Six-race, all-turf card at Great Meadow in Virginia

The Virginia Equine Alliance will hold the first of its two Thoroughbred cards this year on Sunday at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va.

The Virginia Equine Alliance is a non-profit organization comprising the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, the Virginia Gold Cup Association, and the Virginia Harness Horse Association. Its purpose is to sustain, promote, and expand the horse breeding and racing industries in Virginia, which has been without a racetrack the past two summers since Colonial Downs closed.

The Virginia Equine Alliance receives revenue from wagers made by Virginia residents on account-wagering systems. The six-race card Sunday will offer purse money of $150,000.

The Virginia Equine Alliance also funded the Grade 2, $400,000 Commonwealth Derby and Grade 2, $250,000 Commonwealth Cup at Laurel Park this Saturday. Both races were previously run under similar names at Colonial Downs.

The Virginia Equine Alliance will hold five $60,000 stakes for Virginia-breds and the Grade 3, $150,000 Commonwealth Oaks at Laurel on Sept. 26.

The Virginia Gold Cup Association holds two days of steeplechase racing at Great Meadow each year. At least three flat races will be held on Oct. 24, the same day as the International Gold Cup steeplechase.

Great Meadow is approximately 50 miles west of Washington D.C. Parimutuel wagering will be held on both cards. Tailgating is available Sunday for $30 a car. There are a limited number of trackside spots available by advance sale for $100 a car. Ticket proceeds will benefit Fauquier SPCA, an animal shelter in Fauquier County.

Sunday’s all-turf program, which has a 2 p.m. Eastern first post, consists of two first-level allowance races at 1 1/4 miles; a no-conditions allowance for horses who have previously started over fences, run at 1 1/2 miles; and three maiden races.

The races will have walking starts rather than a gate start. The jockeys’ assigned weights range from 140 to 150 pounds.

The Virginia Equine Alliance will also fund four days of harness racing at the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, Va., which has a one-mile dirt track. Those dates are Oct. 10, 11, 17, and 18.