The Virginia Derby is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the turf held annually in September at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia . The event currently carries a purse of $ 300,000.
50-575: The inaugural running of the event was 3 October 1998 as part of the newly opened racetrack in Virginia known as Colonial Downs at a distance of 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles on the outer turf course. The quality of the event consistently improved and in 2004 the American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the classification to Grade III status. That year the winner was Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey 's Kitten's Joy who later in
100-420: A Breeders’ Cup Race: Bill Shoemaker (56) Ferdinand (1987 Classic) Youngest Jockey to Win a Breeders’ Cup Race: Joseph O’Brien (18) St Nicholas Abbey (IRE) (2011 Turf) As of 2019, favorites have won 107 of 346 Breeders' Cup races, a 31 percent strike rate. Of the 346 favorites, 65 were odds-on choices with 28 of them winning. The biggest longshot to win a Breeders' Cup race was Arcangues at 133.60-1, in
150-513: A Classic winner, Mucho Macho Man . Jo Hughes became the first woman trainer from Britain to win a race at the Breeders' Cup with London Bridge in 2013. Most recently, Maria Borell saddled 2015 Sprint winner Runhappy . NBC broadcast the Breeders' Cup from its inception in 1984 through 2005. In 2006, ESPN took over the television contract for eight years through 2013. However, in January 2012
200-441: A South American stallion is 25% of their stud fee. In North America, the breeders of the resultant foals must also pay a one-time nomination fee (currently $ 400) by October 15 of the year of birth. The races are operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. The first event was in 1984. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007 , it expanded to two days. All sites have been in
250-620: A complicated agreement with Virginia and Maryland regulators and the Maryland-Virginia Racing Circuit. The track was fairly successful and offered good summertime turf racing in the traditionally poor three-year-old turf division. The track ran two legs of the annual Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass . This event consisted of the Colonial Turf Cup and the Virginia Derby from Colonial Downs,
300-615: A deal with Maryland to stop Maryland racing during the Colonial Downs thoroughbred meet, although this later ended. The tract of land on which the track is built was obtained through an eminent domain suit brought by the State of Virginia against an African American/Native American family (Tero Johnson) that had owned the majority of the land since 1863. Until 2005, the track was managed by the Maryland Jockey Club under
350-466: A price of over $ 20 million. Peninsula Pacific later bought out the other investors, taking full ownership of Colonial Downs. The track held its first race since 2013 on August 8, 2019. In 2022, Peninsula Pacific sold the bulk of its assets, including Colonial Downs, to Churchill Downs, Inc. The track has a 1¼-mile dirt oval, a 7½-furlong inner turf oval and a 1⅛-mile outer turf oval. The track featured an autumn harness racing meet. Colonial Downs
400-519: Is a fitting tribute to bring back the name Distaff to honor the rich history of the championships. For 2018, the sprint race for two-year-olds was revived, now on turf as the Juvenile Turf Sprint. According to officials, the turf races for two-year-old horses have more entries than can fit within the Breeders' Cup limit of 12 to 14 horses, so they needed to add the third turf race for two-year-old horses at 5.5 or six furlongs, depending on
450-420: Is largely supported by nomination fees paid by breeders for stallions and the resultant foals. In North America, participating stud farms pay an annual nomination fee for a given stallions that is equal to the stallion's advertised stud fee, plus an additional amount if the stallion has more than 50 foals in a given year. The cost to nominate a European stallion is 50% of their stud fee, while the nomination fee for
500-403: Is owned and operated by Churchill Downs, Inc. The track opened on September 1, 1997. More than 13,000 attended the track on opening day. The track used several unconventional construction and business approaches. They constructed one of the largest tracks in size in the country but built a relatively small clubhouse. They also built OTBs prior to the opening of the track. The track also struck
550-523: The Breeders' Cup Marathon was added but was dropped in April 2014. 2008 also marked the first time most of the races were run on an artificial surface, instead of the traditional dirt. On August 11, 2009, the Breeders' Cup announced that it would use the standard colored saddle towel system starting with the 2009 event. The new color-coded system (which has been used at many North American racetracks since
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#1732790694443600-509: The Kentucky Derby Festival by pet food heir John R. Gaines (1928–2005), a leading Thoroughbred owner and breeder who wanted to clean up the sport's image. The Cup was initially faced with much skepticism in the racing community, but with the vocal support of legendary trainer John Nerud and others, the Breeders' Cup was carried out, and subsequently experienced tremendous popularity domestically and abroad. The prize money
650-648: The 1993 Classic. The 1988 Breeders' Cup marked the first time a woman jockey competed, as American Julie Krone rode in three races that day; the Juvenile Fillies , the Juvenile and the Classic finishing 2nd, 6th and 4th respectively. Krone also became the first woman to win when she guided Halfbridled to a historic victory in the 2003 edition of the Juvenile Fillies. Rosie Napravnik became
