkably enough, the Constitution colt, who’s raced only twice and whose top victory came in a first-level allowance, is 7-2 on the morning line for Saturday’s Belmont. That’s lower than either the Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan (5-1), or the Preakness winner Seize the Grey (8-1). Sierra Leone is the 9-5 favorite.

“My gut tells me it’s not just [trainer Todd] Pletcher [that accounts for his short odds]. It’s the brilliance that he shows,” Johnson surmised. “The way in which Mindframe ran his two races, if your project out a little bit, is brilliant. So I think there is a lot of projection going on with him.”

Mindframe is out of the Street Sense mare Walk of Stars, who won five times in her career and earned over $150,000. Among those wins were a victory in Charles Town’s Pink Ribbon Stakes and a maiden score by 30 ¼ lengths – that’s not a typo – at Timonium.

Walk of Stars has had four offspring to race, including Mindframe and the stakes-placed Hollywood Walk, who may very well become a stakes winner before the end of the turf season. By Animal Kingdom, the five-year-old mare’s third-place finish in The Very One was her best performance to date. Her value is teetering on the brink of a major increase.

For Johnson, a forensic accountant by trade, the breeding of Mindframe may not have been scientific, but it is the result – and may become the pinnacle of – a family he’s been building literally for decades. All the way back in 1986, he and James Kehoe bred Ran’s Chick to Parfaitement – Deputed Testamony’s entrymate in the 1983 Preakness – to produce Special Kell.

Special Kell won a stake for Johnson, and later he bred her to Star de Naskra, a combination that produced the four-time winner Star Kell. Bred to Street Sense, she produced Walk of Stars, the dam of Mindframe.

An overnight success nearly 40 years in the making, you might say.

Speaking of which: the last Maryland-bred Triple Crown race winner was Caveat, who won the 1983 Belmont, three weeks after Deputed Testamony won the Preakness while coupled to Parfaitement. That’s a streak Mindframe will try to snap Saturday.

“Whether it’s sisters or nieces or mother, it all goes back Ran’s Chick and the foal she had, Special Kell,” Johnson said. “Special Kell has just been phenomenal. She’s the great-granddam of Future Is Now, and the granddam of Mindframe. If he would achieve Grade 1 success, the influence it would have on the pedigrees of so many of my horses… it’s just overwhelming “

Walk of Stars is a half-sister to the multiple graded-placed Strike the Moon, whose wins included the 2011 Charles Town Oaks, in which she defeated the great distaff sprinter Groupie Doll. That pedigree, plus her own racing success – and Johnson’s ownership of a share of Constitution – made breeding Walk of Stars to Constitution, a multiple Grade 1 winner by Tapit, a logical decision.

Early returns, of course, are promising, so Johnson sent the mare back to Constitution for a late cover this spring. He expects to learn in the next couple of weeks whether she’s pregnant.

The story’s similar with Future Is Now. She’s by Great Notion, out of the Bernardini mare Past as Prelude. The winless Past as Prelude was out of the unraced Meadowlake mare Magical Meadow, who in turn was out of… wait for it… Special Kell.

Future Is Now showed early promise, scuffled a bit, and then really began to come around this winter at Gulfstream Park, winning an allowance race impressively before running a good second in the Captiva Island behind 7-10 favorite Stone Silent. Shipped back north to Laurel, she finished fifth against the boys in the King T. Leatherbury before winning The Very One.

Future Is Now is 8-1 on the morning line in the Intercontinental, which makes her the third choice. Pennsylvania-bred Roses for Debra, undefeated when sprinting on the turf against distaffers, is the 6-5 morning line choice.

All in all, it could make for quite a weekend, though Johnson will not be in Saratoga to witness it. “Too complicated and congested,” he said, so instead he’ll have a watch party at his Northern Virginia farm.

And though a win by Future Is Now would be no mean feat, Johnson’s eyes are pointed towards Saturday.

“Right now I’m trying to do a little work, but all I can think about is the race call on Saturday,” he laughed, imagining Mindframe drawing away to victory. “Who knows? But Saturday at 6:45 can’t get here quick enough.”

The following appeared in the Paulick Report June 6, 2024.

Centennial Farms will look to double their tally in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets when they send out Antiquarian in Saturday’s 10-furlong test for 3-year-olds, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase will look to follow in the footsteps of Centennial’s 1993 Belmont Stakes-winner Colonial Affair. He was conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Scotty Schulhofer and ridden to victory by future Hall of Famer Julie Krone, who became the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown race.

Antiquarian graduated at second asking over a sloppy and sealed main track in February at Fair Grounds, earning a shot there in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby where he broke through the gate before the start. He was reloaded and endured a difficult trip when sixth, defeated four lengths by the victorious Catching Freedom.

The talented chestnut, by the Centennial Farms-campaigned Preservationist, redeemed himself last out, overcoming being bumped at the break by Deterministic before racing three-wide from third position and making a five-wide bid through the turn en route to a three-quarter length score over returning rival The Wine Steward.

Antiquarian galloped on the Oklahoma training track on Wednesday before visiting the gate for a schooling session that went off without a hitch with Don Little, Jr., president and co-owner of Centennial Farms keeping close watch.

“Right after the Louisiana Derby, the first time he went to the gate he stood there for two or three minutes and had no issues whatsoever,” recalled Little, Jr. “I think in Louisiana, when the handler cocked his head straight, he thought it was gate time and anticipated it a little bit. I’m not worried about it. He’s doing great. He’s on the right path and couldn’t be doing any better right now.”

