Handle figures from Virginia’s four partner Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies — TVG, Xpressbet, Twinspires and NYRABets — began to grow markedly in early spring then continued to surge throughout the rest of the year as more tracks came on board. Even when Virginia OTBs and simulcast centers in Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums reopened in early July, online wagering continued to blossom. By year’s end, online handle had grown by 56.4% over 2019’s figures with $135,486,989 in wagers placed, versus $86,629,347 the year prior.

A ribbon cutting was held January 8 to usher the newest Rosie’s is Dumfries.

Top handle producer of the ADWs was TVG, whose $70,827,157 handle represented a 70.80% gain over last year’s $41,468,459. Despite the fact that all three legs of the Triple Crown were delayed — including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness which are normally held in May — TVG’s biggest handle producing month was May with $8,362,852. TVG averaged $193,487 in bets per day, highest of the four ADWs.

Twinspires was next with $39,771,460, a 32.69% increase over last year’s $29,972,433. They had their best month in July, handling $4,812,192 in wagers. On average, Twinspires took in wagers of $108,661 per day.

Up to 20 tracks per day are available to wager in every OTB/simulcast center.

Xpressbet, third in overall handle, experienced a 53.07% boost while accepting $18,209,171 in wagers compared with $11,896,242 in 2019. Their most successful month was July as well when they handled $2,022,934. Xpressbet’s daily average take was $49,771.

NYRABets, newest of the four online partners, had a triple digit business increase over 2019. Their 2020 handle of $6,679,199 was 102.8% better than last year’s $3,292,212. Their biggest producing month on thoroughbreds came in August ($815,413) when the annual Saratoga meet was in full swing and major graded stakes were scheduled there each weekend.

Turning to brick and mortar sites, $2,089,784 million was wagered in December on horse racing action at Virginia’s seven OTBs — the four at Rosie’s Gaming Centers in New Kent, Vinton, Richmond and Hampton, and the three VA-Horseplay sites in Henrico (Breakers), Chesapeake (Buckets) and Collinsville (The Windmill). Breakers was the top handle producing venue with $486,010 and for the year, handled $5,048,467. Buckets was next with $494,526 and for the year, handled $4,824,197. The Rosie’s in Hampton was third with $318,604 and overall, handled $3,641,887 in 2020.

Breakers is located in the Ollie’s Shopping Center in Henrico, at 9127 W. Broad Street between Parham and Gaskins Roads.

Heading into mid-January, wagering should continue to remain strong with winter’s biggest stake race coming up and Kentucky Derby prep race season about to hit full stride.

The $3 Million Pegasus World Cup (Gr. I) is slated for Gulfstream Park on Saturday January 23. The stakes-filled card also includes the $1 Million Pegasus World Cup Turf (Gr. I), $200,000 Inside Information Stakes (Gr. 2), $150,000 William McKnight (Gr. 2), $150,000 Marshua’s River (Gr. 3), $150,000 La Prevoyante (Gr. 3) and $150,000 Fred Hooper (Gr. 3).

Major upcoming Derby preps include the Holy Bull and Robert Lewis (Jan. 30), Withers and Sam Davis (Feb. 6), San Vicente (Feb. 7), Risen Star and El Camino Real Derby (Feb. 13), Southwest (Feb. 15) and Fountain of Youth (Feb. 27).

Virginia-bred Largent’s three stakes and two allowance wins in 2020 triggered an $81,738 Virginia Breeders Fund bonus award for Lazy Lane Farm in Upperville, tops among any horse and breeding farm in the Commonwealth. Virginia Breeders awards took a big step forward in 2020, averaging 40% of each winning purse at tracks across North America compared with 22% in 2019.

“I’m extremely excited that the Virginia breeders are starting to reap the rewards from the growing revenue streams we have now in Virginia,” said Virginia Thoroughbred Association Executive Director Debbie Easter. “We certainly don’t breed as many horses as we once did, but I have to believe that our breeders are as happy as they have ever been. What other state pays a 40% breeders bonus for a win anywhere in North America? What’s even better is I expect that percentage to increase in the coming years. Right now, it really pays to breed horses in Virginia.”