700-429: The 1:50 barrier with 1:49.3. The following Graded events are held at Colonial Downs Grade I Grade II Grade III The following graded stakes were formerly run at Colonial Downs: Breeders%27 Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races , operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it
750-508: The 2015 event was considered a success, with record Friday attendance and a sell-out on Saturday. 2015 marked the first time a Triple Crown had been won since the inception of the Breeders' Cup, and thus the first opportunity to win the so-called Grand Slam of Thoroughbred racing , consisting of the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic. American Pharoah completed the feat in a decisive wire to wire victory. In 2016, Santa Anita had
800-650: The 2016 running, the total purses were raised from $ 26 million to $ 28 million. The purse of the Classic was raised from $ 5 million to $ 6 million, and the purse of the Longines Turf was increased from $ 3 million to $ 4 million. In 2018, total prizes and awards were increased to over $ 30 million after another race, the Juvenile Turf Sprint, was added and the purse for the Sprint was increased to $ 2 million. Each Breeders' Cup race presents four Breeders' Cup trophies to
850-558: The Breeders' Cup Future Wager, similar to the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, and the first time the Equestrian event which was intermingled with Breeders' Cup and Churchill Downs activities. The 2019 event at Santa Anita Park ended in the death of a popular horse, Mongolian Groom, in the Breeders' Cup Classic . Mongolian Groom suffered a broken lower cannon bone as well as an upper portion of pastern during
900-490: The Breeders' Cup announced a new contract with NBC Sports , superseding the final two years of the ESPN contract. Beginning in 2012, the Breeders' Cup would be broadcast in its entirety on NBCSN , except for the Classic which would be televised by NBC. In 2014, NBC announced a 10-year extension of their media rights to the Breeders' Cup. In 2015, NBC Sports announced a 3-year extension of their partnership to broadcast events from
950-467: The Breeders' Cup brand with both our television and sponsorship partners." In 2007, the event was expanded from one to two days and in 2008, the first day was devoted to female horses and the overall purse increased to over $ 25 million, making it what the New York Post called "the richest turf festival in the world." Before the Breeders' Cup expanded to two days, it was generally considered to be
1000-513: The Breeders' Cup, the ranking determines eligibility in oversubscribed races. After pre-entry, any vacancies in the fields are filled by horses in order of panel preference. Through 2006, there were eight races on the Breeders' Cup card, all classified as Grade I races. In 2007, three races – the Dirt Mile, Filly and Mare Sprint, and Juvenile Turf – were added, all of them run the Friday before
1050-940: The Colonial Downs reopened in 2019 and the event was scheduled as the New Kent County Virginia Derby . In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , the track canceled the meeting prior to the running of the event. Speed : Margins : Most wins by an owner: Most wins by a jockey : Most wins by a Trainer : Colonial Downs Colonial Downs is a racetrack located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64 , halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg . The track conducted Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing between 1997 and 2014, and reopened for thoroughbreds in 2019. It
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#17327906944431100-665: The Dirt Mile and Juvenile Turf moving to Day 1 and the Filly & Mare Sprint and Filly & Mare Turf moving to Day 2. Two other significant changes were made in 2013. First, the Juvenile Sprint (on dirt) was discontinued after only two runnings. That race had been widely perceived as a consolation prize for horses not good enough to run in the Juvenile. Second, the Ladies' Classic returned to its original name of Distaff. When
1150-665: The Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Oaks (and in some years, the Belmont Stakes). With the addition of three races for 2008, a total of $ 25.5 million was awarded over the two days, up from $ 23 million in 2007. With the subsequent removal of two races, the purses for the remaining thirteen races totaled $ 24.5 million in 2014, plus awards for foal and stallion nominators. Prior to
1200-641: The Las Vegas Marathon and in 2022 is being run as the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes. Even as a Breeders' Cup event, the race was never a Grade I race: it was a Grade II event when last run as part of the official Breeders' Cup program in 2013, and has remained a Grade II in its subsequent runnings as a non-Breeders' Cup race. A maximum of 14 starters are allowed in each of the Breeders' Cup Championships races (depending on track dimensions, some races such as
1250-512: The Marathon, open to runners of both sexes, was moved from Day 2 to be the opening race on Day 1, but all other races stayed on the day they had been run in 2008. In 2011, the Marathon was moved from Day 1 to Day 2, with the Juvenile Sprint becoming the first race overall (and also the only one on Day 1 open to males). The Marathon returned to Day 1 in 2012. Since 2013, the first day was no longer primarily devoted to races for fillies and mares, with
