The Virginia Racing Commission, horsemen and officials at Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent recently approved an eight-week schedule for 2015. However, under the plan, the VRC would not require the track to offer the 25 live Thoroughbred racing dates it had been assigned for this year, ending 17 years of live racing at Colonial. But, having an agreement with horsemen in place for 2015, Colonial Downs could reopen its off-track betting facilities to start accumulating a purse fund for 2015. The OTBs closed in February when the track and the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association could not agree on 2014 race dates. Colonial wanted to run fewer dates with bigger purses while horsemen wanted purse money spread out over a longer schedule.
VRC Executive Secretary Bernie Hettel said, “Quite frankly, we’re so late in the year that even if we could open, we’d have to close by the last weekend of August when Timonium opens back up in Maryland.”
Virginia HBPA Executive Director Frank Petramalo Jr. said Thoroughbred owners and breeders were disappointed with the cancellation of the 2014 season, “but we recognize that here we are looking at July 1st and it would be very problematic to put together five weeks. We’ll take 24 dates over eight weeks next year with no racing this year.” Petramalo noted fans at Colonial skew younger than at many other racetrack.
