Virginia Aims to Move Graded Stakes to Laurel

While some details still need to be worked out, racing leaders in Virginia hope to offer the state's four graded stakes in Maryland at Laurel Park this year.

The Virginia Thoroughbred Association outlined a plan at the July 1 Virginia Racing Commission meeting to offer five stakes for state-breds and the four graded stakes in Maryland this year. Last year Laurel played host to Virginia's state-bred stakes but the graded stakes would be a new addition this year.

Virginia Thoroughbred Association executive director Debbie Easter said part of the motivation of moving the graded stakes that in 2013 had been contested at Colonial Downs to Maryland would be to maintain their graded status until Virginia forms a racing plan going forward and the races can return to the state. When a stakes is not offered two years in a row, it loses its graded status.

The graded stakes were not offered last year in Virginia after horsemen and Colonial Downs ownership failed to reach an agreement on racing dates. Colonial Downs will not host any races this year either and no longer has a racing license.

Maryland horsemen will have to approve the plans—and possibly some funding—to move the stakes to September and October at Laurel. The American Graded Stakes Committee will have to review the graded status of the races.

Because Colonial Downs may hold naming rights on some or all of the graded stakes, race names may need to be changed.

The tentative plan calls for the races to this point known as the All Along Stakes and Colonial Turf Cup to be run Sept. 12 followed by the Virginia Oaks and Virginia Derby Oct. 3. Those graded stakes, all turf events, were most recently offered in 2013 at Colonial Downs. Five stakes for Virginia-breds would be offered Sept. 26.

When run in 2013, the All Along for fillies and mares had grade III status and the Colonial Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and older had grade II status. The Virginia Oaks had grade III status and the Virginia Derby was a grade II race. All four races would continue to be contested on turf.

Tentative plans call for purses of $100,000 for the All Along, $250,000 for the Colonial Turf Cup, $150,000 for the Oaks, and $400,000 for the Derby. The five stakes for Virginia-breds would each offer $60,000 purses; those races were run at Laurel last year.