Colonial Downs cuts ties with racing-surfaces director Young

Colonial Downs appears to be restructuring its track-maintenance operations after Harrison Young’s position as director of racing surfaces at Colonial Downs was terminated Wednesday and former track superintendent Ken Brown’s departure for the Maryland Jockey Club in September.

Officials with Colonial Downs and track owner Churchill Downs Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.

Young, who maintained the well-regarded turf surface at Colonial Downs, said he was notified on Wednesday that his position was terminated. He declined to discuss the circumstances of his termination.

“The story isn't something negative,” Young told Horse Racing Nation on Thursday. “It's a positive thing. And I think the cool thing to take away from it is inheriting a property that I was allowed to learn then make safe.”

Young said he began working at Colonial on a seasonal basis in 2019, when racing resumed at the Virginia track, and went full-time in 2022. He is grateful for the opportunity to learn at the track and proud of what he accomplished there.

“There's just been nothing but gradual improvements each year,” Young said. “And this year being a highlight year of success in the eyes of a year of scrutiny to track surfaces. And for us to be able to provide a facility and a dirt track and a turf course and through training and through jump racing, we were able to provide a consistent surface from day one to the last day of the meet with 275 turf races out there. And every horse is able to succeed after that. And you see those successes by seeing these top horses that came and competed in these graded stakes are now turning around and winning graded stakes again. There's no setback for them.”

Colonial Downs hosted the Grade 1 Arlington Million, Beverly D. (G1) and Secretariat (G2) for the first time this year, all on turf. And notably, it had no racing-related equine fatalities this year.

Young said he doesn’t know what his next step will be, but he sees his responsibility as being to horses and horsemen through maintenance and improvement of racing surfaces

“I'm taking it as an opportunity to help the next track, the next group of horses that I haven't been able to be a part of, and help the next person understand or help the industry as a whole,” he said. “… Everything that I've been trying to do is just to improve little by little in small increments, and those have shown to be successful. And it's all geared around the response of the equine athlete.”