It was a season with beautiful clear skies, the occasional summer storm, and the adventurous goose who bravely wandered to the track during training. We had wiener dog races, a county fair, a golf tournament, and most of all, exciting racing!
With all that behind us, it is not the only thing we said “farewell” to when the last horse crossed the finish line on Saturday, September 7, 2024. It was a farewell to the GIII Virginia Derby as we have known it traditionally run on the renown Secretariat Turf Course. On August 11th, at the Colonial Downs Festival of racing, Governor Glen Youngkin announced that the Virginia Derby would be one of the qualifying races on the road to the Kentucky Derby. It is scheduled to now be run on the dirt course at nine furlongs on March 15th, pending approval by the VRC and VHBPA.
The evening before the final running of the turf version of the Virginia Derby, Churchill Downs, Inc and the Virginia Thoroughbred Association hosted an elegant reception at The Jefferson Hotel commemorating this race Virginians and horsemen throughout the country have come to know and celebrate.
Guests included Virginia Johnson, co-author of Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf, Matt Lohr, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, and a special appearance by historical actors from St. John’s church portraying prominent Virginians President George Washington, Martha Washington, President Thomas Jefferson, and Governor Patrick Henry who all enjoyed mingling with the partygoers. Many connections to the horses running on Virginia Derby Day were in attendance along with representatives of the Commonwealth’s Legislature as well as the many supporters from all stakeholders who have been such a big part of Virginia’s successful horse industry. The food and ambiance represented all things Virginian with dogwood branches, magnolia leaves, ham biscuits, chicken with waffles (a southern favorite), fried green tomatoes, oysters, shrimp, and crab cakes.
As the temperature cools and the leaves begin to change, the atmosphere may quiet down at Colonial Downs, but we are all looking forward to our first Road to the Derby prep race in Virginia in the spring.