Largent (#1) en route to a tight victory in the Bert Allen Stakes. Photo by Jim McCue.

Lazy Lane Farm in Upperville topped all breeders with $176,385 in overall bonus earnings courtesy of 17 winners. Largent, a Todd Pletcher trainee that is headed to the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, led the way with five wins including a pair of early season allowance scores at Gulfstream, Virginia-bred wins in the Edward P. Evans and Bert Allen Stakes, and a season-topper in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes, good for a $25,000 bonus. Lazy Lane’s Creative Genius also chipped in with four wins from a busy 13-start year.

Mr. & Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III were next with 13 wins and bonus earnings of $119,993. Five different horses won a pair of races including Virginia Beach, who delivered a $18,997 bonus in capturing the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes at Laurel. Attachment Rate, Holding Fast, Hold Me Black and Assume each had two wins while their Passion Play, with an allowance win at Delaware, produced a $15,958 bonus.

Virginia Beach prevailed in the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes. Photo by Jim McCue.

Audley Farm Equine was third in bonus winnings of $63,199 with seven wins. Tasting the Stars tied for the fourth highest bonus, $18,997, by winning the Brookmeade Stakes. The 5-year-old Bodemeister mare is 4-for-6 lifetime but made only two starts in 2020. Steeplechase jumper Curve of Stones earned a pair of $6,332 bonuses by winning the National Sporting Library Stakes in Middleburg and the International Gold Cup at Great Meadow.

Morgan’s Ford Farm was next with Breeders prize earnings of $59,526 from nine winners circle trips. Chess Chief, a 5-year-old Into Mischief horse trained by Dallas Stewart, captured a pair of allowance races at Fair Grounds while Lynchburg recorded a maiden special weight win at Colonial Downs last summer. Bear Trappe and Appraised chipped in with two wins apiece.

Tasting The Stars won the Brookmeade Stakes October 9 at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Jim & Katie FitzGerald bankrolled $55,923 in bonuses from eight winners. Tan and Tight, a 5-year-old Uncle Mo mare, delivered their bonus high of $15,789 from a maiden special weight score at Aqueduct while Soldado’s two allowance wins at Gulfstream returned a pair of $11,000-plus rewards.

Kenny Had a Notion’s trio of wins gave breeder Althea Richards a series of five-digit bonuses. The now 3-year-old Great Notion gelding connected in late July with a maiden special weight triumph at Delaware followed by wins in the Jamestown and Maryland Million Nursery Stakes, both at Laurel. The three combined to produce $54,882 in awards.

Kenny Had a Notion, in the winners circle after capturing the Jamestown Stakes. Photo by Jim McCue.

The William Backer Revocable Trust parlayed ten wins into awards of $44,411, topped by Day Dayenu’s maiden special weight win at Woodbine and a $13,050 bonus. Divine Interventio had three victories, which helped lead the 8-year-old Malibu Moon gelding to his 30th career “top three” finish. Hilltop Harmony and First Talent also collected a pair of wins.

Larry Johnson, Chance Farm and Carlos Moore & Jill Gordon-Moore round out the list of breeders that scored total reward monies of $30,000 or more. Nine-year-old Sir Rockport, bred by Johnson’s Legacy Farm, continued a series of strong late career showings with six wins in 2020. The son of Rockport Harbor also had five in 2019. He has now recorded 11 of 15 lifetime scores as either a 7 or 8-year-old. Brooke Royster’s Chance Farm rode Upgrade Me’s success as a 4-year-old to four individual bonus outings, though Red Pepper Mill’s maiden special weight triumph at Colonial last summer produced a $10,132 payday. Boldor’s  allowance win at Oaklawn last winter triggered the third highest breeders bonus, $22,290, for the Moore’s. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding is trained by Steve Asmussen.

