Colonial to host 31 stakes during summer meet
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Colonial Downs has released an expanded stakes schedule for the track's 41-day meet in 2025. Between July 9 and Sept. 13, the Virginia track will host 31 stakes races, including four graded stakes.
The highlight of the meet will be the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing, scheduled for Aug. 9, when the Grade 1 Arlington Million, Grade 2 Beverly D., and Grade 2 Secretariat will all be run on the same card alongside four ungraded stakes races. All the graded stakes that day will be run on the Secretariat Turf Course.
The other graded-stakes race on the schedule is the Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby, which will be run alongside the ungraded Old Dominion Oaks on Sept. 6. These races will replace the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks, which were moved to a special weekend in March this year. There will be four more turf stakes on that card.
In total, the 31 stakes races at Colonial this summer will offer $5.85 million in purse money.
The stakes schedule includes an expansive state-restricted program designed to provide more racing opportunities for runners certified in Virginia. In most of these events, winning horses bred or sired in the state will be eligible for a $50,000 bonus. The track will host six stakes restricted to Virginia- and Maryland-bred horses over the course of the meet.
Colonial is also collaborating with the National Steeplechase Association to host two $100,000 stakes races over hurdles, which will be held on Thursday cards on Aug. 7 and Sept. 4.
In addition to 31 stakes, Colonial will host eight races that will serve as qualifiers for the Claiming Crown, an event at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15. These races will be run under starter-allowance conditions at Colonial on Aug. 23, offering purses between $50,000 and $100,000.
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