Antiquarian, piloted through all five starts by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, will look to become the tenth horse to complete the Peter Pan-Belmont Stakes double following Counterpoint [1951], High Gun [1954], Gallant Man [1957], Cavan [1958], Coastal [1979], Danzig Connection [1986], A.P. Indy [1992], Tonalist [2014] and last year’s winner Arcangelo.

Little, Jr. said Antiquarian’s Peter Pan score, in which he surged past The Wine Steward inside the final sixteenth, confirmed his status as a serious horse.

“It really solidified what Todd – and Johnny – had thought and told us, that he had a lot of room to grow,” Little, Jr. said. “He put it all together and it was a great performance. The neat thing about this horse is he’s very intelligent and he’s gaining from every experience.”

With the ongoing construction of a new and reimagined Belmont Park downstate, the Belmont Stakes will be contested at 1 1/4-miles at the Spa – but Little, Jr. noted his horse is one that may have thrived at the 12-furlong ‘Test of the Champion’ distance.

“We’ve said that right from the beginning,” Little, Jr. said. “Everyone says there’s an asterisk, but you can put an asterisk on a lot of events. The fact that this race is still a little bit longer than he’s gone will help him. I think he’ll be right there at the end.”

Centennial Farms has been involved in the highest levels of thoroughbred racing and breeding and, through the use of racing partnerships, has opened the door for many people to enjoy the sport.

Little, Jr. credits a loyal group of longtime owners as well as racing manager Dr. Stephen Carr and yearling trainer Paula Parsons for helping support and develop another potential Classic winner for Centennial. And he is hopeful that there will be more reasons to celebrate come Saturday.

“We have a very good tactician on his back,” Little, Jr. said. “Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez has ridden him every time and he’s helped him grow every time. I think we’ll be stalking right there and be ready to run.”

Perhaps the fact that Antiquarian, who also paddock schooled Wednesday, will exit post 5 is a good omen as he will be wearing the same number that his sire sported en route to victory in the Spa’s 2019 Grade 1 Woodward.

“I hope so,” said Little, Jr., with a laugh. “Preservationist got off to a good start. He had [stakes winner] Band of Gold with Kenny McPeek and, percentage wise, his number of winners is pretty good. Airdrie breeds nice horses. We’re fortunate they took him in as a stallion and we’re hoping Saturday adds to Preservationists’ success as a stallion.”

The $2 million Belmont Stakes — third leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown Series — will be held at Saratoga Racecourse Saturday June 10th. An article on results of the post position draw is below courtesy of the Paulick Report.

The Belmont Stakes program features six Grade 1 stakes races — and all will be carded consecutively which will make for some very attractive multi-race wagers. The Belmont itself is Race 12 and will go to post at 6:41 PM. The $1 million Manhattan (Race 11), $1 million Hill ‘n Dale Metropolitan Handicap (Race 10), $1 million Jaipur Stakes (Race 9), $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (Race 8) and $500,000 Ogden Phipps (Race 7) all precede the Belmont. A trio of other stakes will be contested in Races 4 thru 6 — the True North (G2), Poker (G3) and Suburban (G2).

Fans can bet the action at any Rosie’s Gaming Emporium — located in New Kent, Richmond, Hampton, Dumfries, Emporia, Vinton and Collinsville, at either VA-Horseplay OTB located at Breakers Sports Grille in Henrico and Buckets Bar & Grill in Chesapeake, and online via TwinSpires, TVG, XpressBet and NYRABets.

Sierra Leone will get a new bit and a new rider in Flavien Prat for the Belmont Stakes, and has drawn post nine (Pat McDonough photo)

A Kentucky Derby winner and a Preakness winner will be in the starting gates for this Saturday’s unique edition of the Belmont Stakes, to be held for the first time at Saratoga Race Course over a distance of 1 1/4 miles. However, neither Mystik Dan nor Seize The Grey will be favored for the third leg of the Triple Crown.

That honor goes to Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone, who finished second in the Kentucky Derby, beaten just a nose for the win after lugging in through the stretch run. The Gun Runner colt is favored on the Belmont Stakes morning line at 9-5. Sierra Leone will get a new bit and a new rider in Flavien Prat for the Belmont Stakes, and has drawn post nine in the field of 10 3-year-olds.

Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook T. Smith’s Sierra Leone is two noses shy of a perfect 5-for-5 record. The colt made his first two starts at Aqueduct Racetrack with a first-out win in November and a narrow defeat in December to returning rival Dornoch in the Grade 2 Remsen after lugging in down the lane.

Sierra Leone added blinkers and was perfect through his first two starts this year, closing from deep to take the Grade 2 Risen Star over sloppy and sealed footing in February at Fair Grounds and the Grade 1 Blue Grass in April at Keeneland.

The $2.3 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale purchase, out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love, exited post 2-of-20 under Tyler Gaffalione in the Kentucky Derby and after saving ground early, rallied wide down the lane, bumping with Forever Young from the three-sixteenths to the furlong grounds. Sierra Leone and Forever Young, who share the same second dam in the multiple graded stakes-placed Darling My Darling, brushed to the wire with only a nose between them – but also a further nose back of the victorious Mystik Dan.

Brown remains level-headed about the narrow defeat.

