Making Claims: The Vibes Are Good In Virginia

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Making Claims: The Vibes Are Good In Virginia originally appeared on Paulick Report.
In 'Making Claims,' Paulick Report bloodstock editor Joe Nevills shares his opinions on the Thoroughbred industry from the breeding and sales arenas to the racing world and beyond.
Take a look at the racing map, and you'll find a lot of states and tracks fighting for their lives right now.
In Louisiana, Churchill Downs had a gun to the Fair Grounds' head as it negotiates its way into more favorable historical horse racing rules.
In Florida, Gulfstream Park's days appear numbered, whether the final bell comes sooner or later.
The Northern California circuit has been wiped off the face of the earth, and things aren't exactly rosy in the southern half of the state.
Pimlico Race Course is about to face the wrecking ball in Maryland, and while plans call for long-term stability in the Baltimore area (at the cost of Laurel Park), a project of that magnitude often comes with a sense of fragility.
Illinois is still recovering from the loss of Arlington Park, and Hawthorne Race Course has seen better days.
I could keep going, but I'm sure you get the point.
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With so many North American outposts struggling, it's fair to wonder if anyone out there has things going in the right direction.
Yes, Virginia. There is a state with positive momentum.
Through a combination of creative incentive programs, finding a niche on the crowded Mid-Atlantic racing calendar, and getting support from a deep roster of quality horsepeople, Virginia's upward trajectory is something worth noting as the July 9 opening day at Colonial Downs approaches.
The Jockey Club State Fact Book shows the Virginia-bred foal crop hit its highest level in over a decade in 2023, the most recent year reported, and it's not hard to imagine that trend will continue in the foaling seasons that followed. The four biggest years for average earnings by a Virginia-bred runner since 2004 have been the past four racing seasons.
On the racing side, the average purse per race in Old Dominion hit a record high in 2024, at $65,263. The state's 323 races last year was the most since 2012, Virginia's 1,516 starters was the most since 2010, and the purses exceeding $21 million was a record.
Colonial Downs has already had a turn in the national spotlight this year, when it hosted the Virginia Derby as a Kentucky Derby prep for the first time in March, introducing some fans and bettors to the track for the first time. Two of the Virginia Derby starters - winner American Promise and runner-up Render Judgment - ran in the main event on the first Saturday in May.
The seeds for the success that Virginia is enjoying today were planted during a dark period in the state's history. In 2016, the Virginia Thoroughbred Association introduced the Virginia-certified program, which rewarded developers of eligible horses with a 25 percent purse bonus for wins in open races throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Colonial Downs had been closed for two years when the program was introduced, and the incentive structure, requiring horses to spend at least six months in residence in Virginia prior to the end of their 2-year-old season, gave horsemen a reason to keep their horses within state lines and kept farms and training centers in business while they awaited whatever the future held.
When Colonial Downs was revived for the 2019 racing season, the state already had an infrastructure and set of incentive programs in place to make make a running start into the next era of Virginia racing.
In some ways, that next era looked like the previous one. Colonial Downs' signature is its turf surface - with its Secretariat Course stretching out to 1 1/8 miles, and holding the title as the widest turf course in North America.
Over 80 percent of the races at Colonial Downs during the summer meet are held over one of its two turf courses, meaning horsepeople with turf-leaning runners are presented with a unique opportunity to get quality starts over grass that might not be as readily available elsewhere.
Perhaps most of all, the vibes are just good in Virginia.
I made my first visit to Colonial Downs in March for Virginia Derby week, and people seemed excited about the general direction of the state's industry at a level one rarely sees elsewhere these days.
There's a generational depth of knowledge when it comes to horsemanship in Old Dominion that would be a crime to be left dormant. They care about the product they put on the ground in the foaling shed and on the racetrack, and what it says about their program at large. Not everyone thinks with that kind of big-picture mentality when it comes to their place in a greater ecosystem.
That's why I think Virginia will manage to keep the momentum going for the long haul. The state's horsepeople have a median level of competency, both on the track and off, that ensures when they're given an opportunity like they were with HHR, they won't fumble it.
Few entities survive without the good graces of someone else in a higher position of power, and with Colonial Downs being owned by CDI, Virginia is no different. But, strong leadership can help a program weather a lot of storms, and we've already seen that in action.
We've seen Virginia survive in the darkness. Next month, we'll see how they can thrive with another season in the light.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.