The following appeared in Bloodhorse.com on April 6th. Out for a Spin, upset winner of the Ashland Stakes, was bred by the William Backer Revocable Estate.

Commonwealth Stable’s Out for a Spin pulled off a 52-1 stunner in the $500,000 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) April 6 at Keeneland.

The 3-year-old daughter of Hard Spun  entered stakes competition for the first time Saturday for trainer Dallas Stewart and turned back 5-2 second choice Restless Rider with a gritty run under Paco Lopez after putting away even-money favorite Jaywalk off the turn for home. The final time was 1:44.95.

The top three should meet again in the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), as both Restless Rider and Jaywalk are expected to continue on to Churchill Downs.

Victory in the 1 1/16-mile Ashland gave Virginia-bred Out for a Spin 100 points to rank fifth on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard. Restless Rider ranks eighth with 62 points, and Jaywalk is 10th with 55 points.

Out for a Spin’s victory was sweet salve on the wound sustained by Stewart just one race prior, when his trainee Cathedral Reader was vanned off and euthanized after sustaining a catastrophic injury to her right front leg during the Madison Stakes (G1).

“In this great game that we have, there are ups and downs, and this is an up,” Stewart said. “Great to have a win today with this big, beautiful filly. She took it (almost) wire-to-wire, and Paco gave her a great ride. We’re going to take (her) to the Kentucky Oaks from here.”

Entered off a 3 3/4-length victory March 16 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance/optional claimer at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Out for a Spin broke alertly and was forwardly placed three wide into the first turn as Jaywalk took the lead. The eventual winner rated second while the champion 2-year-old filly of 2018 set opening fractions of :23.19, :46.46, and 1:11.60, then Lopez made his move around the far turn.

Out for a Spin took a short lead as Jaywalk began to fade, but Restless Rider, making her first start for trainer Ken McPeek since late November, came to her with a determined run under Brian Hernandez Jr. The two hooked up stride for stride, but Out for a Spin would not be denied the hard-fought decision. She returned $106.20 on a $2 win ticket.

“Dallas told me out of the gate, this filly is fast,” said Lopez, who collected his second stakes score on the Saturday card after winning the $200,000 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) with Imprimis. “I’m really lucky, winning the races like that.”

Out for a Spin now has three wins and a third from five starts, with earnings of $354,903. She was bred by the William M. Backer Revocable Trust out of the Came Home mare My Mammy, the dam of stakes winner Sweet Victory and stakes-placed Ferdinanda. The mare produced an Uncle Mo  filly in 2018 and was bred to Malibu Moon  for 2019.

Hernandez was proud of Restless Rider, who won the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in the fall and turned in her third consecutive runner-up effort after seconds in the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Golden Rod Stakes (G2), both at Churchill Downs.

“For a filly that hasn’t run since last November, she stepped up and ran a big race,” the jockey said. “You always want to win these grade 1s, but you’ve gotta be proud of her and look forward to the Oaks. (At the end) she kept fighting. From the sixteenth pole home, she was getting tired, but she kept digging and fighting at (Out for a Spin). (Restless Rider) wanted to win, and she laid it all out there.”

“This sets us up good for the Kentucky Oaks,” McPeek said. “We are in a good position for the next dance. We are pleased.”

John Servis, the trainer of Jaywalk, echoed McPeek’s sentiments regarding his own runner.

“I was very happy with her effort. I think this sets her up for the Kentucky Oaks,” he said. “She is right where we want her to be. Hindsight being 20-20, I wish we would have sat off the pace a little bit. I thought she was the best filly. I told Javier to put her on the lead. She got pressured from the outside (horses). At the sixteenth pole when they spread out, she went to running again. Javier said we would have been better off if we sat off the pace.”

The spring Point-to-Point season got under way March 16th at the Airlie Resort, which played host to the Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point Races on a delightful spring afternoon.

Ten races were contested including a side saddle race and a Virginia-bred or sired flat event. It also marked the debut of the Virginia Equine Alliance’s “Point-to-Points Pay” starter reward bonus program.

Orchestra Leader, Storm Team and Special Skills jump successfully in the Open Hurdle race March 16th at the Warrenton Hunt. Photo by Douglas Lees.

Any horse that starts in a flat, hurdle or timber race which is owned by a Virginian or trained by a Virginian will receive $200 per start. It’s an effort to increase participation and build field size at these events.

The program appears to be off to a great start after the first weekend. A total of 30 awards totaling $6,000 were distributed to owners who had horses participating. Beverly Steinman collected six of them courtesy of her Doug Fout trained entrants. Kincross Farm bagged a trio of starter rewards and in all, 20 different owners were recipients.

5 horses compete in the Open Hurdle stretch run March 16th at the Warrenton Hunt. Photo by Douglas Lees.

“The VEA recognizes that the Point to Point circuits are a vital element of steeplechase racing and we want to do everything we can to promote and support the Point to Points in Virginia,” said VEA Executive Director Jeb Hannum. “They are an important first step for many horses and they give young riders an opportunity before going to the sanctioned meets.”