“You have no choice but to move forward,” said Brown, whose best previous Belmont Stakes result is a runner-up effort in 2018 with Gronkowski. “It’s not something I think about every day, but that’s horse racing. I’ve been on both ends of it and it just so happens that it was the biggest race in this country. It’s a tough thing to lose the Kentucky Derby by a nose, but hopefully he can redeem himself in this race and I’m just so grateful I have the horse.

“He ran a super race and never let us down in terms of not showing up in the race. He’s always fired,” Brown added. “Has he gotten in his own way a couple times that prevented him from being undefeated? Probably, but he has so much raw ability that you take the good with the bad—and there’s a lot more good. I’m more or less managing him to try to make him Champion 3-Year-Old – picking the right races and giving him the rest that would be most beneficial to him.”

While the Derby winner continued to the Preakness, Sierra Leone, bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley, has trained locally over the Oklahoma dirt training track with a new cage bit and on Saturday will have the services of a new rider in Flavien Prat.

“I think the left stick would have done him a world of good on the turn in the Derby, but that’s hindsight, now,” Brown said. “Nevertheless, I decided, for insurance, to have something on him to provide more power-steering. With horses, sometimes you try something when they’re younger and it doesn’t seem to move the needle much, but you try something when they’re more mature—it could be equipment or the ground they run on or a track they don’t like—and it does.”

Sierra Leone has collected more than $1.9 million in purse earnings through a 5-3-2-0 ledger.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a trio in the Belmont Stakes, led by 7-2 second choice Mindframe for Mike Repole and St. Elias Stable. Drawn in post 10 under Irad Ortiz, Jr., the lightly-raced son of Constitution has won his two career starts by a combined 21 1/4 lengths.

“He’s been super-impressive in his two races and the way he’s done that and how easily he’s won those races, how fast those races have been – it gives you the confidence he has the talent,” Pletcher said. “The question mark is if he has the experience and the seasoning. Obviously, he’s giving up some experience to some really good horses, so that’s the concern. I think, from a talent perspective, he has enough talent to compete with this field, but he doesn’t have the foundation and the experience that most of the ones in here do.”

Pletcher’s other two entrants are G3 Peter Pan winner Antiquarian (post five, 12-1) and the maiden Protective (post seven, 20-1).

“I liked the way Antiquarian finished [in the Peter Pan], and I really like the way he galloped out. I’m excited about giving him the opportunity to run a mile and a quarter,” Pletcher said.

Ken McPeek was pleased with post three for his Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mystik Dan (5-1). 

Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby, III and Valley View Farm’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby-winner Mystik Dan will become the only horse to race in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year, but jockey Brian Hernandez will have to work out another good trip for the son of Goldencents.

McPeek credits Hernandez, Jr. for engineering an incredible trip when a matter of inches decided the Derby.

“He’s been doing that for me for years,” McPeek said. “I don’t question it when he’s out there and I don’t worry when it doesn’t go right. He’s ultra-consistent and he’s not scared to go inside. Any tactic he takes, I trust it. As a relationship between jockey and trainer, it’s the best one I’ve ever had.

“He gets a horse to travel very well underneath him and they’re very efficient when he’s on them, so the way they move across the ground and how a rider gets a horse to flow in the middle of the race can be more important than the finish,” added McPeek, who completed a long-awaited personal Triple Crown with Mystik Dan after winning the Belmont Stakes in 2002 with Sarava – who, at 70-1, denied War Emblem a Triple Crown – and the Grade 1 Preakness in 2020 with filly Swiss Skydiver. “Brian gets the horse very comfortable, and he has very soft hands. He never checks a horse, ever, unless somebody takes him out, so there’s never any lost motion.”

The 88-year-old D. Wayne Lukas will be looking to add a fifth Belmont with the horse that provided him a seventh Preakness win in MyRacehorse’s Seize the Grey. The son of Arrogate will break from the rail post position under up-and-coming rider Jaime Torres. Listed at 8-1 on the morning line, Seize The Grey also won the G2 Pat Day Mile on Kentucky Derby day, so both he and Mystik Dan are racing for the third time in five weeks.

Lukas lauded his charge’s versatility in being able to compete on Derby Day as well as in the Preakness, as he mirrors the race spacing of Mystik Dan.

“He’s not one-dimensional,” Lukas said. “I told Jaime Torres before the Preakness – I gave him two things to think about – if you break sharp and they let you have the pace, then just take it. Don’t get creative and try to be cute. Just let him do his thing. If they go with you – Baffert [Imagination] and one other horse or two break, take him back and lay comfortably in the 3-or-4 spot and get him in a better position to run at the quarter-pole.

“That’s all you got to do – you either make a decision off the break to go or you make a decision to settle off it,” continued Lukas. “That’s what this horse can do. He is definitely not one-dimensional. He’ll rate very kindly. Now, at a mile and a quarter, again the early fractions are probably going to be a little slower. He could end up on the lead again.”

Other Kentucky Derby runners entered in the Belmont Stakes are sixth-place finisher Resilience for trainer Bill Mott (post 2, 10-1), eighth-place finisher Honor Marie for trainer Whit Beckman (post 8, 12-1), and tenth-place finisher Dornoch for trainer Danny Gargan (post 6, 15-1). 

G3 Peter Pan runner-up The Wine Steward completes the field for trainer Mike Maker (post 4, 15-1).

