On Monday November 25, the Joint Legislative Audit And Review Commission heard a briefing entitled “Gambling In The Commonwealth” presented by The Innovation Group, a consulting company hired to prepare and present the report. The study mandate was to estimate the fiscal and economic impacts of new forms of gaming, to access impacts on existing forms of gaming (lottery, horse race wagering, charitable gaming), to examine current and potential governance, regulatory and administrative structures for additional forms of gaming, and to review casino gaming laws in other states.

In brief, the report noted casinos authorized in SB 1126, sports wagering and online casino gaming are projected to generate nearly $370 million in net state revenue, accounting for impacts to other forms of gaming and new administrative costs.

Lottery and charitable gaming are projected to experience small declines in proceeds, but the impact on horse racing revenue would be substantial.

The following article appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch November 26 and was written by Michael Martz.

Casino gambling would be profitable for Virginia and localities, such as Richmond, where they could be built, but the state faces plenty of risks — from a surge in gambling addiction to a potentially devastating blow to existing gaming operations tied to the state’s horse-racing industry — according to a long-awaited legislative study of state gaming options.

The study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission estimated that, collectively, Virginia could gain $262 million annually in gaming tax revenue from five potential casinos, including one in Richmond that would generate almost one-third of the revenue and about 3,000 of the estimated 10,000 jobs that would be created.

The profits could be much higher, depending on the tax rate and whether a casino were to be built in Northern Virginia, which the study said would generate an additional $155 million in annual state gaming tax revenue and create an additional 4,400 jobs.

The commission had barely finished a two-hour review of the 10-month study on Monday when warning flares went up from Colonial Downs, owner of a horse track in New Kent County and four existing gaming emporiums that could lose business to casinos, and from the Pamunkey Indians, whose tribal sovereignty gives them the option of operating a casino under federal rather than state law.

“The Pamunkey Tribe has been marginalized for centuries and deserve some protections as they seek to gain financial independence and improve the lives of their members,” said spokesman Jay Smith, who added that the study recommendations “do not sufficiently protect Virginia’s only tribe with federal gaming rights.”

Colonial Downs, owner of Rosie’s “historical horse racing” parlors in Richmond and three other localities, said the opening of five or more casinos without an opportunity to compete for the licenses would “lead to job losses and a loss of tax revenue for localities and the state” by undermining a new industry that’s invested $300 million in Virginia in the last two years.

“This would send a terrible message to other job creators and capital providers looking to invest in Virginia,” spokesman Mark Hubbard said.

The study — which also considers sports betting, online gaming and currently unregulated slot-like video machines — appeared to diminish the appetite of some legislators to approve sweeping changes to Virginia gaming laws in a General Assembly session that will convene in January with new Democratic majorities in both chambers.

Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, one of the authors of the legislative compromise that ordered the study, suggested that the legislature might be wise to “move incrementally” because of the complexity of the issues and the new political reality that the Nov. 5 elections created.

JLARC conducted the study with the help of two national consultants, The Innovation Group and Regulatory Management Counselors, to determine the potential tax and economic benefits of legalizing casino and other forms of gambling in Virginia. It also looked at the critical details of licensing and regulating the operations, helping people with gambling addiction, and protecting existing gaming operations, including the Virginia Lottery.

The lottery, for example, generated more than $600 million for K-12 public education in the last fiscal year but says its profits already are being reduced because of competition from thousands of unregulated, unlicensed and untaxed video machines that their operators say are legal because winning depends on skill rather than chance.

Norment, who has fumed at the reports that the machines would cost the lottery $140 million a year, said that “there’s going to be an unidentified senator who is going to put in legislation to prohibit and ban them.”

The lottery has said that the Rosie’s historical horse-racing parlors, which feature video machines that look like slots but run on the results of past races, pose much less of a financial threat than the so-called “skill machines.” Casino gaming would cost the lottery an estimated $30 million a year, the study said.

However, five potential casinos — in Richmond, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Danville and Bristol, as envisioned by legislation adopted this year to order the study — would reduce live-racing purses by $9 million a year. Colonial Downs would see a 45% reduction in what is now almost $300 million in annual revenues from historical horse-racing gaming parlors.