Sir Rockport won a combined 11 races races as a 7 & 8-year-old the past two years. Photo by Jim McCue.

A total of $50,000 in stallion awards were distributed among three owners with 15 winners and combined purse earnings of $345,510. Horses sired by Smallwood Farms’ Friend or Foe won six and took $34,470 of the stallion reward pool. Mr. Buff led the way again with a trio of stakes scores in New York — the Haynesfield, Jazil and the Empire Classic Handicap. The 7-year-old gelding has amassed $1.2 million from 15 lifetime outs. In 2020 alone, he bankrolled $307,500. Goodluckchuck, sired by Anne Bonda Hartman’s Big Picture, won three races at Laurel to produce a $10,002 bonus payout. Four different horses by Susan Minor’s Fierce Wind got to the winners circle a combined six times last year.

Rob Bailes trainee Goodluckchuck went 5-wide in the stretch to win November 26 at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Between Virginia-bred and stallion awards, $1 million in bonus monies will be distributed via the Breeders Fund. A total of 32 different breeders shared in the prize pool, which came from 137 winning Virginia-bred horses that accumulated purse earnings of $2,308,840.

The Virginia Breeders Fund is generated by one percent of every dollar wagered in Virginia on live racing and via OTB and ADW betting. Each year, the Virginia Racing Commission approves how the money in the Fund is allocated. A large portion is set aside for payments to breeders of registered Virginia-breds that win races at any track in North America. There is a $25,000 cap on any single award.

The last few days of 2020 and first few of 2021 saw a total of 17 Virginia-Certified horses reach the winners circle, including four that spent their six-month residency in the Commonwealth at Woodbery Payne’s Ingleside Training Center in Montpelier Station — War Tocsin, My My Girl, Left Leaning Lucy and Oh My Papa.

War Tocsin captured a seven-furlong, $40,000 allowance race at Parx December 30 while pushing his career bankroll to $135,043. The 5-year-old Violence gelding, a Kentucky-bred, is owned by Trin-Brook Stables, Inc. My My Girl was best in a $42,801 waiver maiden claimer at Laurel January 3 in a gate-to-wire performance. The 3-year-old Dialed In filly dominated as the 1-5 heavy betting choice and crossed the wire 4 3/4 lengths in front. The Maryland-bred previously finished second in her lifetime bow— a maiden special weight — and is owned by Down The Stretch Racing.

My My Girl wins a waiver maiden claimer at Laurel January 3. Photo by Jim McCue.

The final two winners from Ingleside were New York-breds that each finished first in recent claiming races at Aqueduct. Left Leaning Lucy is a David Donk trainee that gained her second career win. The 4-year-old The Lumber Guy filly boosted her earnings to $61,610 for owners Ochre House Stable and Boston Boyz Racing. Oh My Papa is a 5-year-old Discreet Cat gelding whose bankroll shot into six-digit range with the win, to $103,373. A coast-to-coast winner by 3 1/2 lengths, he is trained and co-owned by Rudy Rodriguez with Michael Imperio and now has three wins to go with a pair of seconds and thirds.

It was fitting that breeder/owner Larry Johnson’s Xmasinthecity won during yuletide season. The 5-year-old City Zip horse, out of Allwewantforxmas, finished a neck better than Whats The Chances in a 5 1/2-furlong claimer that went for $20,055. The Michael Trombetta trainee has five “in the money” finishes from ten lifetime starts. Xmasinthecity spent his residency at Johnson’s Legacy Farm in Bluemont.

Tivano, a 4-year-old Race Day gelding, won his fourth career race, also at Aqueduct. Trevor McCarthy, Colonial’s leading rider the past two seasons, had the winning mount for owners Eric Cannataro & Kelly Breen. Tivano has bankrolled $74,988 from nine life starts. He spent pre-racing time at Patrick Nuesch’s Braeburn Training Center in Crozet.