1. Seize The Grey (D. Wayne Lukas, Jaime Torres) 8-1
2. Resilience (Bill Mott, Junior Alvarado) 10-1
3. Mystik Dan (Ken McPeek, Brian Hernandez, Jr.) 5-1
4. The Wine Steward (Mike Maker, Manny Franco) 15-1
5. Antiquarian (Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez) 12-1
6. Dornoch (Danny Gargan, Luis Saez) 15-1
7. Protective (Todd Pletcher, Tyler Gaffalione) 20-1
8. Honor Marie (Whit Beckman, Florent Geroux) 12-1
9. Sierra Leone (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat) 9-5
10. Mindframe (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.) 7-2

The 2024 Upperville Colt & Horse Show presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™ is the oldest horse show in the U.S. and will celebrate its 171st year this June 3 through 9. Parking and general admission are free again this year.

Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with thousands of equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm—the same location since 1853.

The UCHS is an FEI CSI4* event that attracts hundreds of world-class equestrians year after year. The equine and human athletes compete in disciplines ranging from international level show jumping, hunters and equitation to local ponies, in-hand conformation classes, and women in traditional, elegant sidesaddle. In addition to its CSI4* designation, the competition boasts Premier and Jumper Rating Six classifications with US Equestrian, is sanctioned by the Virginia Horse Shows Association and the Maryland Horse Shows Association and is a World Championship Hunter Rider recognized show. UCHS is also one of a handful of qualified Heritage Horse Shows across the United States.

The week-long show culminates on June 9 with the excitement of the $226,000 Upperville Jumper Classic CSI4* featuring top equestrians from across the nation and around the globe. The day’s entertainment includes junior and amateur riders and the Horses & Horsepower car show. Vendors throughout the show offer a variety of food as well as equestrian, sporting, and fashionable clothing, milliners, tack and leather goods, jewelry, art and hand-crafted gifts. The venue is beautifully located in the heart of Virginia’s hunt country.

MARS EQUESTRIAN’s sponsorship launched in 2018 to extend Mars, Incorporated’s long-time support of equestrian sports and to honor an equestrian legacy through purposeful partnerships.

In addition to being the presenting sponsor of UCHS, MARS EQUESTRIAN will have multiple touchpoints across the 2024 showgrounds including: Sponsorship of the Hunter and Jumper Riders Lounges, which will be open to riders, trainers and grooms, and recognition of The Ethel M® Chocolate Brand as the Co-Sponsor of the 2024 FEI $226,000 Jumper Classic, along with Lugano Diamonds.

Also of note for equestrians wishing to compete in this year’s UCHS, regular entry opening date is Monday, April 15 at noon. Entry opening date for hunter breeding, leadline, walk-trot, side saddle, Cleveland Bay, Irish Hunter and Connemara divisions is Thursday, May 2 at noon. To see the UCHS Prize List and classes, click here.

On Sunday, June 2, UCHS holds a special unrated show day for both hunters and jumpers. Upperville Jump 4 Fun Jumper Schooling Show and Upperville Jump 4 Fun Hunter Schooling Show open for entries on Tuesday, May 2 at noon, through www.horseshowslonline.com. All classes are open to horses and ponies ridden by juniors, amateurs or professionals. To see the Jump 4 Fun Prize List, click here.

Additional sponsors include Buckeye Nutrition, Royal Canin, Lugano Diamonds, The Salamander Collection, B&D Builders, Markel Insurance, Delta and Piedmont Equine Practice.

For more information and the weeklong show schedule, visit www.upperville.com.

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About the Upperville Colt & Horse Show

The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, also known as the Upperville Horse Show and UCHS, is the oldest horse show in the U.S. Founded in 1853 as a one-day show to encourage better breeding and care of horses, the show has grown to a weeklong tradition with thousands of equestrian and equine pairs competing in a variety of competitive disciplines. Many of the continent’s top professional riders as well as amateurs compete under the spectacular setting featuring the famous oaks at Grafton Farm—the same location as 1853. UCHS is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that raises funds for The Churches of Upperville Outreach Program and supports other area charities. For complete schedules and up-to-the-minute results, visit the website at www.upperville.com.

Bad weather played a role in the weekend’s action, which was punctuated by rain, clouds and cool temperatures. Yet, the dreary conditions didn’t stop fans from turning out in large numbers at both the Virginia Gold Cup Races on Saturday in The Plains and Winterthur Point-to-Point outside of Wilmington, Del.

Nine races were on tap at Great Meadow Race Course in Virginia, highlighted by the inaugural Grade 1 $150,000 Commonwealth Cup, a handicap hurdle at 2 1/8 miles, along with the historic $75,000 Virginia Gold Cup at 4 miles, one of the most prestigious timber stakes in America. The results of the Commonwealth Cup shone a bright light on one of the sport’s rising stars and the Gold Cup celebrated yet another remarkable milestone in the incredible career of a remarkable warrior.

There were standout performances on the human side, too. Leading NSA trainer Leslie Young had another big weekend with a combined five winners (four over jumps). Besides taking the Commonwealth Cup, Young scored with Silverton Hill’s Kelmscott in a maiden special weights hurdle and Runnymoore Racing’s Clifton Down in the Speedy Smithwick stakes at Gold Cup, and Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Fast Vision in the Winterthur Bowl allowance and Potter Group USA and Ashwell Stable’s Right Tempo in the Middletown Cup training flat contest (that doesn’t count in the standings). The wins gave the NSA’s leading trainer the past two seasons, 15 for the spring, nine more than Jack Fisher. She also has a commanding lead of more than $220,000 in earnings over the Hall of Fame conditioner.

