Dwell Thoroughbred racing is having fun with a renaissance in Virginia and Colonial Downs is main the best way. The observe positioned in New Kent, County, Va., a couple of half an hour outdoors Richmond, is about to host one other high quality season of racing beginning July 11.
The 27-raceday meet in 2024 will characteristic reside racing each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all through the nine-week season till Sept. 7, and followers can watch all the motion on FanDuel TV all through the assembly.
Whether or not you’re a horseplayer that’s unfamiliar with the Colonial Downs meet or simply must bone-up your expertise in time for the beginning of the brand new season, this meet handicapping preview is supposed to provide you a leg-up on the 2024 traits primarily based on suggestions from the outcomes of the final two summer season meets run at Colonial Downs in 2022-23 by way of which operating kinds and/or put up positions are most popular within the numerous races and who would be the jockeys and trainers price specializing in.
Attending to Know Colonial Downs
Dwell racing will probably be contested each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all through the season. The vast majority of the races on the Colonial meet are run on the grass, with typically solely a dust race or two carded on any given day run on its distinctive 1 ¼-mile circumference important dust drack. The remainder of the dust races on the meet, except for a few stakes, will probably be in off-the-turf conditions on wet days.
Colonial Downs is synonymous with its turf racing and runs roughly 75% of its races on the grass in a dual-course configuration, together with a 7 ½-furlong interior course and the outer 1 1/8-mile Secretariat turf course. Turf sprints are run at 5 ½ furlongs on the Secretariat course, whereas the overwhelming majority of the grass route races are run on the interior turf.
Main Race Dates
The 2024 Colonial Downs reside racing season will host 27 stakes races – totally on the grass – providing a complete of $5.7 million in purses. Colonial will play host to 4 graded stakes, topped by the Grade 1 Arlington Million on Aug. 10. The Arlington Million headlines what’s being referred to as the Colonial Downs Pageant of Racing, which additionally will embrace the Grade 2, $500,000 Beverly D. Stakes and the Grade 2, $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (all previously run at Arlington Worldwide Racecourse). The Beverly D. once more will probably be part of the Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence and will probably be a “Win and You’re In” race for the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
The observe’s signature race is the Grade 3, $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby, which can headline a six-stakes closing day card on Sept. 7. That day’s corresponding race for 3-year-old fillies, the Virginia Oaks, will run for a handbag of $250,000.
Turf Dash Developments
There have been a complete of 161 turf dash races run at Colonial Downs the previous two seasons. The very best operating type in these 5 ½-furlong turf sprints have been stalkers racing between 1-4 lengths off the lead. Stalkers gained 48% of the turf dash races (78-of-161), versus velocity horses on or near the tempo that gained 36% of the turf sprints (58 wins in 161 races). Closers gained simply 25 of the 161 turf sprints, accounting for 16% of the races. In different phrases, guess horses with velocity or tactical velocity for the most effective likelihood at success in Colonial turf sprints.
Colonial Downs Turf Routes
Turf routes are the place the off-the-pace runners actually appear to carry the benefit at Colonial Downs. Nearly all of Colonial’s 205 interior turf course routes have been run at both one mile or 1 1/16 miles the previous two seasons, and stalkers and closers excelled at each distances.
Closers racing not less than 4 or extra lengths off the early tempo gained 76 of the 205 interior turf routes in 2022-23, accounting for wins in 37% in of the interior turf routes. The very best quantity of winners in these races the final two years have been stalkers between 1-4 lengths off the tempo, who gained 81 instances (39% of the races). Entrance-runners did the worst in these races with 49 wins within the 205 interior turf routes, accounting for twenty-four% of the races. When it comes to put up positions, all attracts out to and together with put up 6 performed honest. Posts 7 and outward have been a slight drawback.
Solely 21 turf routes the previous two years have been run on the outer turf course and people races seemed to be honest to all in a small pattern measurement.
Colonial Downs Filth Observe Ideas
On the Colonial Downs important observe, there have been solely 12 dust routes run in 2023 and 11 dust route races run in 2022. Sprints are rather more prevalent on the primary observe. Colonial ran 41 dust sprints in 2023 after having run 42 dust sprints in 2022.
Early velocity horses loved an edge in dust sprints, with 51% of the winners the final two years racing on or shut inside a size of the tempo. Stalkers gained many of the different races. Closers racing 4 or extra lengths off the early tempo had a horrible report in Colonial dust sprints the previous two seasons, with closers profitable a complete of simply 7 of the 83 sprints, accounting for under 8% of the wins. Simply two closing horses gained final yr. Submit positions have performed pretty. The pattern measurement in dust routes is simply too small to attract any conclusions about preferences.
Colonial Downs Main Jockeys
Purses are robust, so Colonial Downs attracts loads of prime horsemen to compete at its nine-week summer season meet. The defending main rider at Colonial Downs from the 2023 meet is Antonio Gallardo, who gained 34 of 149 mounts for 23% win proportion. The opposite jockeys who topped 20 wins final yr have been Mychel Sanchez (28 wins), Jorge Ruiz (25 wins), and 2021 main Colonial rider Horacio Karamanos, who completed fourth within the 2023 standings with 22 wins. The 2022 main rider, Jevian Toledo, had a tricky season final yr with 18 wins and solely an 11% win proportion. Toledo had led all Colonial jockeys with 25 wins from his 137 mounts for 18% in 2022 and can hope to rediscover that kind this yr.
Colonial Downs Prime Trainers
Within the coach’s ranks, the 2023 main coach at Colonial Downs was Michael Trombetta, who gained with 19 of 72 starters for 26%. Trombetta had gained 11 races from 51 starters for 22% and looms a constant high-percentage risk at Colonial in 2024. Colonial’s 2022 main coach, Michael Stidham, was second-leading coach in 2023 with 12 wins (17%). He had related stats when he gained the title in 2022 with 13 victories from 61 starters for 21% that yr.
A large assortment of nationally outstanding trainers will be anticipated to have a number of starters at Colonial Downs this season, led by Mark Casse, who was extremely efficient on the meet in 2023 when he gained 10 races from simply 42 starters for twenty-four%. Others to observe embrace Steve Asmussen (3 wins in 2023 however 8 wins in 2022), Shug McGaughey (9-for-18, 50% in 2023), Graham Movement (5-for-27, 19% in 2023) and Mike Maker, who gained with 4 of 15 starters in 2023 after profitable 5 of his 9 begins in 2022.
Another trainers that horseplayers needs to be keenly conscious of primarily based on their current outcomes at Colonial Downs embrace Kelsey Danner, who was tied for third main coach in 2023 with 10 wins (27%); and Mary Lightner, who doesn’t begin loads of horses however has gained at an enormous win proportion the final two years with 3 wins from 8 starters in 2023 after profitable 4 instances with 6 starters in 2022. Extra high-percentage barns at Colonial in 2023 have been Steve Klesaris (4-for-10, 40%), Fausto Gutierrez (4-for-10, 40%), and Lilli Kurtinecz (4-for-12, 33%).
——————————————
Benefit from the 2024 racing season at Colonial Downs, and better of luck.