Rider Graham Watters guides winner Gold Braid in the March 16th Maiden Hurdle Race in Warrenton. Photo by Douglas Lees.

The new initiative will continue with the Piedmont Hounds Point-to-Point Races March 23rd in Upperville, and at every weekend event through April including the Orange County, Old Dominion Hounds, Loudon Hunt, Blue Ridge Hunt and Middleburg Hunt Point-to-Points.

Dapper Dan won the $2,000 Virginia-bred or sired flat race at the Airlie Resort March 16th. Photo by Douglas Lees.

Donna Rogers owned Dapper Dan captured the Warrenton Hunt’s $2,000 Virginia-bred or sired flat race on Saturday. The 7 year old Pleasantly Perfect gelding wired the field in a 1 1/8 miles test and crossed in 2:08 2/5 over a soft turf. The winner, who entered the race with over $95,000 in earnings. He is trained by Neil Morris and was bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone.

Gun Lobby and King of Hearts battle in the Side Saddle Chase Cup stretch March 16th. Photo by Douglas Lees.

The Side Saddle Chase Cup was won by Gun Lobby and rider Julie Nafe, who battled King of Hearts and rider Devon Zebrovious.
Photos are courtesy of Douglas Lees.

Secretariat Heritage Center Launched to Establish Secretariat’s Birthplace as National Tourism Destination

The Secretariat Heritage Center, a new 501c3 organization, has been formed to celebrate the legacy of Secretariat and Meadow Stable at The Meadow Event Park. The non-profit has plans to elevate the current Secretariat tour program and its existing historic assets to a national heritage tourism destination and educational center.

Secretariat, acclaimed as the greatest race horse in America’s history, was born at The Meadow in Caroline County on March 30, 1970. His Triple Crown victory in 1973 stands as one of the greatest moments in all of sports, and he remains the only Triple Crown winner since 1919 to break all three track records. Those records in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont are still unbroken today and his bloodlines continue to dominate Thoroughbred racing.

Initial plans for the Secretariat Heritage Center focus on restoring the original barns which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. Included are the yearling barns, with the farm manager’s office and tack room, the stallion barn, Secretariat’s foaling shed, training barn, and a horse cemetery. A Hoofprints of History Trail will link all the key points of interest on the property. A life-sized statue of Secretariat to stand at his birthplace, long desired by fans, is also in the works. The existing Meadow Hall Mansion, which houses galleries and exhibits of important Secretariat memorabilia, will be enhanced to serve as a museum and conference center. The mansion also will continue to serve as a wedding and meeting venue.

The vision for the Secretariat Heritage Center is to provide a top-level museum and visitor experience for fans and tourists from all over the country. Through tours of the historic barns, interactive exhibits, photos, videos, memorabilia, historic artifacts, racing trophies, special events and youth-focused activities, it will celebrate the story of the land, the family and the legend of Secretariat. The Center also seeks to showcase the theme of excellence as embodied by Secretariat and his team. Through partnerships, it will foster studies in leadership and excellence with a special focus on women in equestrian sports.

The Secretariat Heritage Center plans to conduct a national capital campaign, the Secretariat Heritage Center Promise Campaign of $2.5 million. The chair of this campaign is Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner.

“Fans from all over the nation already flock to the Meadow. We are very excited to bring Secretariat’s and my mother’s inspiring stories to a wider audience,” Ms. Tweedy said.

The goal of this campaign is to start the barn restorations in 2020, the year of Secretariat’s 50th birthday, and to have everything in place for the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown in 2023. For more information, see www.secretariatheritagecenter.org

In the meantime, fans from all over the country will be flocking to the annual Secretariat Birthday Celebration at The Meadow Event Park on March 30. For more information on that event, see www.meadoweventpark.com

The Meadow Event Park is owned by Virginia Farm Bureau and is home of the State Fair of Virginia.

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Media contact: Leeanne Meadows Ladin, Secretariat tourism manager/historian at lladin@meadoweventpark.com, 804-363-1683.

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The remodeled and reinvigorated Colonial Downs will open its 15-date meet on Thursday, Aug. 8, and will race on a three-day-a-week schedule through Saturday, Sept. 7. Racing will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with the exception of Labor Day week, when the schedule will be Monday (Labor Day), Friday, and Saturday.

Steeplechase racing, a longtime Virginia tradition, will be a regular feature at Colonial Downs when the New Kent County track presents its inaugural meet under new ownership and management this summer, the National Steeplechase Association and Colonial Downs Group announced.

Initial plans call for two steeplechase traces every Saturday at Colonial Downs. Photo by Betsy Burke Parker.

Post time will be 5 p.m. each day with the exception of Labor Day on Sept. 2, which will have a 1 p.m. first post.
Steeplechase racing will be featured during each racing week. While subject to change, current plans call for two jump races each Saturday of the meet.

