Colonial Downs stakes honor racing's local heroes

In recent years, Virginia horse owners and breeders had to trek to Laurel Park to see their runners compete in Virginia-bred or -sired stakes company as the Maryland Jockey Club played host to the homeless races. But with the reopening of Colonial Downs this week, emotions likely will be running high Saturday as everyone gets to stay in-state and compete for $667,000 in prize money on an 11-race card that kicks off at 5 p.m. Eastern.

The Saturday card is pure Colonial Downs. All 11 races will be on turf, races 1 and 3 will be over hurdles, and the four $100,000 stakes are named for the famed Meadow Stable (think Secretariat) and three important supporters of Virginia racing – farm owner and leading breeder Edward P. Evans, who died at age 68 in 2010; the breeder Nellie Mae Cox, who died at 75 in 2016; and M. Tyson Gilpin, who served as president of the Virginia HBPA before he died at 80 in 2000.

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The Meadow Stable and Gilpin are at 5 1/2 furlongs, with the Gilpin restricted to fillies and mares. The Evans and Cox are both at a mile.

Trainer Hugh McMahon will send out Up Hill Battle in the Gilpin. Although not in the best form, the 6-year-old mare is long overdue to win a Virginia-restricted stakes. Third, beaten a neck in this race a year ago, she also was second in the Oakley and third in the Camptown during 2018. The prior year, she checked in third in the Oakley.

Up Hill Battle’s form is better than it looks. She was checked and raced wide in her last start while competing for a $35,000 tag in optional-claiming company. Her early speed makes her dangerous at this level.

Elusive Mischief will not be easy to beat in the Meadow Stable. Based in Kentucky with Ian Wilkes, the 4-year-old son of Into Mischief, is 1 for 1 in Virginia company, having won the Punch Line by 5 1/4 lengths last September. He has made his last two starts in open stakes company at Churchill Downs and faces an easier task Saturday.

The Cox is a wide-open affair whose leading players include Kentucky shipper Tryon Summer, who finished third, beaten a length, in her most recent effort, which came for a $40,000 claiming tag at Churchill Downs for trainer Vickie Foley.

Drop Dead Red will be dropping out of stakes company at Delaware Park and also figures here, as do River Gal and Fionnbharr.

The final stakes of the day, the Evans, goes through two-time Virginia-restricted stakes winner River Deep, who won the Hansel and Bert Allen in 2018 for trainer Phil Schoenthal. River Deep has yet to hit the board in three starts this year, all against third-level optional-claiming company at Laurel.

A sentimental choice in the Evans is 12-year-old Two Notch Road, who has won four Virginia stakes over the years. Although he is winless the past two years, trainer Glenn Thompson stretched Two Notch Road out in distance against optional-claiming company at Monmouth Park in mid-June and he persevered to finish second.