Racing Revival

With Colonial Downs set to reopen in New Kent, Virginia officials hope off-site gambling will boost the equine industry

Illustration by Iain Duffus

The Virginia General Assembly approved expansion of horse-race gambling this year by endorsing legislation to permit historical horse racing, which involves electronic betting terminals that allow gamblers to wager on prerecorded races. The terminals are  described as a hybrid of slot machines and traditional parimutuel wagering, in which participants’ bets go into a pool that is shared by winners.

Richmond City Council nudged horse-race gambling closer to the starting gate in late September, when it unanimously approved a resolution endorsing a plan by owners of the Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County to open a $41 million gambling complex in a former Kmart at 6807 Midlothian Turnpike. The facility will have up to 700 historical racing terminals, the maximum allowed for a city the size of Richmond.

The satellite gambling hub, to be known as Rosie’s, is projected to employ up to 200 people and generate $2 million in tax revenue annually. Mark Hubbard of McGuireWoods Consulting, a spokesman for Colonial Downs, says a 2019 opening is planned.

Virginia voters opened the door to parimutuel betting in 1988. In local referenda a few years later, off-track betting parlors received the go-ahead in Richmond, Henrico County and other areas of the state. The Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County opened in 1997, but it closed in 2014.

The site where Rosie’s will be developed is in Richmond’s 9th District, represented by City Council member Michael Jones. He says the property has been underutilized since the Kmart store closed in 2011. “The only things that have gone on in there are gun shows,” he adds. “It’s going to raise the aesthetic right there going into the corridor, and it’s going to bring a lot of light to that area. They want to make sure that the people that come in, their patrons, are safe.”

He says that the project’s potential to bring jobs and tax revenue to his economically struggling district helped win his support. The adult-use zoning that permits a gambling parlor already has been used for a profusion of tattoo parlors, bars and strip clubs, Jones adds.

“Three of the city’s seven strip clubs are in my district,” he says.

The senior pastor of Village of Faith Ministries in Sandston, Jones says he opposes gambling, but he has a responsibility to promote job opportunities.

Jones says the Colonial Downs Group has promised a job fair at the Southside Community Center. The group also sweetened the deal by pledging to contribute $100,000 a year for five years to nearby Miles Jones Elementary School, Hubbard confirms.

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A rendering of the gambling site proposed for Richmond’s South Side (Photo courtesy Colonial Downs Group LLC)

But gambling can add to economic stresses for people living in low-income neighborhoods, says Carolyn Hawley, an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and president of the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling.

Poverty is a risk factor for gambling addiction, she says.

Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, wrote a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam in April, arguing that some of the proceeds from historical horse racing in Virginia should be used for problem gambling treatment services.

Proponents of off-track betting say it plays an important role in the financial vitality of horse racing in the state. An excerpt from the 2017 Horse Industry Strategic Plan lays out the case: “In today’s economic environment, live racing is not self-sustaining. [Historical horse racing] revenue, and other alternative revenue sources, is needed to substantially supplement a flat track’s considerable operational costs and ensure purse levels that are competitive with neighboring states.”

Under its previous ownership, Colonial Downs ran a large off-track betting parlor at 4700 W. Broad St. (now home to a Lidl grocery store) until it closed in 2015.

Two of the four current off-track betting locations in Virginia are in this area — Breakers Sports Grille in Henrico County and Ponies & Pints in Richmond. They operate under the auspices of the Virginia Equine Alliance, a nonprofit encompassing several horse-related associations.

Those groups and others have lamented the steady decline of horse racing in Virginia. In 1997, Virginia thoroughbreds ran 2,340 races. Seventeen years later, in 2014, they ran 333 races.

The new ownership at Colonial Downs has said it hopes to reopen the track in March — with hundreds of historical racing terminals in place, and that it eventually plans to open 10 off-track betting emporiums statewide. Live racing at Colonial Downs is tentatively scheduled to commence in the fall of 2019.

Equine groups wanted the Virginia Racing Commission to allow expansion beyond the 3,000 gambling terminals statewide outlined in preliminary regulations the commission had published. But in its final regulations approved Oct. 2, the commission remained firm on the number.