Colonial Downs is expected to open at least one more Rosie’s operation, and voters in Danville and Dumfries — a town in Prince William County — agreed in referendums earlier this month to allow historical horse racing in their localities. Norment suggested that Colonial Downs is creating a statewide footprint for gaming parlors that could become casinos.

However, that would depend on legislation that would require a competitive selection process for awarding casino licenses to maximize the revenue benefits and minimize risks, as the JLARC report recommends. The study also suggests that Virginia require the state to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the fiscal and economic benefits of casino proposals before choosing winners.

A competitive selection process could establish criteria, including a preference for tribal ownership, that could be evaluated by a special committee that JLARC staff recommended for considering competitive casino proposals. The state would run the process with help from affected localities, the study said.

“I think the state would be remiss if it did not include local input,” JLARC Associate Director Tracey Smith told the commission.

However, the Pamunkeys want any evaluation process to protect their rights as a federally recognized tribe. “We look forward to working with the General Assembly and the Governor to ensure adequate protections are in place for the Pamunkey Tribe,” Jay Smith, the tribe’s spokesman, said in a statement.

The study recommends the lottery as the most capable and least costly way to regulate casinos and other new forms of gaming. However, Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb, a fierce opponent of expanded gambling, said using the lottery “would only ensure that state government has a vested interest in promoting harmful and irresponsible gambling in perpetuity.”

Problem gambling would increase with casinos and other new forms of gaming, according to the study, which said the state has little funding to pay for prevention and treatment of gambling addiction. It said the state could use gaming revenue to pay for services that the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services could administer.

The study was limited to the five cities specified in legislation this year for potential casinos, although Northern Virginia was added at the insistence of House of Delegates leaders who wanted a statewide evaluation of potential sites and their relative benefits.

Successful casinos, each with a minimum $200 million capital investment, could be built in all of those localities, said Tracey Smith, who oversaw the staff study. “This doesn’t necessarily mean that those are the best localities.”

Norment, who had preferred to limit the study’s scope, replied, “Just because we specified some of those within the legislation, there should not be an assumption that we really had the expertise to know what we were doing.”

The following appeared in Bloodhorse.com and was written by Bob Ehalt. Sadler’s Joy is owned by Woodslane Farm in The Plains, VA and has earned $2,471,360 from 27 career starts.

Rene and Lauren Woolcott operate a comparatively small breeding operation under the banner of Woodslane Farm.

They have only four mares in the United States and two in France.

Yet from humble roots mighty oaks can grow, and the Woolcotts can surely take pride in a certain 6-year-old homebred with more than $2 million in earnings who added to an already outstanding résumé as the curtain came down on one part of the turf racing season in New York.

Sadler’s Joy, the pride of the Woolcotts and Woodslane Farm, returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in more than 20 months Nov. 23. He put a rash of narrow losses in some of the sport’s top grass stakes behind him, surging to a two-length victory over Trinity Farm’s Red Knight in the $202,000 Red Smith Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack, the New York Racing Association’s final graded turf stakes for males in 2019.

“He’s such a treasure,” Lauren Woolcott said of the Tom Albertrani trainee, a son of Kitten’s Joy  out of Woodslane’s Dynaformer mare Dynaire. “We bred him, own him, and we still have the mare. She throws such beautiful horses.”

Sadler’s Joy’s 3-year-old half sister by Lemon Drop Kid , Dyna Passer, was third for Woodslane and Albertrani in the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational Stakes in September.

Though the win was only the seventh in 26 starts for Sadler’s Joy, he has been a gem of consistency, finishing fourth or better 23 times. The $110,000 paycheck brought his earnings up to a lofty $2,471,360.

“It’s all about being there, and ‘Sadler’ is always there,” Lauren Woolcott said. “He didn’t have any wins lately, but he always tries.”

Sadler’s Joy had been winless in 10 starts since taking the Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2T) in March 2018, but his two previous tries were testaments to his competitive spirit at the top level among distance turf runners. After losing by a neck in the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T), he was third, beaten only a half-length, in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T).