Jockeys Bernie Dalton, Jamie Bargary, and Stephen Mulqueen also doubled at Gold Cup, while Freddie Procter doubled at Winterthur. Keri Brion had a training double at Gold Cup.

Rampoldi Plan romps in Commonwealth Cup

Coming into the race, Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Rampoldi Plan had made five NSA starts after a career in England, breaking his maiden and finishing second in an allowance appearance. In the Commonwealth Cup, the five-year-old Florida-bred son of Hard Spun stalked pacesetter West Newton, took charge on the final turn, and had the lead with two fences to go. At the wire, he was two lengths clear of hard-charging Welshman, who closed stoutly from seventh. 2023 novice champion L’Imperator was third.  The winner was sent off at 13-1 at the meet, which once again offered pari-mutuel wagering. For jockey Jamie Bargary, it was his first Grade 1 score.

Schoodic is spectacular, again, in Gold Cup

Dolly Fisher’s 14-year-old, ridden by Graham Watters and trained by Jack Fisher, captured his fourth straight stake with a blockbuster victory over a tough Awesome Adrian in the Virginia Gold Cup stakes. The 2023 timber champion, who won his first start of the season at Middleburg two weeks ago, showed his competitive fire hasn’t diminished one bit. The ageless star and 2-1 betting choice closely stalked Bogey’s image (Teddy Davies) and overtook Nancy Reed’s Awesome Adrian, who rallied from last to take the top spot with two fences remaining, collaring the leader in deep stretch to score by 2 lengths. Bogey’s Image was far back in third.

For the winner it continued a remarkable skein of 10 consecutive top-three finishes dating back three years. Overall, it was his 17th career win and elevated his bankroll to $634,606. It was also his second Virginia Gold Cup victory. In addition, Schoodic owns two wins in the race’s fall counterpart, the International Gold Cup.

Clifton Down is “speedy” in Smithwick

Another relative NSA newcomer, Runnymoore Racing’s Clifton Down showed spark when he finished a distant second to runaway winner Lightning Ridge in his stakes debut at three in the Alston Cup at Charleston last fall. After a close second to Hold Hard to begin 2024 at the Old Dominion Hounds meet in April, the Irish-bred was untouchable in the $50,000 Speedy Smithwick Memorial four-year-old stakes, romping by 10 ¼ lengths for the rider-trainer tandem of Bargary and Young. The 2-1 favorite moved up to second after the opening mile, took command on the final turn, and extended his advantage after the final fence. Layton Register’s Haint Blue (Bernie Dalton), who broke her maiden at Aiken in her NSA debut in March, was second. The aforementioned Lightning Ridge was third after leading for a mile and a half.

Southpaw Mike, Kitten Around, Juulstone rise to the top in maiden claimers

The Gold Cup card featured a trio of $20,000 optional claiming hurdles for maidens, with jockey Stephen Mulqueen and trainer Keri Brion combining for two of them. In the second race, Joseph Fowler’s Southpaw Mike came from off the pace at 14-1 under Bernie Dalton to defeat Hurricana Farm’s Fingal (Ryan Treacy) by 4 lengths for trainer Kate Dalton. In the eighth, Upland Flats Racing, Darkhorse Racing, and The International Venture’s Kitten Around outgutted Clarke Ohrstrom’s Giantsbane (Virginia Korrell), to prevail by a half length under Mulqueen, who struck again in the finale with Christopher LaBerge and USA Steeplechase’s Juulstone. The latter came on with a flourish at the final fence to defeat Turks Head Turf’s Exuma (Dan Nevin) by a length and three-quarters.

Kelmscott beats back big field in maiden special weights hurdle

Silverton Hill’s flashy gray son of European Group 1 classic winner Mastercraftsman was never worse than third in the field of 10, drew even with pro-tem leader Noble Speaker on the final turn, then took charge over the final fence. But the race tightened considerably when Jacqueline Ohrstrom’s 14-1 Blue Nile, under Virginia Korrell, closed powerfully to come within 1 ¼ lengths of the winner. Paddy O’Hanlon, riding for trainer Leslie Young, earned his fourth victory of the season.

Hold Hard makes it two for two in 2024

Rolling Tide’s Hold Hard, 7-1, gave jockey Bernie Dalton his second winner on the card following a spirited duel with Gill Johnston’s Pure Courage (Elizabeth Scully) in a $45,000 hurdle event for non-winners of two races. The margin of victory was three-quarters of a length. Pure Courage, who set the pace for a mile and a half, battled gamely but was simply outfinished by the Doug Fout-trainee, who was exiting a maiden score at the Old Dominion Hounds meet in April where he defeated, among others, Speedy Smithwick Memorial Stakes winner Clifton Down.

Crealion is last man standing in $20,000 Steeplethon

Plenty of odd things have happened during the running of the Steeplethon over mixed obstacles at Great Meadow over the years. And on Saturday it was no different when two of the four runners went off course and the winner, Sheila Fisher and Northwoods Stable’s Storm Team, missed a beacon and was subsequently disqualified. When the dust cleared, it was Armata Stables’ runner up, Crealion, trained and ridden by Tom Garner, who was declared the winner in his first NSA start following 29 in Europe.