“The National Steeplechase Association Board of Directors and I are delighted to be a part of the inaugural meet of the new Colonial Downs,” said NSA President Guy J. Torsilieri. “We have a very large constituency in Virginia, and there’s great enthusiasm in the jump-racing community for returning to a tremendous facility.”

“Colonial Downs welcomes the return of steeplechase racing to the Secretariat Turf Course, a 1 1/8-mile circuit that is—at 180 feet—the widest in North America,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial’s vice president of racing operations. “Jump racing has such a deep history in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region, so we are thrilled to host a time-honored tradition as racing returns to the Commonwealth.”

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — 120 new jobs and millions in tax revenues for Chesapeake, those are the numbers expected for a new Rosie’s gaming establishment proposed in the city, one of several in the works to support the return of the Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County.

The site is located at Battlefield Blvd and I-64. It’s easy to get to and easy to leave.

The potential Chesapeake site follows a Hampton groundbreaking on February 11 for another of the handful of Rosie’s locations.
There is a Rosie’s in Vinton, Richmond, New Kent County, Hampton, and possibly one in Chesapeake if approved by the Chesapeake Board of Zoning Appeals on March 28.

Two Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums are expected to open in April — at the New Kent track and in Vinton.

The Rosie’s will have about 700 slot-like historic horse racing gambling machines, and there will be satellite horse race wagering and a bar and restaurant.

“It’s important because of the jobs it will bring, the tax revenue that it will bring to the city of Chesapeake as well as Virginia. This will also be a new entertainment opportunity for consumers in and around Chesapeake.”

The project will bring 120 new jobs to Chesapeake and the one in Hampton will bring about 120 new jobs to the Peninsula.
“It’s an entertainment center and there will be a combination of historical horse racing machines, which are the new entertainment games where you can place wagers, potentially win jackpots that is based on previously run horse races that play like a regular video machine,” Hubbard adds.

Hubbard says in order to reopen Colonial Downs, they need a revenue source. “Everyone in Virginia is excited about bringing thoroughbred racing back to the Commonwealth. Colonial Downs has been shuttered for last several years, we will be racing again in August.”

As for the Chesapeake site, “This location is very accessible. It is easy to get in and out. It will attract a lot of people, and will generate a lot of revenues, and we are very pleased to work with the City of Chesapeake and other stake holders in the community,” Hubbard says.
The location is also expected to bring in more than 2,500 customers a day.

After a one-week hiatus, Off to the Races on The Racing Biz Radio Network returned to the airwaves on Saturday, March 9th at 10:00 a.m.

The show featured newly minted Virginia Racing Commissioner Stephanie Nixon, a long time trainer at Colonial Downs, to discuss the most recent developments in the Commonwealth. Also participating in the program was Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, which owns the Maryland Jockey Club He discussed the future of Maryland racing and current updates at Santa Anita Racecourse. And of course, Derby Bill Watson and Nick Hahn were be on board to handicap the big Derby prep races scheduled that day as well.

Derby Bill Watson provides handicapping tips every Saturday on the “Off To The Races” radio show.

The program airs every Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for one hour over terrestrial radio on the ESPN Richmond family of stations, including 950 AM and the FM stations 99.5 and 102.7. It also is available everywhere via livestreaming and will be archived on The Racing Biz website at www.theracingbiz.com.

The show is scheduled to run in them10-11 AM time spot for the next five months before shifting to a different time during August.

The following appeared in The Paulick Report March 4th.

The Colonial Downs Group today announced that it has tapped Allison De Luca to serve as racing secretary. De Luca comes to Colonial Downs Group from Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., where she has served as racing secretary since 2006. A graduate of the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, De Luca has been involved in the horse racing industry in official capacities at racing jurisdictions in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania since 1978.

New Colonial Racing Secretary Allison De Luca will be able to maintain the same duties at Tampa Bay Downs.

“We are delighted to have Allison joining the team at Colonial Downs as we bring racing back to Virginia,” said Jill Byrne, vice president of racing operations at Colonial Downs. “She has an extensive background with in-depth knowledge of all facets of the horse racing industry. Allison has immense respect from colleagues and the horse men and women that support Thoroughbred racing worldwide.”

Prior to joining Tampa Bay Downs, De Luca was assistant racing secretary at Churchill Downs from 1996 to 2006. She has also worked as an official for the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, Keeneland Racecourse and Churchill Downs.

“I am looking forward to being part of Virginia racing at Colonial Downs and the efforts to bring competitive horse racing back to the Commonwealth,” said De Luca. “This will be an exciting endeavor as we attract preeminent races to New Kent, including the Virginia Derby, the pinnacle of Virginia horse racing.”

Live racing returns to Colonial Downs on August 8 for a 15-day boutique meet through September 7. The Secretariat turf course at the New Kent property is the widest is the country and has been a popular destination for many of the top racing stables in the country throughout its history. The Virginia Derby, which has been won by the likes of champions Kitten’s Joy, Gio Ponti and English Channel, will headline a lucrative stakes schedule supported by a strong daily purse structure.