It took a while to bounce back from the Joe Hirsch, in which he uncharacteristically contested the early pace, and Sadler’s Joy missed a third consecutive trip to the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T).

Instead, Albertrani pointed the chestnut horse to the 1 3/8-mile Red Smith, the runner’s first start in a grade 3 stakes since his stakes debut in the W. L. McKnight Handicap (G3T) in January 2017.

And Sadler’s Joy responded with a grade 1 effort. As the field of 11 in the Red Smith turned for home, they were strung seven wide across the track, with Sadler’s Joy moving in the six path. Reunited with jockey Javier Castellano after he was ridden by Jose Lezcano in his two previous tries, Sadler’s Joy swept to the front at the top of the stretch, raising some concerns he might revert to old antics and wait on horses. Yet in Sadler’s Joy’s fourth, and likely last, start in 2019, Castellano kept the horse’s mind on the business at hand, and the $1.35-to-1 favorite ($4.70) cruised to the wire in 2:15.76.

“He came with a lot of determination down the lane. He wasn’t waiting on anyone today,” Albertrani said. “Javier gave him the perfect ride. He likes to make that wide, sweeping move at the end. He was much the best today.”

While plans call for the Kentucky-bred to begin a career at stud in 2020, Albertrani hopes his grade 1 winner can make it to Dubai for the $6 million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) March 28 at about 1 1/2 miles before calling it a career.

“It was nice to close the year with a win,” Albertrani said. “Hopefully we can get him to Dubai and maybe get a race in him before that in Florida.”

Albertrani said the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) was an unlikely target for Sadler’s Joy because of the shorter-than-preferred 1 3/16-mile distance.

Red Knight, a 5-year-old homebred Pure Prize gelding trained by Bill Mott, found himself behind that wall of horses in the stretch and followed Sadler’s Joy to rally for second under Junior Alvarado. He had 1 1/2 lengths on the third-place finisher, New York-bred Dot Matrix, Ten Strike Racing’s Freud  gelding trained by Brad Cox. Runnymede Racing’s Postulation, sent off at 75-1 odds, was fourth for trainer Michael Matz.

Matthew Schera’s grade 1-winning 8-year-old Glorious Empire set the pace through six furlongs in 1:13.95 but faded to last.

A total of 248 Virginia-Certified horses have won awards from the residency bonus initiative through the first ten months of 2019 including six who earned the maximum $10,000 bonus. 

Two Certified horses competed in the $100,000 Rosie’s Stakes August 31 at Colonial Downs which was won by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Four Wheel Drive. Maryland-bred So Street was runner-up, finishing 3 3/4 lengths behind the impressive winner. The 2-year-old Street Magician gelding, bred by Larry Johnson, did pick up a win at Colonial August 8 and collected a $9,750 bonus check for that effort. So Street has bankrolled $158,923 from seven starts and earned his $10,000 bonus September 28 when he captured the $100,000 Howard County Stakes at Laurel. He spent his six month residency at the Legacy Farm in Bluemont.

Fourth place finisher in the Rosie’s Stakes was Hypothesis, a West Virginia-bred 2-year-old whose only loss in four starts came at New Kent. The Algorithms gelding has earned $86,025 courtesy of three wins at Charles Town. He scored in a maiden special weight, in September’s Henry Mercer Memorial and most recently, in the October 12 Vincent Moscarelli Memorial. Owned by Jill Daniel and trained by Crystal Pickett, Hypothesis spent his six months in the Commonwealth at Whiskey Creek Farm in Berryville.

Two other Certified horses reached the winners circle at Colonial Downs. Maryland-bred Elevated Forever went gate-to-wire in a $25,000 maiden claimer on opening weekend and scored a $3,740 bonus. The 3-year-old Jump Start gelding was best in a 14 horse field at 19-1 with Daniel Centeno in the irons. Elevated Forever spent his six months at Morgan’s Ford Farm & Warwick Stable in Front Royal.

West Virginia-bred Zonda collected a $9,000 bonus from a $60,000 allowance victory August 8 at Colonial. The 3-year-old Scat Daddy filly also bagged a $10,000 award when she captured the $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies on October 19. The James Lawrence trainee is owned by Matthew Schera and has earnings of $159,407. She spent her six months at the Braeburn Training Center in Crozet.