Crealion, a French-bred eight-year-old, led most of the 3-mile contest after betting favorite Court Ruler and recent My Lady’s Manor Stakes winner Our Friend went off course midway through. From there on, Storm Team and Graham Watters tracked Crealion closely over the timber and natural brush fences and through Swan Lake. Storm Team assumed the lead two fences from home, crossing the wire 2 ½ lengths in front. But after review, stewards disqualified the winner for missing a beacon.

Benefits of Virginia-Certified Residency Program to be on Display at Upcoming Colonial Downs Summer Meet

A newly released study commissioned by the Virginia Equine Alliance demonstrates the significant impact of the Virginia-Certified Residency Program for thoroughbreds on Virginia’s economy.

According to the study, the program has generated an estimated economic impact of $86.2 million between 2017 – 2023. 

The program requires out-of-state thoroughbred horses to reside at least six consecutive months (prior to turning three years old) at a Virginia farm to receive a certification as a Virginia-certified thoroughbred horse. Upon completion of their residency, those horses then qualify to receive bonuses in eligible races.

“This is a significant total, especially taking into consideration that the program is still relatively new,” said Debbie Easter, President of the Virginia Equine Alliance. “The program didn’t begin until 2017, yet already is demonstrating its value.” 

Hundreds of Virginia horse farms participate in the program, receiving income from horse owners and breeders from outside of the state. 

More than 5,000 horses have participated in the Virginia-Certified Residency program since its inception. 

The large pool of Certified horses to draw from is now evident in the 2024 Colonial Downs Condition Book. Six Virginia-Restricted stakes with combined purse money of $750,000 will be offered during the summer meet in New Kent which begins July 11. The Hickory Tree and Keswick Stakes — two-year-old dirt sprints — will be held August 3 while a four-pack of Handicap events for older horses will be contested on Commonwealth Stakes Day, August 31. The Meadow Stable, Camptown, Bert Allen and Nellie Mae Cox each have a purse of $150,000. 

A total of 40 Virginia-restricted overnight races will also be offered in the first Condition Book which covers the first 16 days of a 27-day meet. Fourteen maiden special weight races, with a purse of $75,000 each, are listed along with a variety of others including six allowance races. 

Highlights of the new study include: From 2017-2023:

*The direct spending of the program was estimated at $54.5 million for the seven years from 2017 to 2023. These spending activities generated ripple (indirect plus induced) effects yielding a total economic impact of $86.2 million. 

*The program generated an estimated $1.8 million in tax revenue for the state government.

*The cumulative economic impact is 5.9 times larger than the total incentive payout, representing a strong return on investment in the program. 

The Virginia-Certified Residency Program for thoroughbreds is just one component of Virginia’s thriving horse breeding and racing industry. 

For more information on the Virginia Certified program and bonus incentives visit www.virginiahorseracing.com.

The study was commissioned by the Virginia Equine Alliance, the industry’s organizational body that promotes the horse racing and breeding industry throughout the state. Chmura Economics and Analytics (Chmura), a research consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia, conducted the study. 

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About Virginia Equine Alliance

The Virginia Equine Alliance is the state sanctioned organization representing horse racing throughout the state. The Alliance is a non-profit, 501(c)6 organization comprised of the Virginia Harness Horse Association, Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, Virginia Gold Cup Association and Virginia Thoroughbred Association. Virginia Equine Alliance’s primary mission is to sustain, promote an expand the horse breeding and horse racing industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

About Chmura Economics and Analytics

Chmura Economics and Analytics is a consultation business providing labor market software, consulting, and data, so you can make informed decisions that grow your community. Chmura’s staff consist of PhD economists, data scientists, and strategic planners who are able to guide client’s local labor market.

Festival of Racing Slated for August 10; Virginia Derby Scheduled for September 7
Topped by a quartet of graded races, Colonial Downs unveiled its 2024 stakes program consisting of 27 races worth $5.7 million for the 27-day season which runs from Thursday,
July 11 through Saturday, September 7.

The Colonial Downs Festival of Racing, slated for Saturday, August 10 is highlighted by the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the Grade 2 $500,000 Beverly D. and the Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat Stakes, the traditional weekend for the renowned trio. The Million will be run at 1¼ miles, the Beverly D. will be contested at 1-3/16 miles and the Secretariat covers one mile. All three races are slated to be run over Colonial’s acclaimed Secretariat Turf Course.

Once again, the Beverly D. has been selected as a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf to be held at Del Mar in California on Saturday, November 2.

Festival Day is being expanded for 2024 to include 4 additional stakes races: the $100,000 Petramalo Mile, a one-mile dirt race for 3-year-olds and its sister race, the $100,000 Penny Chenery at seven furlongs; the $150,000 Van Clief for 3-year-olds & up at 5½ furlongs on the turf and its distaff companion event, the $150,000 Andy Guest.

The Grade 3 $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby, Colonial’s longtime signature event, will be raced on closing day, Saturday, September 7. The 1-1/8 miles grass race headlines a card with $1.3 million in stakes purses including five other turf stakes: the $250,000 Virginia Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1-1/16 miles; the $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes for older horses at 5½ furlongs; the $150,000 Colonial Cup a 1½-mile marathon for 3-year-olds & up; the $125,000 Rosie’s Stakes for 2-year-olds sprinting 5 ½ furlongs; and the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes for 2-year-olds over a two-turn 1-1/16 miles on turf.