1300-655: The Secretariat Stakes from Arlington Park and the Breeders' Cup Turf . The track requested 25 thoroughbred dates in 2009, down from 45 in 2008. After negotiations with the track's horsemen and the Commonwealth of Virginia, the track ran 40 thoroughbred dates. The schedule originally ran from June 12 to August 4, 2009, but was later moved up one week. This allowed the track to run live racing on Belmont Stakes day, June 6. The fall harness meet ran 36 dates, from September 8 through November 7. The harness meet
1350-543: The Turf Sprint or Dirt Mile may be limited to 12 starters). Breeders' Cup Limited has adopted a field selection system to select runners in the event that fields are oversubscribed. Winners of the "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge races automatically qualify. Other pre-entries are ranked by (1) a point system for graded stakes performance during the year, and (2) the judgment of a panel of racing experts. After pre-entries are taken approximately two weeks before
1400-548: The United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada. In 2006 Greg Avioli began serving as interim President and CEO of the Breeders' Cup, and he became the official CEO in April 2007. "This is an exciting time for the Breeders' Cup", said Avioli. "We will continue to focus on growing the international market for our championships, creating a successful two-day event and promoting
1450-560: The case was dismissed in the District Court on November 24, 2015. In November 2015, Colonial Downs was denied 2016 racing dates by the Virginia Racing Commission. In rendering their decision, commissioners stated that Colonial Downs "displayed callous disregard for the industry" when it surrendered its unlimited racing license in 2014. A spokesman for Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. said that all options to keep
1500-688: The connections of the winner and a garland of flowers draped over the withers of the winning horse. Many Breeders' Cup winners will go on to win the Eclipse Award in their respective division. For example, of the eleven flat racehorse categories, seven of the Eclipse winners in 2015 had also won a Breeders' Cup race, while three others were in the money . In the 2015 listing of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), three Breeders' Cup races are ranked among
1550-584: The decision due to concerns from horsemen and many handicappers. From 2008 to 2014, the Breeders' Cup was held at either Churchill Downs or Santa Anita Park, both major tracks with a demonstrated record of success in hosting the event. In 2015 however, Keeneland was selected as the host track for the first time, in large part because of Lexington 's position as the center of the North American thoroughbred breeding industry. Although concerns were raised over Keeneland's limited amount of permanent seating,
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1600-400: The following countries have produced Breeders' Cup winners: Oldest Horse to Win a Breeders’ Cup Race: Calidoscopio (Arg) 9 Years Old (2012 Marathon) Oldest Trainer to Win a Breeders’ Cup Race: D. Wayne Lukas (79) Take Charge Brandi (2014 Juvenile Fillies) Youngest Trainer to Win a Breeders’ Cup Race: Joseph O’Brien (26) Iridessa (2019 Filly & Mare Turf) Oldest Jockey to Win
1650-534: The latter announcement was made, Breeders' Cup president Craig Fravel said, We restored the Ladies' Classic to its original name due to feedback from our loyal fans who have a strong affinity for the Distaff. In recognition of our 30th year, the Distaff has provided us with some of racing's most remarkable moments, personified by such outstanding thoroughbreds as Lady's Secret , Personal Ensign , Azeri , Zenyatta , and our two-time defending champion, Royal Delta . It
1700-583: The mid-1990s) replaces the standard purple saddle towels which had been used since 1985. The first Breeders' Cup in 1984 used yellow saddle towels. On October 22, 2009, the Breeders' Cup announced it had signed simulcasting and licensing agreements with Betfair , a company which in turn had purchased the horse-racing network TVG in January of that year. The agreement brought in Betfair's customer base of over 2.5 million, many of whom had legal access to common-pool betting. Betfair handled common-pool wagering at
1750-479: The organization's November 2009 championships, also streaming the events live to both national and international wagerers for the first time. At that point, the World Championship event was being telecast in over 140 countries, through various networks. The Breeders' Cup also introduced the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" qualifying system, a policy wherein winners of major races throughout
1800-409: The race and was euthanized. The accident came after 37 other deaths at Santa Anita Park in less than a year. The races currently run are: The following races have been discontinued by the Breeders' Cup: **The Breeders' Cup Marathon, while no longer run as such, has actually continued to be raced every year as part of the first day of the Breeders' Cup undercard. It was run for several years as
1850-489: The record upon hosting the Breeders' Cup for a record ninth time. The 2017 event was held at Del Mar for the first time. The 2018 event was held at Churchill Downs. For the 2018 event, the Friday card was known as "Future Stars Friday" and featured five races for two-year-olds, including the new Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint . The Distaff moved back to the Saturday card. Additional Breeders' Cup changes arrived with
