Virginia racing on the rise with derby set for Saturday

NEW KENT CO., Va. (WDBJ) - Saturday, the Colonial Downs racetrack in New Kent County will host the Virginia Derby. This year, for the first time, the race is a preliminary for the Kentucky Derby.

We’re expecting nine horses to line up in the starting gate at noon, and one of them was born in Virginia.

A name inspired by the signal calling of NFL great Peyton Manning doesn’t reflect a start in the Old Dominion, but “Omaha Omaha” is Virginia born and bred.

Brooke Royster is the owner of Chance Farm, a postcard-perfect setting in Gordonsville where he keeps his own mares and foals. This week, he showed us the stall where Omaha Omaha made his debut.

“I can tell a nice one from a not nice one, or a good one from an average one, but it’s hard to tell,” Royster told us. “You don’t know whose hands they’re going to end up with. There are so many variables, but yeah, he was always a nice horse.”

Horse racing has been on the rise in Virginia since Colonial Downs reopened in 2019.

Historical horse racing machines at Rosie’s Gaming Emporium have fueled larger purses for the winning horses. And the sale of the track to Churchill Downs paved the way for a Kentucky Derby qualifier.

Frank Hopf is the Senior Director of Racing Operations at Colonial Downs.

“Now that the Virginia Derby is a prep race for the Kentucky Derby, it’s certainly taking Colonial Downs and its racing product to another level.”

Debbie Easter is the Executive Director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association.

“We really are getting quality horses here, quality trainers, quality owners. It’s a game-changer,” she told WDBJ7.

Trainer Michael Gorham is looking for good things from a Virginia horse that likes to come from behind.

“He’s a closer. He doesn’t have a lot of early speed in the race. He’ll lag back, and probably be last down the back stretch,” Gorham said in an interview. “And his move is just one big move. And he runs fast in the last part of the race. And that’s when you need to be running fast. Just hope that he’s running fast enough.”

Brooke Royster will also be there Saturday, cheering on Omaha Omaha and the ownership group On Your Left Racing that’s now chasing a spot in the Kentucky Derby.

“He’s a nice horse for sure. And he can’t win if he’s not there. So I think he’s got a sure shot and I think his odds will show it. And there are some good horses there, but he’s shown to be a good horse himself,” Royster said.

The Virginia Derby is part of the first Spring meet in the track’s history, and Saturday’s events are sold out.

Whether Omaha Omaha crosses the finish line first, supporters of Virginia’s equine industry say what’s happening at Colonial Downs is setting the stage for more success.