Four other Certified winners earned $10,000 awards this year — New York-breds NY Traffic and Bassman Dave, Pennsylvania-bred Capital Q and Kentucky-bred Dyna Passer.

NY Traffic scored in a $90,000 maiden special weight at Parx on October 12. The 2-year-old Cross Traffic colt is owned by John Farrell & Leonard Liberto and spent his six months at Sunny Dell Farm in Barboursville.

Bassman Dave connected in a $78,000 maiden special weight at Saratoga August 10. Owned by Michael Henning, the 3-year-old Big Brown gelding wired the field which helped generate his current $82,760 bankroll. Bassman Dave resided at Ingleside Training Center in Montpelier Station. 

Capital Q’s lone victory in six starts came in a $75,000 maiden special weight August 4 at Parx. The 2-year-old Ed Padrino filly was best of ten in an upset where she paid $59.00 to win. Owned by Richard Ciavardone, Capital Q spent time in Virginia at Morgan’s Ford Farm & Warwick Stable in Front Royal.

Dyna Passer, who has competed in Grade I and 2 stakes at Belmont this year, prevailed in a wide open $90,000 maiden special weight at Belmont May 23. Owned and bred by Woodslane Farm in Middleburg, the 3-year-old Lemon Drop filly has a bankroll of $185,810 from eight starts.

Winningest horse since the program’s inception is Parisian Diva, a 3-year-old filly who was bred in West Virginia. Owned by Melissa Golden, the daughter of Freedom Child has won eight races in just over 13 months, all at Charles Town. Most recently, she won the $75,000 Tourism Office Breeders Classic Stakes and collected her largest bonus check yet of $8,943. In six victories this year, her awards total $34,723. When combined with two other wins in 2018, the award total rises to $45,643. Parisian Diva’s overall bankroll stands at $242,170 through 13 starts. Her residency was spent at Chance Farm in Gordonsville.

For information on the Virginia Certified Residency program, visit www.vabred.org.        

The following appeared in the Danville Register & Bee and was written by John R. Crane. Virginia’s horse racing industry took another big step forward November 5th when voters in Dumfries and Danville approved pari-mutuel betting. This will open the door for another pair of Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums to open. Current Rosie’s sites are in New Kent, Richmond, Vinton and Hampton.

DANVILLE — It looks like Danville will be getting a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium.

City voters decided to take a chance in favor of allowing an off-track horse race betting facility in Danville, according to unofficial results from the registrar’s office.

According to unofficial numbers from the Virginia Department of Elections, 51.87% (5,083 voters) voted in favor of pari-mutuel wagering and 48.1% (4,717 voters) voted against it.

“We are extremely pleased,” Colonial Downs spokesman Mark Hubbard said Tuesday night. “It’s great that voters in Danville saw the potential for good jobs and significant tax revenues and making Danville a better place.”

Hubbard said it still was premature to say where Colonial Downs would like to build a Rosie’s.

“This was an important first step and now we’ll begin in earnest the process of working with Danville city leaders to determine exactly what project the community would like to see,” he said.

If a facility opens in Danville, it would include two types of betting: historic horse racing involving simulated, video game-like races in which players bet on a chosen horse and satellite betting on real-life horse races taking place throughout North America.

The official ballot question city voters decided was: “Shall pari-mutuel wagering be permitted in the City of Danville at satellite facilities in accordance with Chapter 29 … of Title 59.1 of the Code of Virginia?”

State law mandates localities that have not already approved pari-mutuel betting must hold a voter referendum to decide whether a wagering facility can operate in the community.

The following article appeared in the Prince William Times and was written by Daniel Berti . Virginia’s horse racing industry took another big step forward November 5th when voters in Dumfries and Danville approved pari-mutuel betting. This will open the door for another pair of Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums to open. Current Rosie’s sites are in New Kent, Richmond, Vinton and Hampton.

Voters in the Town of Dumfries have approved a ballot question that will allow for the opening of a “Rosie’s Gaming Emporium,” a pari-mutuel betting parlor with 150 “historical horse-race” betting machines – essentially, electronic slot machines.