1900-516: The remaining eight races. Three more new races – a Turf Sprint, Juvenile Filly Turf and Marathon – were added for 2008. A Juvenile Sprint was added for 2011. The order of the races on the card has changed many times throughout the event's history, but the Turf and Classic are traditionally the last two races. The 2008 event was the first in which Day 1 of the event was dedicated to races for fillies and mares, with Day 2 featuring all other races. For 2009,
1950-418: The richest day in sports. Beginning in 2008, the second day of the Breeders' Cup became the second-richest. In 2008, a total of $ 17 million was awarded on that day, down from $ 20 million in 2007 (two races were moved from Day 2 to Day 1). The richest single day in sports is now another Thoroughbred racing event, Dubai World Cup Night . It features six races with a combined purse of $ 21 million in 2008. In 2008,
2000-466: The second woman jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race, winning the Juvenile in 2012 on Shanghai Bobby and the Distaff in 2014 on Untapable . Six women trainers have won Breeders' Cup races, the first in 1996 when Jenine Sahadi won the Breeders' Cup Sprint with Lit de Justice . In 2009, Carla Gaines also won the Sprint with Dancing in Silks and in 2013 Kathy Ritvo became the first woman to train
2050-469: The top Grade 1 races in the world: the Classic (4th), the Turf (10th) and the Mile (12th). The Distaff is ranked second among the top Grade 1 races for fillies and mares. The event was created as a year-end championship for North American Thoroughbred racing, and also attracts top horses from other parts of the world, especially Europe. The idea for the Breeders' Cup was proposed at the 1982 awards luncheon for
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2100-527: The track closed after the 2013 meeting. The event was not held in 2014. In 2015 the event was moved to Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland and was renamed to the Commonwealth Derby and the distance was decreased to 1 + 1 ⁄ 8 miles. The event was down graded to Grade III in 2017. In 2018 the event was not held, but Virginia laws were amended with regard to funding horse racing and
2150-455: The track open have been exhausted. In April 2018, Virginia enacted a law to allow historical racing machines (similar to slot machines) at the track and at off-track betting parlors, in an effort to make it economically viable to reopen the track. Weeks later, the track was purchased by Revolutionary Racing (later named Colonial Downs Group ), a Chicago-based partnership that included gaming executives and Peninsula Pacific Entertainment , for
2200-502: The track. Breeders' Cup Wins – Jockey: Breeders' Cup Wins – Trainer: Breeders' Cup Earnings – Owner: Breeders' Cup Earnings – Breeder: Breeders' Cup Earnings – Horse: Breeders' Cup Earnings – Sire: Breeders' Cup Earnings – Dam: The following horses have won the same Breeders' Cup race at least twice: The following horses have won two different Breeders' Cup races: The following horses have won three Breeders' Cup races: Largest margins of victory: As of 2022 ,
2250-439: The year captured the crown of U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse . The 2005 winner English Channel later in his career won the Breeders' Cup Turf and in 2007 was also crowned U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse . In 2006 the event was upgraded to Grade II which attracted the finest three-year-old turf horses with a massive US$ 1 million purse. However the track ran into a dispute between track management and horsemen's organizations and
2300-402: The year, from North America, England, Ireland, France, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Australia would gain automatic access to the Breeders' Cup Championships races. Profits for 2010 were the highest in the organization's history, with wagering (both pari-mutuel and non-pari-mutuel) in 2010 nearing $ 200 million, or $ 21 million more than the previous year. Over $ 23 million of the non-pari-mutuel
2350-472: Was a single-day event; starting in 2007 , it expanded to two days. All sites have been in the United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada. The attendance at the Breeders' Cup varies, depending mainly on the capacity of the host track. Santa Anita Park set the highest two-day attendance figure of 118,484 in 2016. The lowest two-day attendance was 69,584 in 2007 at Monmouth Park . The attendance typically only trails
2400-466: Was the only 1¼-mile track in North America with harness racing and features a one turn mile. The horses start from a chute on the backstretch. Harness racing times at Colonial Downs were the fastest in racing. On October 11, 2008, the world trotting record was set during the $ 100,000 Patriot Invitational. It was set by Enough Talk. The trotter became the first in harness racing history to break
2450-602: Was timed to end on Breeders' Cup weekend. Colonial Downs stopped scheduling thoroughbred racing from 2013, due to a dispute between track management and horsemen's groups. Harness racing ended the following year, and all track-affiliated betting sites were closed in April 2015. The track filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia , seeking clarity in recently amended state horse racing laws, but
2500-588: Was wagered over Betfair. In 2011, the organization appointed Craig R. Fravel as CEO and President, a role he will be leaving after the 2019 event to head the racing operations of the Stronach Group . Also in 2011, the Juvenile Sprint was added, only to be dropped after the 2012 running. Organizers had originally planned to ban raceday use of the anti-bleeding medication furosemide (Lasix) for more consistency with European standards, but reversed
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