News

When retired Virginia small animal veterinarian Adam Ainspan purchased his first racehorse 22 years ago, he most likely had a dream — as any new owner would — to someday win a stakes race say, with a $500,000 purse. That dream turned into reality for Ainspan on August 31, 2023 when his thoroughbred horse Harlan Estate captured the $500,000 Tapit Stakes at Kentucky Downs after being sent off at odds of 37-1.  Adam Ainspan of Graham Grace Stables with Harlan Estate at Kentucky Downs. Fast forward fourteen months to October 26, 2024 when Ainspan again found himself in the winner’s ...

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Darrell Wood Based on the recent success of running several National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned races at Virginia’s spring Point-to-Point meets the past couple years, that strategy will continue and even expand in 2025 according to NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo.  “We’ve had a good experience at the Old Dominion and Blue Ridge meets and will be adding the Loudoun Hunt Meet at Morven Park in Leesburg to the mix next year,” said Gallo. “We thought it would be good to reach out to Point-to-Point meets that were well established and had good racecourses that were safe to ...

*Originally posted on covilar.com on 12/9/2024* Josep Bassaganya-Riera of Covilar LLC Acquires 50% Ownership of Five Star General in Partnership with Kenny Alhadeff of Elttaes Stables Stallion to Stand at Covilar’s Owl Hollow Farm in Floyd, Virginia for 2025 Breeding Season Floyd, Virginia — December 9, 2024 — Covilar LLC (“Covilar”) is pleased to announce acquisition of 50% ownership in Five Star General through a strategic partnership with existing owner Kenny Alhadeff. Five Star General, whose nickname is “Ike,” after U.S. President and five-star general Dwight D. Eisenhower, will stand at Covilar’s Owl Hollow Farm in 2025, offering breeders in Virginia and the ...

Boston, a Hall of Fame Virginia-bred thoroughbred horse, was feted December 1 at Historic Tuckahoe in Henrico County with a historical highway marker dedication that recognizes his prominence in the racing world. The marker was recently installed near his foaling location in the county along the westbound lanes of Route 6, at 10400-10402 Patterson Avenue. The dedication ceremony took place inside the original horse stable at Historic Tuckahoe — situated just outside of Richmond about 35 miles from Colonial Downs — which is the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson.   Boston, a regal chestnut colored horse with a white blaze on his nose, ...

Danny Finke Named Interim Track Superintendent In addition to working at the Maryland Jockey Club, Ken Brown played a big role in Virginia horse racing as well. Most recently, he was a dirt track consultant at the New Kent track from 2019-2023 and back in the late ’90’s, worked on construction of the 1 1/4-miles oval for the track’s September 1, 1997 opening. The Maryland Jockey Club (MJC) proudly announces the retirement of Ken Brown, whose tenure as Track Superintendent has been marked by extraordinary contributions to Maryland racing. Brown joined MJC during a period of ...

Schedule includes three-day Virginia Derby meet in March Racing dates for an expanded 2025 season at Colonial Downs were approved today by the Virginia Racing Commission.  The 44-day schedule starts with a special three-day Virginia Derby meet from March 13 through March 15 followed by the traditional summer meet from July 9 through September 13. The $500,000 Virginia Derby, a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will transition to the dirt and be held on March 15, anchoring a new three-day spring meet which will also include the $250,000 Virginia Oaks, a Kentucky Oaks points race. The winning horse in ...

The grand opening/ribbon cutting of The Rose is today, November 7, 2024! This is another big and important step forward for Virginia’s horse racing and breeding industry. NBC – See it: First Look Inside The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries Fox 5 – First Look at The Rose Gaming Resort in Virginia

Made the top two choices in the morning line, Deterministic and Grand Mo the First headline a competitive field of 12 entered in the Grade 3 $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby, one of six turf stakes on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs. Both qualified for Kentucky Derby 150, and both have transitioned to grass for the second half of their 3-year-old campaigns. The local derby, at 1-1/8 miles over the Secretariat Turf Course, is scheduled as race 10 of the 12-race New Kent County Virginia Derby Day program, which is seeded with $1.3 million in stakes purses. Next year, ...

Trainer Mike Trombetta and owner Larry Johnson scored the natural double on Commonwealth Champions Day at Colonial Downs, as Hollywood Walk grabbed her first stakes score in the $150,000 Camptown and Sky’s Not Falling took the $150,000 Bert Allen Handicap. Hollywood Walk wins the $150,000 Camptown (Coady Media). The connections were a nose away from a third score, as the filly Sail Theseven Seas finished second to War Humor in the $125,000 Jamestown, the opening handicap of five for Virginia-bred, -sired and -certified horses. The Camptown, Bert Allen, $150,000 Meadow Stable and $150,000 Nellie Mae Cox brought together Thoroughbreds from all ...

Lewis S. Wiley, a widely-respected horseman and cattle farmer and long-time Fauquier County resident, passed away peacefully at his family’s home, Gordonsdale Farm in The Plains, Virginia, on Sunday, August 11, 2024. He was 86. Born in Salem, Virginia, on June 30,1938 to James Langhorne Wiley and Camille Dawson Wiley Sullivan, Lewis attended North Cross School with the very first class of students. He briefly attended Andrew Lewis High School prior to his four years at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA where he thrived — playing football, wrestling and running track. He graduated Hill in 1957. Lewis Wiley (right) pictured with ...