The measure was approved by 467 voters who cast ballots in favor of allowing pari-mutuel betting, while 306 people voted against it. 

The Virginia General Assembly approved off-track facilities with historical horse-race betting machines after authorizing a deal to reopen the Colonial Downs track in New Kent County in 2018. 

The Colonial Downs Group has since opened four pari-mutuel betting satellite facilities in Virginia, the first in New Kent, followed by facilities in Vinton, Richmond and Hampton. So far, Colonial Downs is the only entity licensed to operate pari-mutuel betting facilities in Virginia.

The Town of Dumfries, with its proximity to Interstate 95 and U.S. 1, offers a convenient location for the first Rosie’s in Northern Virginia. It also offers a smaller pool of voters to persuade than most localities in the region. Dumfries has 2,700 registered voters, less than 1 percent the 285,000 registered voters in Prince William County.

Rosie’s facilities serve food and alcoholic beverages and allow patrons to vote on both live horse racing and historical horse racing, which happens through machines. People place bets on HHR machines that feed into a collective pool that players can win — with various purses.

The races are “historical,” meaning they are actual races that took place in past years. Because the games pull from such a vast pool of past races, it would be difficult or impossible for players to know the outcome before placing their bets. Rosie’s patrons can also bet on live horse racing. 

It’s not yet known where or when the Rosie’s will open in Dumfries.

Colonial Downs Group Celebrates Six Months of Success

Tax Revenues, Jobs & Player Activity All Exceed Expectations

Richmond, VA – November 4, 2019 – Colonial Downs Group announced today its first six months of financial results since beginning operations on April 18, 2019 in New Kent County. The results also include operations in Vinton, which opened on May 6, 2019 and four months of results in Richmond, which opened on June 29, 2019. Colonial Downs Group is generating additional tax revenues and jobs with the opening of its fourth Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Hampton last week on October 29, 2019.

To date Colonial Downs Group has generated the following:

·       Over 1,000 jobs in New Kent, Vinton, Richmond and Hampton

·       $ 5,911,366 in tax revenue to the Commonwealth of Virginia

·       $ 2,730,165 in tax revenue to New Kent County

·       $ 301,641 in tax revenue to the Town of Vinton

·       $ 738,369 in tax revenue to the City of Richmond

·       Handle (amounts played) of  $729,192,184 (HHR) & $24,374,840 Pari-mutuel

·       Total prizes to players of $674,103,572 (HHR) & $17,585,518 Pari-mutuel

·       Annual payroll of $36.2 Million                                                                                                

Aaron Gomes, chief operating officer of Colonial Downs Group, stated, “We promised to deliver good jobs and generate significant tax revenues across the Commonwealth by bringing together gaming enthusiasts, and the community to experience an exciting and fun new activity at Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums and through the return of thoroughbred horseracing at Colonial Downs racetrack. We are extremely grateful to our patrons who have embraced what we are offering and helped us keep our commitment. The results are exceeding expectations and we look forward to continued growth, opportunity and economic development.”

Colonial Downs Group presently operates 2,150 Horse Racing Machines (HHRs), and owns and operates seven off-track betting locations. Thirty-six thousand spectators attended the live racing events at Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County and more than fifteen million viewers across the nation watched and bet on the races through the TVG network in 2019. 

About Colonial Downs: Colonial Downs’ bright future features the return of live thoroughbred racing and full card simulcasting with the excitement of innovative historic horse racing (HHR) gaming technology. In collaboration with the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) and Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA), Colonial Downs has brought competitive horse racing back to New Kent County and the Commonwealth with the re-opening of the best turf track in the country and a network of satellite HHR facilities branded as “Rosie’s”. Colonial Downs Group is making a $300 million investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia creating 1,000 new jobs. This effort will generate $25 million annually in state tax revenues, $17 million annually in local tax revenues and $25 million annually to Virginia’s horse industry. The project is not receiving any tax credits or government incentives.

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Virginia-Breds Dapper Dan and Accountable each scored nice wins October 26th during the International Gold Cup’s annual fall program at Great Meadow.

