Colonial Downs is full of horses, trainers for Monday opener

With a daily average of more than $500,000 in purse money and the closing of stables at Churchill Downs this summer, Colonial Downs has no shortage of horses or trainers for the Monday start of its 21-day meet.

Jill Byrne, vice president of racing operations, told Horse Racing Nation all 14 barns will be full – a complement of about 840 horses.

"But even without that situation, we still had a lot of interest from the Kentucky trainers to come," she said.

In its opening preview last week, Colonial Downs touted the wide range of trainers coming to the Virginia track.

"One of the reasons is the purse structure, which is very high for racing during this time," Byrne said. "You take out Saratoga and Del Mar and we're highest around the country. And then the facility – we have two of the best track surfaces in the country with our Secretariat turf course, which is where we can run a lot of racing on the turf and turf racing's very popular. So people know that we can accommodate them by running a lot of turf races."

Also, she said, the stakes schedule "fits nicely."

"We don't have million-dollar stakes and half-a-million-dollar stakes races, but at the same time, it's a good well-balanced group of stakes," Byrne said. "I think they know that they don't have to necessarily run against some of the toughest horses in those races. So there's an opportunity for people to make some money.

"And we also offer owners and trainers a bonus program. So trainers, they get $300 for every horse they start, and owners get $1,000 if their horse does not earn $1,000 in the race. It's very costly to ship and race and maintain a stable and take care of your staff, so every little bit like that helps."

Like any track, Colonial Downs faces challenges. Racing resumed at the track in 2019, and its second year was disrupted by challenging weather – extreme heat, hurricanes – and COVID, which forced it to close in mid-August.

Those factors might not come into play this year, but an ongoing challenge is the track's location in New Kent, in the eastern part of the state.

"We're kind of 20 miles from Richmond, 20 miles from Williamsburg," Byrne said. "I think that can sometimes maybe be a little tough on horsemen looking for places to stay during the season."

The location also comes into play in another way, she said.

"There's a lot of competition for racing. And I think that can be a challenge for us even though, yes, we have a high purse structure and a great facility and great surfaces," she said. "If people aren't actually stabled here and want to ship, it can be a good three, four hours from wherever they are to come here. And when you have other choices, they may not offer as much money as we do, but sometimes going five minutes down the road might be easier for them than to go four or five hours down the road."

Still, Byrne said, "we've got an incredible crew, and they take a great deal of pride in what they do at all levels. And it shows. And I think horsemen appreciate that. They know that we're all horsemen, and we're going to take care of them the right way. … With all the people that are already shipping in here, we're looking forward to a very strong meet."