Last year’s major stakes races at Colonial netted several notable winners: Da Hoss victor Nobals went on to capture the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita; Fev Rover, who took the Beverly D., added the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine to her already impressive resume; and Virginia Derby hero Integration later scored in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Aqueduct. More recently, 2023 Virginia Derby runner up Program Trading captured the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

Opening weekend action includes three new turf stakes: the $125,000 Million Prep at 1-1/8 miles; $125,000 Beverly D. Prep over 1-1/16 miles; and the $125,000 Boston at one mile, which will serve as a prep for the Secretariat.

The following Saturday, July 20, a quartet of turf races for Virginia-bred or -sired older runners are on the docket: the $125,000 Brookmeade for filles and mares at 1-1/16 miles, the $125,000 Edward P. Evans at one mile, and the $125,000 Punch Line and $125,000 Tyson Gilpin/Glenn Petty both at 5½ furlongs with the latter of the pair restricted to fillies and mares.

A pair of 2-year-old races for Virginia-restricted runners – the $150,000 Hickory Tree and its sister race the $150,000 Keswick – headline the Saturday, August 3 program. Both races have been lengthened to 5½ furlongs on the dirt.

Commonwealth Champions Day is scheduled for Saturday, August 31 and is highlighted by a quintet of turf races saluting Virgina runners: the $125,000 Jamestown is for Virginia-bred or -sired 2-year-olds going 5½ furlongs while the remaining four events are for Virginia-restricted horses – the $150,000 Meadow Stable for older horses at 5½ furlongs and its female companion race the $150,000 Camptown; and the $150,000 Bert Allen and its filly and mare counterpart, the $150,000 Nellie Fox, both at 1-1/16 miles.

Additionally, there will be two $100,000 stakes races for fillies and mares presented by the National Steeplechase Association, the Randolph D. Rouse on Thursday, August 8 and the Life’s Illusion on Thursday, September 5.

Condition books and stall applications are available online at www.colonialdowns.com under the horsemen’s tab. Stall applications are due Tuesday, May 21.

About Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs Racetrack, in New Kent, Virginia, hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces – the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4-mile dirt track. The Colonial Downs Group, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® in Richmond, Hampton, New Kent, Vinton, Emporia, and Dumfries which offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming technology and full card simulcasting as well as Rosie’s Game Room in Collinsville, which features a limited selection of some of their best HHR titles plus full card simulcasting. The 2024 live racing season, which consists of 27 days from July 11 through September 7, is highlighted by the Grade 1 Arlington Million, Grade 2 Beverly D. and Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes on August 10 and the Grade 3 New Kent County Virginia Derby on September 7. The Beverly D. is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” race.

The biggest horse racing event of the year is this coming Saturday May 4 — and for the first time ever, there are 15 different places that Virginians can wager the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve! 

Fans can bet the “Run for the Roses” at any of the seven Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in New Kent, Richmond, Hampton, Dumfries, Collinsville, Vinton and Emporia, at the VA-Horseplay OTBs inside Breakers Sports Grille in Henrico & Buckets Bar & Grill in Chesapeake, at the Virginia Gold Cup Steeplechase Races in The Plains, at the Shenandoah Downs Harness Races in Woodstock, and online via four partner sites: Twinspires.com, TVG.com, Xpressbet.com & NYRABets.com. 

There is much more to wager in addition to the Derby. Saturday features an additional seven graded stakes including the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (Gr. 1), the $1,000,000 Churchill Downs Stakes (Gr. 1), $1,000,000 Derby City Distaff (Gr. 1), $750,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (Gr. 2), $600,000 Pat Day Mile (Gr. 2), $600,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (Gr. 2) and $600,000 American Turf Stakes (Gr. 2). The $200,000 Knicks Go Overnight Stakes will complement the eight graded events. First post is 10:30 AM and the Derby itself goes off at 6:57 PM.

The day prior — Friday May 3 — is the $1,500,000 Kentucky Oaks (Gr. 1) card. In addition to the feature for 3-year-old fillies, six other graded stakes are programmed including the $1,000,000 La Troienne Stakes (Gr. 1), $750,000 Alysheba Stakes (Gr. 2), $600,000 Eight Belles Stakes (Gr. 2), $600,000 Edgewood Stakes (Gr. 2, $400,000 Modesty Stakes (Gr. 3) and $400,000 Unbridled Sidney Stakes. First post is at 10:30 AM and the Oaks goes off at 5:51 PM.

Kentucky Derby post time is 6:57 PM. Advance Derby wagering is available all day and evening on Friday, then Saturday up until post time.          

The following was written by Nick Hahn and appeared in The Racing Biz on May 1.

Virginia’s Certified Residency Program has generated nearly six dollars of economic impact for every dollar invested, according to a new study. The program, which provides incentives for horse owners to stable their young horses in Virginia, has paid out $14.6 million in bonuses over six years, returning $86.2 million in value.

That number includes over $54 million in direct economic impact and supports 825 jobs, the study says.

The study, blandly entitled “Economic Impact: Virginia-Certified Residency Program for Thoroughbred Horses,” was prepared by Chmura Economics & Analytics and reviewed the impacts of the program created after Colonial Downs became dormant a decade ago.  Racing returned to Colonial Downs in 2019 after the track was sold.