Donna Rogers’ Dapper Dan, a 7-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding, won by 5 1/2 lengths in the $40,000 Steeplethon. The victor was bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone.

Dapper Dan finished second in the 2019 spring Steeplethon and got a maiden special weight win two years ago during the spring Gold Cup event. With the most recent win, his career bankroll now stands at $138,790. He is out of the War Chant mare, Wardrobe.

If ever there was a horse for the course, it would be Lady Olivia at Northcliff’s Accountable, a 5-year-old Cosa Vera gelding who won an allowance flat for the fourth time at Great Meadow.

The Carla Morgan trainee won the Old Dominion Turf Championship — an allowance flat — on October 26 by one-half length over Vincent Van Gogo. Previously, Accountable won the same allowance in spring 2019, fall 2018 and fall 2017. Despite his success at Great Meadow, he paid a handsome $9.00 to win in the most recent edition.

With the win, Accountable saw his career bankroll move into six figures at $101,920. He is out of Seeking Me Allie by Seeking Daylight.

At a ceremonial ribbon cutting October 29th, the Colonial Downs Group announced that Rosie’s Gaming Emporium is now open in Hampton. Rosie’s, located in the Power Plant shopping center just off Interstate 64, features 700 historical horse racing (HHR) machines, simulcast horse racing, a restaurant and bar, and a gift shop. 

Aaron Gomes, chief operating officer of Colonial Downs Group, stated, “It is very exciting to be opening our fourth Rosie’s in Virginia in just one year. We are already seeing tremendous success in Richmond, in Vinton near Roanoke and at Colonial Downs in New Kent County. The Hampton location builds on our commitment to create more than 1,000 jobs and generate significant tax revenues across the Commonwealth by bringing together gaming enthusiasts, horse lovers, and the community to experience an exciting and fun activity.”

Revenues generated through HHR machines enabled the return of live thoroughbred horse racing to Virginia earlier this year. Thirty-six thousand spectators attended the live racing events at Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County and more than 15 million viewers across the nation watched and bet on the races through the TGV network. 

Vincent Jordan, general manager at Hampton Rosie’s, said, “I am so pleased to be returning to Virginia where I previously served in the military to be part of this enthusiastic effort to bring fun, gaming, and economic development to the Hampton community.” Jordan has 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, most recently at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania. 

Rosie’s in Hampton will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. It will create approximately 200 jobs in Hampton and generate approximately $2 million in annual tax revenues for the City of Hampton.

Colonial Downs Group and its four Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums will generate $25 million in state taxes annually and has created upwards of 1,000 jobs statewide with an annual payroll of more than $36.2 million.

The following was written by Don Clippinger and appeared at www.nationalsteeplechaseassociation.com. The annual International Gold Cup card took place October 26 at Great Meadow. Congratulations to Virginia-Breds Dapper Dan and Accountable, who each reached the winners circle that day.

Donna Rogers’ Dapper Dan, a 7-year-old Pleasantly Perfect gelding, won by 5 1/2 lengths in the $40,000 Steeplethon while Lady Olivia at Northcliff’s Accountable, a 5-year-old Cosa Vera gelding, won an allowance flat for the fourth time at Great Meadow. The former was bred by Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone and the latter was bred by Lady Olivia at North Cliff.

On an afternoon dominated by trainer Jack Fisher, his mother Dolly’s Schoodic moved into the top rank of timber racing with a 2½-length victory over division leader Andi’amu in Saturday’s $75,000 International Gold Cup.

Fisher continued his history-making season with three victories at the Great Meadows Race Course in The Plains, Va., and added to his record earnings total with more than $100,000 in purse earnings for the day.

In addition to the International Gold Cup, he also won the $75,000 David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial (Gr. 2) with Riverdee Stable’s Gibralfaro and the $40,000 Sport of Kings maiden hurdle with Gill Johnston’s Brianbakescookies.

Schoodic, a nine-year-old Tapit gelding, was enormously talented but unpredictable over hurdles, but he has shown respect and attention over timber fences. He was a perfect gentleman over the Great Meadow course under Hadden Frost and jumped cleanly over the 3½-mile timber course.

Fresh off a one-length victory in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup two weeks earlier, Schoodic broke on top but soon ceded the lead to Ballybristol Farm’s Andi’amu, who had extended his unbeaten record over fences with a facile victory in Virginia Fall’s National Sporting Library and Museum Cup on Oct. 12.

Jockey Jack Doyle aboard Andi’amu did his best to choke down the pace, but Frost kept Schoodic close behind him.

Andi’amu jumped fluidly over the Great Meadow timber course but Schoodic matched him jump for jump while about two or three lengths off the pace through the first three miles. Both are stakes winners over hurdles, and Schoodic showed a superior turn of foot as the field of five headed to the final turn.

Schoodic grabbed the lead with three fences remaining, and Andi’amu resisted stoutly over the last obstacles. Both Frost and Doyle drove their mounts to the finish, but it was clear in the final 50 yards that Schoodic would retain his advantage to the finish line.

Irv Naylor’s Super Saturday, who had finished second to Andi’amu in the National Sporting Library, finished third, 13 lengths farther back.

Hudson River Farms’ Codrington College, who had handed Schoodic his only defeat over timber fences in Shawan Downs’ Brown Advisory Legacy Chase on Sept. 28, finished fourth, 3 ½ lengths back and a neck ahead of Rebecca Shepherd’s Curve of Stones.

Sent to the starter at 3.20-to-1, Schoodic paid $8.40 to win after running the International Gold Cup’s 3 ½ miles in 7:15 3/5.

The International Gold Cup’s $45,000 first-place purse raised Schoodic’s 2019 earnings to $109,500. In addition to the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup, he won the Iroquois Steeplechase’s $25,000 Mason Houghland Memorial allowance timber b 16 3/4 lengths and a novice timber allowance at Fair Hill by 6 1/4, both in May.

Andi’amu remains the division leader with $115,500 in purses from four starts. Trained by Leslie Young, Andi’amu won the Virginia Gold Cup over the Great Meadow course in May after taking the Middleburg Hunt Cup in his maiden voyage over timber.

Gibralfaro’s Ferguson

A part of Sean Clancy’s philosophy with his Riverdee Stable partnership is that he doesn’t want to overmatch his horses or run them too often. After two tough but successful starts at Saratoga Race Course, Clancy decided to skip the rich Far Hills meet with Gibralfaro and point him toward the Ferguson.

His measured approach paid off handsomely when Gibralfaro overtook front-running Balance the Budget nearing the final turn and drew clear to win the Ferguson by 3 ½ lengths.

Fisher also claimed second money with Sonny Via’s ever-reliable Hinterland, who closed well and was 10¾ lengths clear of promising new arrival Lethal Steps in third. Eclipse Award winner Zanjabeel, making his first start in more than 13 months, was prominent for two miles but tired in Great Meadow’s long stretch to finish third.

Bettors allowed Gibralfaro to get away at 10.20-to-1, and the Irish-bred paid $22.40 after running the Ferguson’s 2 1/8 miles in 3:57 1/5 on firm ground.

Michael Mitchell rode the winner and remained atop the jockey standings, one race ahead of Doyle, who was blanked at Great Meadow.

In his previous start, Gibralfaro had finished a solid second in Saratoga’s New York Turf Writers Cup Handicap (Gr. 1) after a fourth-place finish in Saratoga’s A. P. Smithwick Memorial (Gr. 1). Clancy, a former champion jockey, believed Gibralfaro deserved a break and pointed him toward the Ferguson.

“I felt he ran hard at Saratoga,” Clancy said. “He’s such an overachiever.” Mitchell put Gibralfaro close behind Balance the Budget and moved when he sensed that the front-runner was beginning to tire.

“He finds his spots,” Clancy said. “He’s very quick over his fences.

The following was written by Jeff Poole and appeared in the Orange County Review. The 85th running of the Montpelier Hunt Races is this Saturday November 2nd at the home of former President, James Madison. The advance weather forecast looks very promising with sunny skies and a high of 60.

ORANGE — The Montpelier Hunt Races will celebrate their 85th anniversary Saturday with the fall tradition that draws horse racing and tailgating enthusiasts to the home of James Madison.

And while the races have a landmark anniversary, their history predates the 1934 iteration, which was the first recognized by the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association.

According to hunt race archives, Marion duPont Scott and her younger brother, William, never lost their love of horses and horse racing they first embraced as children growing up at Montpelier. While William became a noted course designer and built tracks around the world, his older sister was an equestrian legend.

When their father moved the family from England to Montpelier, the two children were given ponies and soon there was a show at the presidential estate with classes in driving and side-saddle. In 1909, William duPont Sr. constructed a pony stable that now serves as administrative offices at James Madison’s Montpelier.

The young siblings soon found their niches in foxhunting, showing and racing.

By the early 1920s, Marion duPont, according to hunt race archives, “fixed her eye on a small mare she felt might be fast,” and, after convincing a jockey friend to ride her — to victory — soon “was hooked on racing and breeding for racing.”

Her brother, meanwhile, was instrumental in designing the steeplechase course at the sprawling, 2,300-acre property, and by 1923, early jump races were introduced on the grounds.

“These were rough and tumble affairs,” the archives record, but these were replaced five years later by the formal course which is raced today without changes.

The flat track — which annually features the first race of the day — debuted in 1929 — the same year the first “official” jump race was held, according to Montpelier records. “Admission was free and the Montpelier property was opened to the public for the only time during the year.”

Five years later, the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association sanctioned the races and Montpelier has been hosting them ever since.

This year’s event will introduce a new race to the day’s schedule honoring the longtime host of the races.

According to Martha Strawther, the executive director of the hunt races, the Marion duPont Scott Memorial will be the fifth of seven races this year. It will be a filly and mare allowance hurdle, two miles and three furlongs over national fences and run at approximately 2:55 p.m. on race day.

“The duPont family built more race courses and started more meets than any other race family in America,” she said. In addition to a $25,000 purse, the winner of the namesake race will receive an antique English trophy with a chicken on its finial — a nod to Scott’s affinity for cockfighting.

Other additions to the 85th annual event include 1930s-era steam and gas-powered equipment, on display from the Somerset Steam and Gas Engine Association and the James Madison Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ art mobile. The tractor-trailer mobile museum will be stationed between vendor row and infield parking, Strawther said.

For the first time ever, the races will be live-streamed and broadcast on site, Strawther noted.

Andrew Butts, the chief executive operator of Honor Valor Courage Companies — which will sponsor the Marion duPont Scott Memorial — will have cameras mounted around the course that will be sound-activated and fed to a control center for production. Strawther said there will be a $2 fee for those who wish to stream the races on their mobile devices.

“If it works well, it’ll be great,” Strawther said, since most of the race day’s 16,000 to 18,000 patrons often only get a quick glimpse of the horses and jockeys as they pass by their tailgate or their place on the rail.

Another innovation, Strawther reported, is a change in the race map and parking designations. New color codes for parking passes will help law enforcement officers more efficiently direct race day patrons in and out of the event, she said.

Advance tickets are available throughout Central Virginia, including at Orange-Madison Co-op locations, Virginia Community Bank branches, the Laurie Holladay Shop in Gordonsville, Lake of the Woods True Value in Locust Grove, Faye’s Office Supply, Farm Credit and Med Spa of Virginia in Orange, the Montpelier Visitors Center and the Somerset Center Store. Advance tickets are available through Friday.

Orange County residents receive a 20% discount on advance tickets for general parking, infield parking and general admission. Ticket prices are higher at the gate on race day.

Whether patrons are new to the experience or have been coming for the past 85 years, Strawther said she thinks everyone who attends finds something special to them about the event.

“For those who are just coming for the first time, I hope they get the feeling of hospitality and welcoming that exists throughout the grounds,” she said. “It’s amazing to me how those who have been coming forever are so happy to have them and say, ‘Come into the fold,’ and are eager to share the experience.

“For those who regularly come, I think they still appreciate the experience and the immediacy of the power and speed of the horses,” she continued. “It’s really quite a spectacle.”

For more information, visit montpelierraces.org.