At full throttle, the proceeds from betting on horse races could be huge. According to a study by Richmond-based Chmura Economics and Analytics, the reopening of Colonial Downs, including revenue from historical horse racing, could by 2022 generate more than 1,400 jobs in Virginia and have an annual economic impact of $349.1 million. The study was paid for by Revolutionary Racing of Chicago, which purchased Colonial Downs in April.

Tad Berman, a Richmonder who maintains a Facebook page titled “Virginians for Integrity in Horse Racing,” has been skeptical about the economic impact claims, arguing that most of the profits from the historical horse racing terminals will go out of state.

But those who back the return of satellite betting sites such as Rosie’s say the stage is set for a strong comeback of horse racing that they hope will match the revival of Virginia wine and oysters.

“It’s an opportunity we can’t pass up,” says Del. Chris Peace, R-Hanover, the chief patron of the legislation allowing historical horse racing in the commonwealth.

The following appeared in Horse Racing Nation’s website this week. Greyvitos is a 3 year old Virginia-bred colt who has won $319,345 from six career starts. He was bred by Audley Farm Equine and is by Malibu Moon out of Snow Top Mountain by Najran.

Graded stakes winner Greyvitos could head postward again as soon as Sunday at Del Mar, trainer Adam Kitchingman said, after the 3-year-old Malibu Moon’s break from the races dating back to May.

Kitchingman is eyeing a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming event on Del Mar’s closing day for Greyvitos, who got back on the work tab in October.

“It just depends if the race goes or not,” Kitchingman said. “If it goes, we’ll be in it. If it doesn’t go, we won’t.”

Greyvitos broke his maiden by winning the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (Gr. 3) at Del Mar November 11th, 2017. Photo by Benoit Photography.

Greyvitos broke his maiden a year ago when off at 19-1 over the same track in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3). He then placed himself on the Kentucky Derby trail with a victory in the Remington Springboard Mile. 

Triple B Farms’ Greyvitos has overcome a number of obstacles during his career. The Virginia-bred overcame colic before sent to Kitchingman, escaped the Lilac Fire safely at San Luis Rey Downs in December, and recovered from surgery to remove knee chips following the Springboard Mile.

Greyvitos made his 3-year-old debut in the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, fading to fourth after setting the pace. Greyvitos then met a sloppy track for the first time in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard, when he broke wide from post No. 14. He finished 13th after sitting off the pace.

Greyvitos first returned to the work tab Oct. 12 at San Luis Rey. His last three works have been at Del Mar, including a six-furlong move in 1:13.80 Nov. 18 and a half-mile in 47.80 Nov. 25.

Kitchingman is waiting to see how Greyvitos returns before making any future race decisions, but he does have one spot in mind should the colt exit his next race in good order.

“If it goes well, we’re probably going to aim for the Malibu,” the trainer said, “but we’ll just take one step at a time first.”

The Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes is part of Santa Anita’s opening day card Dec. 26. Others pointing toward the seven-furlong feature include Axelrod, a multiple Grade 3 winner and the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up; Copper Bullet, last year’s Saratoga Special (G2) winner who returned this month to win an allowance at Churchill Downs; Grade 1-placed Seven Trumpets; and multiple graded stakes winner Kanthaka, who also last raced in May.

Stephanie Nixon, long time Board member of both the Virginia Thoroughbred Association and Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent & Protective Association, has been appointed by Governor Ralph Northam to serve on the Virginia Racing Commission effective November 2nd. She will replace the vacant Commissioner’s seat previously held by Dr. Charles Steger, who passed away on May 6th.

Nixon owns Horseshoe Hill Farm in Ashland where she has broke, owned, bred and raised horses for all of her adult life. At the age of one, her father purchased a cabin in Ashland from a doctor friend and moved the family from the City of Richmond a bit farther north. After relocating, he soon caught the racing bug from another friend — Howard Gentry, who at the time was Farm Manager of the The Meadow Farm in Caroline County. That bug, or passion, was passed on to his daughter.

New VRC Commissioner Stephanie Nixon is pictured with her husband Jarrod.

“When I was growing up and one of our horses won, I wanted to hear the race call,” said Nixon. “Since this was before ADW companies or even OTBs, the only option was to call a 900 number where you could hear the race replay at the cost of a dollar per minute. Well, I didn’t want to hear the race call just once,” she added. “I wanted to hear it over and over. Whenever the phone bill came and there was an extra $15 or $20 charge, my father would call me out on it.”

In her adult life, Nixon has had success in all facets of racing. As a trainer, her horses have made 391 starts, have won 38 times and have bankrolled $670,144. She was the trainer of Action Andy when he won the Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Colonial Downs in 2011. She’s had multiple winners at the New Kent track with horses like Baton On Fire, Bella Principessa and Saintly Love but if she had to pick one, her favorite would probably be Boltin’ Out.

The Outflanker gelding was bred by John Tucker and owned by his wife Ann, and won five races at Colonial Downs between 2012 and 2013 including the Punch Line Stakes. “Training Boltin’ Out for great people like the Tucker’s and getting those wins in Virginia was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done in the business,” said Nixon.

When asked what the best part has been from her various equine experiences, she did not hesitate. “There’s nothing like seeing a horse you train cross the finish line first. That’s quite a rush. But breaking horses for clients like the Mobberley family in Maryland is just as satisfying. Those business relationships grow into lifetime friendships.”

Away from the track and barn, Nixon has spent the better part of two decades on the Boards of both the VTA and HBPA representing thoroughbred owners and trainers. She was involved in contract negotiations with the former Colonial Downs owner and has helped forge new relationships with the current ownership group.

While serving as a Commissioner, Nixon will no longer be able to own or train horses that race at Colonial Downs. “This is something I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long time,” she said. “With my background, I think I can be of benefit to the industry here, especially in these exciting times. It’s great to see a company putting energy and financial resources into Virginia racing. The possibilities now are endless. I didn’t think we’d ever be in this position.”

Accountable wore down front running favorite Jump Ship at the head of the stretch, then went on to a 1 1/4 length triumph in the $35,000 Old Dominion Turf Championship October 27th at Great Meadow. The 4-year-old Cosa Vera gelding captured the same 1 1/4 mile fall Championship race a year ago in dramatic come from behind fashion.

Accountable drives for the finish in the October 27th Old Dominion Turf Championship. Photo courtesy of Douglas Lees.

Overlooked by the betting public at 9-1, Accountable settled in behind track record holder Willisville initially and pressed the pace from second through first three fractions. Approaching the mile marker, Accountable stuck a head in front of the frontrunner and from that point on, never looked back. Willisville faded while Complete St. rallied into second at the top of the stretch and Jump Ship came on strong from sixth. Neither could catch Accountable though, who crossed in 2:31.40 over a soft turf course and rewarded his backers with a $21.20 win payout. Jump Ship took second and the resulting 4-1 exacta returned a handsome $97.10.

The winner was ridden by Ross Geraghty, who won the “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial Hurdle Handicap earlier in the day with Optimus Prime. Accountable is out of the Seeking Daylight mare, Seeking Allie, and is owned/bred by Lady Olivia at Northcliff, LLC, based in Rixeyville, Virginia.

Rider Ross Geraghty guided Accountable to his second victory at Great Meadow. Photo by Douglas Lees.

Accountable’s three best performances from 13 career starts have come at Great Meadow. In his 2017 Old Dominion Championship victory, he sat last at the half and eighth at the three-quarter mark in a nine horse contest. Rider Michael Mitchell led a comeback charge up top and guided Accountable to his first lifetime score. At this past spring’s Gold Cup race card, Mitchell directed the Carla Morgan trainee to a solid third place finish in a similar allowance race.

Runner-Up Jump Ship was bred by Althea Richards. The remaining finishers in order were Talk Less (Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, III), Complete St. (Mede Cahaba Stable & Stud LLC), Officer’s Oath (Daybreak Stables), Envious Bid (Belinda Whitson) and Willisville (Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone).

The Old Dominion Turf Championship trophy was presented to owner/breeder, Lady Olivia at Northcliff. Photo courtesy of Douglas Lees.

The Old Dominion Turf Championship closed out the 81st International Gold Cup card which featured a combination of eight steeplechase and flat races. A steady rain blanketed the area Friday night and continued until just before the races began on Saturday.

A well-matched field of nine will line up for Saturday’s $40,000 Noel Laing Handicap, the featured race of the 84th annual Montpelier Hunt Races in Virginia.

The race meet on the grounds of James and Dolley Madison’s historic home will kick off with a 12:30 p.m. post time.

Ricky Hendriks, currently leading the battle for the training title, will saddle Rosbrian Farm’s Detroit Blues and Clarcam, owned by Rosbrian and Meadow Run Farm, for the 2 1/2-mile trip around Montpelier’s natural brush course.

Winner of a Foxbrook Champion Hurdle division at the Far Hills Races on Oct. 20, Detroit Blues will be ridden by Ross Geraghty, while Willie McCarthy was named aboard  Clarcam, who was pulled up in Far Hills’ Grand National (Gr. 1). He was trained by leading Irish horseman Gordon Elliott for North America’s richest steeplechase race and will carry the 154-pound highweight in the Noel Laing.

Two other Noel Laing competitors took part in the Grand National. Buttonwood Farm’s All the Way Jose finished third for the second straight year for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard. Jack Doyle was named aboard the 2017 Grade 1 winner.

Gillian Johnston’s Days of Heaven, trained by Jack Fisher, finished sixth in the Grand National and will be ridden by Kieran Norris.

Jack Fisher also entered Edith Dixon’s Schoodic, who finished third in last Saturday’s David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial (Gr. 2) at the International Gold Cup. McCarthy has a double call.

Leslie Young will saddle last year’s Noel Laing winner, Michael A. Smith’s Mercoeur, and Irv Naylor’s Indian Hawk, seventh in Detroit Blues’ division of the Foxbrook. Barry Foley rides Mercoeur, and Eric Poretz will be aboard Indian Hawk.

Naylor also will be represented by Cyril Murphy-trained Osmoz, third in a Far Hills ratings handicap. Graham Watters will ride. The second finisher in the Far Hills handicap, Apple Equipment’s Winner Massagot, will have Thomas Garner in the saddle for trainer Richard Valentine.

The 84th annual Montpelier Hunt Meet is Saturday November 3rd.

Here is the field for the $40,000 Noel Laing Handicap. The horses’ handicap weights are in parentheses at the end of their profiles.

All the Way Jose. 2010 b. g., Senor Swinger—Maternity Leave, by Northern Baby. Owner: Buttonwood Farm. Jockey: Jack Doyle. Trainer: Jonathan Sheppard. Breeder: Jonathan Sheppard (Pa.) 2018 record: 5-0-0-1, $ 61,000. 2017 record: 7-2-1-3, $179,300. Finished third in 2018 Grand National Gr. 1) for second straight year, after fifth in A. P. Smithwick Memorial (Gr. 1) and sixth in New York Turf Writers Cup (Gr. 1) at Saratoga. Began 2018 with fourth in Temple Gwathmey Handicap (Gr. 2) at Middleburg Spring, then fell in Calvin Houghland Iroquois (Gr. 1). Won 2017 Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1). Finished third in Grand National (Gr. 1), beaten two noses. (150)

Days of Heaven (Fr). 2010 dk. b. g., Saint des Saintes—Daramour, by Anabaa Blue (GB). Owner: Gillian Johnston. Trainer: Jack Fisher. Jockey: Kieran Norris. Breeder: Guilhaine le Borgne. 2018 NSA record: 1-0-0-0, $13,500. 2016 NSA record: 1-0-0-0, $14,000. Finished sixth in 2018 Grand National (Gr. 1). In U.S. debut, finished fifth in the 2016 Grand National (Gr. 1) for prominent American owner. Reeled off three straight handicap wins over steeplechase fences last year in England for trainer Nicky Henderson. (150)

Mercoeur (Fr). 2011 gr. or ro. g., Archange d’Or (Ire)—Erivia, by Kendor. Owner: Michael A. Smith. Trainer: Leslie Young. Jockey: Barry Foley. Breeder: Ambrose Dupont (Fr). 2018 record: 4-0-0-2, $18,750. 2017 record: 4-2-1-0, $54,550. 2016 record: 4-1-0-2, $19,500. Finished fourth in 2018 Far Hills ratings handicap. Finished third in 2018 Temple Gwathmey (Gr. 2) and then was fourth in David Semmes Memorial (Gr. 2). Also third in National Hunt Cup (Gr. 3) on soft ground at Radnor. Won Montpelier’s 2017 Noel Laing after fourth in Far Hills’ 2017 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. (140)

Clarcam (Fr). 2019 b. g., Califet (Fr)—Rose Beryl, by Lost World. Owner: Rosbrian Farm and Meadow Run Farm. Trainer: Ricky Hendriks. Jockey: Willie McCarthy. Breeder: Jean Michel & Dominique LeBreton. 2018 NSA record: 3-0-0-0, $5,250. Distanced in 2018 Grand National (Gr. 1) for trainer Gordon Elliott. Lost all chance in New York Turf Writers Cup (Gr. 1) when he stumbled at the third from last fence and his jockey lost an iron. Set pace in Belmont’s Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1) and faded to finish sixth. In final overseas start, won €250,000 Galway Plate Steeplechase by six lengths at 33-to-1 odds. (154)

Winner Massagot (Fr). 2011 ch. g., Muhaymin—Winnor (Fr), by Lesotho. Owner: Apple Equipment. Trainer: Richard Valentine. Jockey: Thomas Garner. Breeders: Christian Ballet and Jean Luc Terrieres (Fr). 2018 NSA record: 1-0-1-0, $9,000. In U.S. debut, finished second in 2018 Far Hills ratings handicap. Won lower-level handicap at England’s Fontwell Park before export. (140)

Osmoz. 2012 dk. b. or br. g., Birdstone—Wichitoz, by Affirmed. Owner: Irvin S. Naylor. Trainer: Cyril Murphy. Jockey: Graham Watters. Breeder: Wertheimer et Frere (Ky.) 2018 record: 3-1-0-1, $14,000. 2017 record: 3-1-0-0, $24,400. Won 2018 Fair Hill allowance hurdle by 23 lengths and then was third in Far Hills ratings handicap. Finished seventh in 2018 Marcellus Frost Champion Hurdle. Opened 2017 with win in Middleburg Spring ratings handicap, then finished fifth in Iroquois ratings handicap and Far Hills’ Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Made two starts on the flat in California for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, with a fourth as his best showing. (140).

Detroit Blues (GB). 2010 ch. g., Tobougg (Ire)—Blue Missy, by Swain (Ire). Owner: Rosbrian Farm. Trainer: Ricky Hendriks. Jockey: Ross Geraghty. Breeder: R. W. Huggins (GB). 2018 record: 2-1-0-1, 82,500. 2016 NSA record: 1-1-0-0, $39,000. Won division of 2018 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle. Came back to the races after missing the 2017 season with third in Belmont Park’s William Entenmann Memorial Novice Stakes. Won first U.S. jumps start, a 2016 Saratoga allowance hurdle. (144)

Schoodic. 2010 b. g., Tiznow—Aunt Henny, by Hennessy. Owner: Edith R. Dixon. Trainer: Jack Fisher. Jockey: Willie McCarthy. Breeder: Edith R. Dixon (Ky.) 2018 record: 5-0-1-2, $35,800. 2017 record: 5-1-0-0, $50,750. Finished fifth in Belmont Park’s 2018 Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1) and then distant third in International Gold Cup’s David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial (Gr. 2). Just missed when second by a neck in 2018 Iroquois Steeplechase ratings handicap. Opened 2018 campaign with closing third in Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup (Gr. 1), then was ninth in Temple Gwathmey Handicap (Gr. 2). Won 2017 David Semmes Memorial (Gr. 2) at Virginia Gold Cup, then was a dull fifth in Radnor’s National Hunt Cup (Gr. 3), a race he won in 2016. (144)

Indian Hawk (Ire). 2012 b. g., Westerner—Yorkshire Girl, by Anshan. Owner: Irvin S. Naylor. Trainer: Leslie F. Young. Jockey: Eric Poretz. Breeder: Patrick Fennessy (Ire). 2018 NSA record: 2-0-0-0, $0. In U.S. debut, finished seventh in Belmont Park’s 2018 William Entenmann Memorial Novice Stakes and then was seventh in Foxbrook Champion Hurdle division. Concluded his career in England with 10-length victory in a steeplechase allowance at Wincanton in May. In previous start, was second as odds-on favorite in a steeplechase allowance at Towcester. (144)

The following appeared on National Steeplechase Association’s website and was written by Don Clippinger.

Doc Cebu and jockey Hadden Frost played cat and mouse with Le Chevalier for the first three miles of Saturday’s International Gold Cup before decisively ending the game and drawing away to a 5 1/4-length victory in the National Steeplechase Association’s richest fall timber race.

The victory, worth $45,000 to last year’s timber champion, propelled the eight-year-old Hard Spun gelding into the lead for this year’s timber title with only one weekend of timber racing remaining on the 2018 schedule.

Now owned by Charles Fenwick Jr., Michael Hankin, and Charles Noell, Doc Cebu had secured last year’s title with a victory in the International Gold Cup at Virginia’s Great Meadow Race Course. Trained by Jack Fisher, he won that edition by 11 lengths, and on a cloudy, cool afternoon he proved that soft ground was no impediment as he defended last year’s victory.

Doc Cebu captured his second straight International Gold Cup on October 27th. Photo by Tod Marks.

Irv Naylor’s Super Saturday, third for much of the 3 1/2-mile race, overtook Le Chevalier in Great Meadow’s stretch and took second money, 4 1/2 lengths clear of Le Chevalier. Favored at 6-5, Doc Cebu paid $4.40 to win after running the distance in 7:30.90.

Frost broke Doc Cebu sharply and put him on the lead, with Michael A. Smith’s Le Chevalier right behind him. After a quarter-mile, leading jockey Jack Doyle sensed Frost was choking down the pace and moved Le Chevalier to the lead, while Frost kept Doc Cebu on the inside and took the shortest route around Great Meadow.

They held that position for more than two miles until Le Chevalier began to weaken approaching the last two fences, and Darren Nagle went to the whip to urge Super Saturday forward. Approaching the last fence, Doc Cebu took command, drew clear, and carefully jumped the last fence.

Frost brought him home under a hand ride, while Super Saturday gradually overtook and passed Le Chevalier for the place. The win raised Doc Cebu’s 2018 earnings to $102,000 and moved him ahead of Maryland Hunt Cup and Grand National winner Senior Senator, who has $90,000 in the bank.

Fenwick, who acquired Doc Cebu off the flat in a two-horse deal for $12,000, said he had expected a tussle from Le Chevalier, winner of Virginia Fall’s National Sporting Library & Museum Cup for trainer Julie Gomena on Oct. 13, the same day Doc Cebu won the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup for the second straight year.

“It was a classic timber race,” said Fenwick, the sport’s leading timber jockey in the 1970s and 1980s.

Optimus Prime airs in the Ferguson Memorial

Rosbrian Farm’s Optimus Prime, a Grade 1 winner in his first U.S. start, overwhelmed his opponents in Saturday’s $75,000 David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial (Gr. 2), the International Gold Cup’s featured hurdle stakes.

Optimus Prime opens up in deep stretch in Saturday’s “Zeke” Ferguson Steeplechase Stakes.

Jockey Ross Geraghty had Optimus Prime in prime position and just off the early pace set by  Personal Start and then Sempre Medici before bursting away from them over the final fences and drawing away to an 18-length victory as the even-money favorite.

The win, coupled with two victories at the Aiken Fall Steeplechase, moved Ricky Hendriks to a two-race advantage over Fisher in the trainer standings.

He admitted that he had some concern over the soft ground and consulted with jockey Noel Fehily, who had recommended the purchase of the French-bred six-year-old. “He told me not to worry. This horse handled every kind of ground in Ireland,” Hendriks said.

After his purchase in May, Hendriks and assistant trainer Eve Ledyard had Optimus Prime on a fast track to get him ready for Saratoga’s New York Turf Writers Cup (Gr. 1) on Aug. 23. Their work paid off when Geraghty rode him to a 1 1/4-length victory. He subsequently was third to stablemate Zanjabeel in Belmont Park’s Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1) on Sept. 20.

Ross Geraghty leads Optimus Prime back to the winners circle after winning the “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial.

Geraghty rode Optimus Prime with confidence in the Ferguson, keeping him on the inside while first Personal Start and then Sempre Medici set the pace. Geraghty, the leading jockey by purse earnings this year, moved his hands ever so slightly, and Optimus Prime roared away from his competition.

Under a mild hand rise, Optimus Prime was well clear before the final fence, jumped the last with care, and steadily drew away. Naylor’s Sempre Medici, ridden by Nagle, easily held second, 16 lengths clear of Edith Dixon’s Schoodic.

Optimus Prime raised his U.S. earnings to $167,500 after running the Ferguson’s 2 1/8 miles in 4:13.40. He paid $4 for a $2 win ticket.

Nagle had two winners on the International Gold Cup program, with Wits End Stable’s Katnap in the Steeplethon Stakes and with Naylor’s Elucidation in an allowance hurdle, to move within one victory of Doyle, who won the afternoon’s opener, a Sport of Kings maiden hurdle, aboard Merriebelle Stable’s Renown.

The annual International Gold Cup card is slated for Saturday October 27th at Great Meadow and for the first time ever, wagering will be available on the entire combined steeplechase/flat program via www.XpressBet.com and at the four Virginia Bets Off Track Betting Centers. Betting has been available on site at Great Meadow for a number of years now. Post time for the eight race card in The Plains, Virginia is 12 Noon.

Member’s Hill is a popular spot on Gold Cup Day.

Five steeplechase events will be contested first including co-headliners — the $75,000 International Gold Cup and $75,000 “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial. A trio of flat races will finish things out starting with a 13-horse maiden special weight race at 1 1/2 miles. Virginia-bred Gio Lemon is 8-1 early in that race. The three-year-old Gio Ponto gelding is trained by Neil Morris and will be ridden by Kieran Norris. Gio Lemon was bred by the William Backer Revocable Estate.

Complete St., 8-1 early at Great Meadow Saturday, wins the 2015 Brookemeade Stakes at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Final race on the card is the $35,000 Old Dominion Turf Championship, a Virginia-bred allowance set at 1 1/4 miles. Morning line favorite is the Althea Richards-bred Jump Ship, who was third in this year’s Hansel Stakes and fifth in the Bert Allen Stakes. Both were held at Laurel and both were taken off the turf due to soggy conditions. The 6 year old Jump Start gelding is trained by Lilith Boucher, who also entered Complete St. in the race.

Accountable is shown in the winners circle after capturing the 2017 Old Dominion Turf Championship.

The next two early favorites are Talk Less and Officer’s Oath. The former is a 4-year-old Blame gelding bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin while the latter is a 5-year-old Luftikos gelding bred by Daybreak Stables and trained by Jimmy Day. Talk Less won an allowance race at Mahoning Valley earlier this year and has finished “in the money” in 8 of 14 starts. Officer’s Oath lost by a nose in this same Great Meadow allowance on the spring Gold Cup card and was fifth in the same event last October.

The gazebo on Member’s Hill is a popular spot to wager traces at Great Meadow.

Also in the field are Complete St. (Mede Cahaba Stable & Stud, LLC), Accountable (Lady Olivia at Northcliff, LLC), Willisville (Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone) and Envious Bid (Belinda Whitson). The first three in this group are past winners of the allowance event. Compete St. won in October, 2015;  Accountable prevailed last October and Willisville was best in May, 2016.

More details are available at www.vagoldcup.com. General admission tickets can be purchased at the entrance on Saturday. A crowd of 35,000 is expected and the races are held rain or shine.

The following appeared in the Thoroughbred Daily News October 26th. Boldor is a Virginia-bred that made his career bow October 25th at Keeneland. He was bred by Carlos Moore and Jill Moore and is trained by Steve Asmussen. Boldor is by Munnings, out of Senate Caucus by Siphon.

Boldor (Munnings) played second fiddle pari-mutuelly to fellow first-starter Super Steed (Super Saver), but the $700,000 OBS April graduate managed to hold off his better-backed rival to post a very impressive debut success and become a “Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN) Rising Star”.

Boldor is a TDN “Rising Star” based off hkis tight win in a maiden special weight race October 25th at Keeneland. Photo by Coady Photography.

Drawn gate two, the burly bay colt–the 4.40-1 third choice-jumped well and made the running while pressed to his outside into the turn as the quarter was up in :22.69. In the meantime, Super Steed, off at 2.10-1 from a morning line of 9-2, took off at the half-mile marker and sustained a run on the bend to be within striking distance at the quarter pole. Boldor was still going well, but had left the rail open enough to allow Gabriel Saez to take a chance with Super Steed and the battle was joined. The latter raced on his incorrect lead from the threesixteenths to the eighth pole while shoulder to shoulder with his foe, but Boldor did slightly the better of the two late and was home narrowly in front. Each covered their final two furlongs in a very strong :24.01.

A $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, Boldor breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 flat with a giant gallop-out at OBS and his hammer price was tied for sixth-highest of the sale while ranking as the priciest of 23 juveniles sold for his sire in 2018. The winner hails from the family of GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. hero Summer Bird (Birdstone). His third dam Ruby Slippers (Nijinsky II) produced champion sprinter Rubiano (Fappiano) and Tap Your Heels (Unbridled), the dam of leading sire Tapit. Boldor is kin to a yearling colt by Tonalist and Senate Caucus was covered by Maclean’s Music in 2018

Follow The Dog because the latest Virginia Certified horse to collect multiple bonus checks courtesy of a pair of recent victories at Laurel Park. The two-year-old Maryland-bred colt connected in a $40,000 maiden special weight race September 14th, then captured the $101,000 Maryland Million Nursery Stakes this past weekend.

Prior to that first win, Follow The Dog finished second in his career bow on August 12th and again actually in that September 14th maiden race. Passcode, winner of that second race,  interfered with Follow The Dog early on and was disqualified and placed second instead. As a result, Follow The Dog got bumped up a notch to win and bagged a $6,000 Certified bonus as well.

“For his third lifetime race, we chose a two year old allowance race at Parx just to get him some experience against other winners,” said owner David Wright of Waldorf Racing Stables, LLC. “We thought a race would be better than breezing and the fact that the race was going to be at our home track made sense.  He ran fourth and got some dirt in his face and some more experience.  That set us up for the Nursery,” added Wright.

Follow The Dog wins the Maryland Million Nursery Stakes October 20th. Photo by Jim McCue.

Follow The Dog faced eight other horses in the six furlong Nursery stakes test October 20th at Maryland’s annual showcase event. The Bandbox colt prevailed by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:01.14 and earned Wright a maximum $10,000 Certified bonus as well. The winner was ridden Julian Pimentel and trained by Marya Montoya. Follow The Dog, out of the Cozzene mare, Two’s Cozy, and has bankrolled $98,320 now from a four-pack of starts.

Wright was a believer in the Virginia Certified Residency program before he even got his first bonus award. “I live and race in the Mid-Atlantic,” he said.  “Both Maryland and Pennsylvania have good state-bred programs that provide owners with enhanced purses.  When I heard about the Virginia-Certified program, I wanted to participate.  When you put the Virginia certification on a Maryland or Pennsylvania-bred horse, the total purse opportunity is very attractive for an owner.”

The process to acquire a horse and find a qualifying farm from that point on was pretty straightforward. “I contacted Debbie Easter and she guided me to the list of certifying farms on the VTA website,” said Wright. “I ran some of the names on that list by several mid-Atlantic horse people for recommendations.  I called Woodberry Payne (Ingleside Farm in Charlottesville) and he said he had room and could help me out.  When I learned that he also had a bloodstock business, I asked him to help me find a horse at the 2017 Timonium yearling sale.  That horse turned out to be Follow the Dog.”

Three weeks after Wright bought the horse, Follow The Dog’s half-brother, Clever Mind, won the Maryland Million Nursery. “That was a great update for my horse,” he noted. “As the months went by and Woodberry worked with the horse, he told me he might be early and I got the sense that my colt might make it to this year’s Nursery and have a shot at replicating Clever Mind’s success. I was at Laurel Park for the race and feel very blessed that my horse did what he did and won. It was really special.”

Wright credits the connections involved for his initial success. “It wouldn’t have happened without the breeder, David Wade, to plan the horse.  And full credit has to go to Woodberry, for picking the horse out and then breaking him, and to Marya for getting him to the races and bringing him along to win the Nursery.  I am really lucky to be able to work with good, serious horse people”.