“What the study does is verify what our members have been telling us about the program,” said Debbie Easter, Executive Director of Virginia Thoroughbred Association, which is part of the Virginia Equine Alliance, which initialized the review.  “It has allowed them to grow their business, hire employees and make improvements to the farms.”

The incentive program benefits hundreds of Virginia horse farms that receive income from horse owners outside Virginia. It requires a horse to  maintain a minimum six-month continuous residency in Virginia prior to the beginning of its three-year-old year.  Many participants in the program stay longer.

“I think I would have been bankrupt or out of business if the program hadn’t been developed.  I have never struggled like that before,” said Diana McClure, who credits the program for more than doubling her horse population from 20 to 50 horses at her DMC Stable in Berryville, Virginia.  “I didn’t realize how big an effect the closing of Colonial Downs was.  Nobody had any reason to send us any horses.  I’m not exaggerating.” 

McClure recalls a large meeting in Middleburg among the leaders of horsemen’s groups and farm owners to discuss what to do when the concept came up. Delaware had already developed a similar program Maryland and West Virginia, neighboring states to Virginia with year-round racing, had incentivized state-programs.  When the idea surfaced, it quickly gained momentum.

“It has saved the infrastructure that we’ve also been hearing from [such as] blacksmiths, veterinarians, feed suppliers, that serves our members,” added Easter.  “You can’t grow business without that infrastructure.”

Through 2023 over 5,000 horses had participated in the program since its launch in 2017. That alone supports 825 jobs in Virginia, part of the over 5,000 jobs that Virginia horse racing employs.  

Average daily spending per horse rose from an average $35 a day in 2017 to $52.50 a day in 2023.  The program hasn’t just preserved Virginia’s thoroughbred industry, it has made it stronger and more resilient.

“We had a cycle during the year that had a gap between breaking horses and the meet at Colonial Downs where we were like squirrels gathering nuts,” explained McClure about earlier years.  “The certified program filled that gap.  We never kept such a consistent program until the certified program was developed.”

The bonus program allows horse “developers” – the owner at the time of the horse’s first race — to receive a 25% bonus which the horse wins open races throughout the Mid-Atlantic and a 10% bonus on wins in state-restricted races.   Though the program has been fine-tuned over the years, it has, pardon the pun, stabilized hundreds of thoroughbred farms in Virginia both large and small.

Madison Meyers and her husband Kieran Norris started breaking and training thoroughbreds at the Middleburg training center when the program was started. Grateful Bred was a horse that was sent to their stable, Ballyerin Racing, LLC, in the first year of the program by then-owner Gordon “Gordie” Keys. Grateful Bred lists the 2021 Meadow Stable Stakes at Colonial Downs and Marland Million Turf Sprint among his wins and is now owned by Ballyerin Racing after Keys passed away in 2023.

“It’s been huge for us,” said Madison Meyers of the program. “My phone started ringing off the hook.” 

She added, “It’s a great add-on for any horse from any state to race in the Mid-Atlantic. There are different ways to get certified, from weaning to yearling from breaking to training. It’s a big add-on for horses going to sale.”

When the couple kicked off their business in 2017 in Middleburg, they had 20 horses under their stable roof. Now they have 60 and could get more. 

The total economic impact includes both the $54 million in direct impact and indirect impacts — money used for such things as maintaining fences or purchasing office supplies – of $19.2 million. Induced impacts – economic activity generated when workers spend their money at retail stores, restaurants, etc. – was $12.5 million.

All of that supports rural economies and allows horse farms to thrive all year.

“For a state that doesn’t have year-round racing, we have businesses that have year-round programs,” added Easter.

March 30 was a monumental day for Ashland, Virginia and for horse racing from near and far! The town has proclaimed it “Secretariat Day” to celebrate the birthday of the legendary Triple Crown champion and to hold the long-awaited dedication ceremony for the stunning bronze statue “Secretariat Racing Into History” by sculptor Jocelyn Russell.

A formal dedication and ribbon-cutting took place at the Reynolds Family Plaza at Randolph-Macon College in downtown Ashland. This was the first and only monument of Secretariat in Virginia, his birth state. He was born on March 30, 1970 at Meadow Stable, which was founded by Christopher Chenery, who grew up in Ashland.

At 21 feet long and 11.5 feet tall, the monument depicts a larger-than-life Secretariat at a full run, ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte. The saddlecloth shows the number two for Secretariat’s post position in the 1973 Belmont, his most memorable race. The 3,800-pound artwork garnered national publicity last summer during its 5,000-mile tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown. The Secretariat For Virginia Committee with the non-profit Ashland Museum raised the funds for the project.

“Secretariat Racing Into History represents my family history coming full circle, in more ways than one,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, chair of SECVA. “Like my grandfather Chris Chenery and my mother Penny overcoming their challenges with Meadow Stable, our team displayed an unwavering determination to get the job done. We are extremely grateful for such a rewarding collaboration with the Ashland community, the Commonwealth of Virginia, generous donors, and loyal fans from near and far. This glorious monument will stand as an emblem of excellence and inspiration that honors a matchless legacy.”

As a tribute to Secretariat’s Virginia roots and his still-unbroken track records in the 1973 Triple Crown, the majestic sculpture will be standing on a base containing portions of sand from the original training track at Meadow Stable and from the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.

Here are additional pictures from Big Red’s celebration Ashland: