The Virginia Equine Alliance’s (VEA) second Off Track Betting (OTB) Center in Richmond, which was scheduled to open at a new restaurant called Ponies & Pints on Wednesday January 11th, will open Monday January 16th instead.
Monday is a federal holiday and many of the major tracks in the country are racing including Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Laurel, Oaklawn and Santa Anita. Three stakes races will be contested that afternoon including a Derby prep race — the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn. Area horseplayers can still wager at the Breakers Sports Grille OTB at 9127 West Broad Street in the TJ Maxx Shopping Center. the VEA’s betting sites are open seven days a week from 12 Noon – 11 PM.
The Ponies & Pints restaurant/bar itself, which was slated to open Wednesday too, will delay its debut until Monday so it can open in conjunction with the OTB and provide a full service experience to horseplayers and restaurant patrons from the outset