Galazo earned his second victory in a $29,062 waiver claiming race at Laurel. The Maryland-bred won by three-quarters of a length for owner, the Winners Circle Partners. The victor is a 4-year-old gelding by Bayern out of Seeking Options and has accumulated $71,318 in winnings. His residency was spent at Patricia Ramey’s Hunt Ridge Stable at the Blue Ridge Farm in Upperville.

Pennsylvania-bred Hello Gracie broke her maiden at Laurel in a $26,532 six-furlong race. The Dale Capuano trainee is by Dialed In and was ridden by former Colonial top jock Sheldon Russell. She spent six months prior to racing at Diane Manning’s Castalia Farm in Keswick.

Lady Fox is another Certified program alum who broke through for her first lifetime win at Laurel. The 4-year-old Imagining filly was best at 1 1/16 miles in a $24,372 maiden claimer New Years Day. The Maryland-bred is out of Lady Olivia and spent her residency at David Dobson’s Lady Olivia at North Cliff, LLC in Rixeyville.

Other holiday week Certified winners include Senrima, American Chestnut and My Candy Box, who all won at Penn National. Sprite’s Lady, Jumpintoaction and Uncle Manny all prevailed at Parx. Swirling Candy connected at Gulfstream (no award) and finally, Blue Sky Painter scored at Laurel.

President Trump on Sunday signed into law COVID-19 relief and government funding legislation that includes the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (HISA), historic legislation that will establish national standards to promote fairness and increase safety in Thoroughbred racing nationwide.

The legislative package also includes key tax reform, COVID-19 relief provisions and extensions of current H-2B visa amendments beneficial to the horse racing industry.

Passage of the HISA culminated a multi-year effort by many industry stakeholders to establish national standards for anti-doping, medication control and increased racetrack safety for horses and riders. The movement gained momentum in early September when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) authored and sponsored the HISA legislation.

The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on September 29 by an overwhelming majority and was passed by the Senate on December 21.

The HISA legislation will go into effect no later than July 1, 2022, but could be effective earlier following the formation of an independent national racing authority (Authority) and approval of an anti-doping and medication control program and racetrack safety program (Programs) by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC will review the Programs developed by the Authority, allow for public comment, and once approved by the FTC, the Programs will go into effect.

Another key provision of the government spending legislation is the extension of three-year tax depreciation for all racehorses through 2021. Uniform three-year racehorse depreciation was one of several tax provisions across many industries set to expire at the end of 2020. The provision extends the three-year depreciation schedule for all racehorses through 2021 and allows taxpayers the option to depreciate, on a three-year schedule, racehorses less than 24 months of age when purchased and placed into service.

The $900 billion COVID-19 relief package signed by the President also includes several positive provisions relative to horse breeding and racing. Eligible racetracks and farms will be allowed to participate in this second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as they were in the first round after the NTRA helped secure favorable guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The new provisions include:

• Expanded PPP loan terms that include new eligibility for horse and farm owners without employees operating as sole proprietors or via single member LLCs;
• New PPP eligibility for qualifying 501(c)(6) organizations with less than 300 employees;
• Additional eligible expenses that now also include software, human resources, accounting, and personal protective equipment for those who have not yet had PPP loans forgiven;
• A second draw PPP loan of up to $2 million that now is available for qualifying businesses with at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts;
• Extension of employer tax credits for paid sick and family leave and employee retention into 2021; and
• Full deductibility of meals from restaurants during 2021 and 2022.

A series of current H-2B visa program amendments are set to continue as part of omnibus legislation. They include:

• Authority for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of Labor (DOL), to increase the H-2B cap for fiscal year 2021 by up to approximately 69,000 visas if it determines that the needs of seasonal businesses cannot be met with U.S. workers;
• Continuation of the use of private wage surveys for prevailing wage determinations;
• A prohibition against DOL enforcing the corresponding employment and three-quarters guarantee provisions of its H-2B regulations relating to total work hours; and
• Provisions extending the maximum employment season for up to 10 months, as opposed the nine-months in current DOL regulations.