Virginia Derby
{{Infobox horseraces
| surface = Dirt
| class = Stakes
| horse race = Virginia Derby
| image =
| caption =
| location = Colonial Downs
New Kent County, Virginia
| inaugurated = 1998
| race type = Thoroughbred - Flat racing
| website = [https://rosiesgaming.com/racing/ Colonial Downs]
| distance = {{frac|1|1|8}} miles (9 furlongs)
| track = Left-handed
| qualification = Three-year-olds
| weight = 123 lbs with allowances
| purse = $500,000 (2023)
| bonuses =
| sponsor = New Kent County (since 2019)
}}
The Virginia Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds over a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt held annually in March at Colonial Downs in New Kent County, Virginia. The event currently carries a purse of $500,000. The race is formerly a Grade II turf race, for three-year-old's, but after Colonial Downs was acquired by Churchill Downs, the race was moved to the dirt and is ungraded for 2025. The Virginia Derby is a Kentucky Derby qualifying points race.
History
The inaugural running of the event took place on October 3, 1998 as part of the newly opened racetrack in Virginia known as Colonial Downs at a distance of {{frac|1|1|4}} miles on the outer turf course.
The quality of the event consistently improved and in 2004 the American Graded Stakes Committee upgraded the classification to Grade III status.{{cite web|url=https://www.equibase.com/profiles/Results.cfm?type=Stakes&stkid=1442 |title=New Kent County Virginia Derby (Gr. 3) |work=equibase |date=2022 |accessdate=22 August 2022}} That year the winner was Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey's Kitten's Joy who later in the year captured the crown of U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse. The 2005 winner English Channel later in his career won the Breeders' Cup Turf and in 2007 was also crowned U.S. Champion Male Turf Horse.
In 2006 the event was upgraded to Grade II{{cite web|url=https://www.pedigreequery.com/index.php?query_type=stakes&search_bar=stakes&field=view&id=849 |title=VIRGINIA DERBY - MULTIPLE TRACKS |work=Thoroughbred Pedigree Online |date=2022 |accessdate=22 August 2022}} which attracted the finest three-year-old turf horses with a massive US$1 million purse.
However the track ran into a dispute between track management and horsemen's organizations and the track closed after the 2013 meeting.{{cite web |url=http://www.richmond.com/business/article_2430b08e-dacb-50d3-b34c-df4324a57c80.html|title=Colonial Downs asks court to clarify law in horse racing standoff|last1=Hazard|first1=Carol|date=13 November 2015|website=richmond.com|publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch|access-date=14 November 2015}}
The event was not held in 2014.
In 2015 the event was moved to Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland and was renamed to the Commonwealth Derby and the distance was decreased to {{frac|1|1|8}} miles.
The event was down graded to Grade III in 2017.
In 2018 the event was not held, but Virginia laws were amended with regard to funding horse racing and the Colonial Downs reopened in 2019 and the event was scheduled as the New Kent County Virginia Derby.
In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the track canceled the meeting prior to the running of the event.{{cite news |author= BloodHorse Staff |title=Colonial Downs Cancels Meet Due to COVID-19 Positives; The meet had been scheduled to continue until Sept. 2. |url=https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/242857/colonial-downs-cancels-meet-due-to-covid-19-positives |access-date=22 August 2022 |work=Bloodhorse.com |date=14 August 2020}}
in 2025, Churchill Downs moved the Virginia Derby to the dirt and will be held each spring as a Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race.
Records
Speed:
- {{frac|1|1|4}} miles: 1:59.62 - Red Giant (2007)
- {{frac|1|1|8}} miles: 1:46.41 (new track record) - American Promise (2025)
Margins:
- {{frac|3|1|4}} lengths – English Channel (2005)
Most wins by an owner:
- 3 - Peter Vegso (2002, 2003, 2006)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 3 - Edgar S. Prado (2002, 2003, 2004)
Most wins by a Trainer:
- 3 - Todd Pletcher (2005, 2007, 2022)
- 3 - William I. Mott (2002, 2003, 2006)
- 3 - Dale L. Romans (2004, 2010, 2012)
- 3 - H. Graham Motion (2017, 2019, 2021)
Winners
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Winner ! Jockey ! Trainer ! Owner ! Distance ! Time ! Purse ! Grade ! Ref |
|---|
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="left" colspan=11|At Colonial Downs – New Kent County Virginia Derby |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:beige"
|align=center |2025 |American Promise |Nik Juarez |BC Stables |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:46.41 |align=center |$500,000 |align=center |III | | |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2024 |Deterministic |St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven C. Duncker & Vicarage Stable |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:47.76 |align=center |$504,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2023 |Integration |Kendrick Carmouche |{{nowrap|Claude R. McGaughey III}} |West Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:46.41 |align=center |$504,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2022 |Capensis |Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Robert V. LaPenta, Gainesway Stable, Winchell Thoroughbreds & Stonestreet Stables |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:48.15 |align=center |$305,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2021 |Wootton Asset (FR) |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:46.79 |align=center |$250,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="center" |2020 |align="center" colspan=10|Race not held |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2019 |English Bee |Jorge A. Vargas Jr. |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:52.94 |align=center |$250,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="center" |2018 |align="center" colspan=10|Race not held |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="left" colspan=11|At Laurel Park – Commonwealth Derby |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2017 |Just Howard |Feargal Lynch |Skeedattle Associates |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:45.81 |align=center |$200,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2016 |Deeply Undervalued |Klaravich Stables & William Lawrence |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:46.63 |align=center |$200,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2015 |One Go All Go |Ronald Hisby |Pavel Matejka |Preston Stables & Prestonwood Racing |align=center |{{frac|1|1|8}} miles |align=center |1:48.10 |align=center |$400,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="center" |2014 |align="center" colspan=10|Race not held |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:white"
|align="left" colspan=11|At Colonial Downs – Virginia Derby |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2013 |War Dancer |Magdalena Racing |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:03.57 |align=center |$500,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2012 |Mark Bacon & Dana Wells |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:04.05 |align=center |$594,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2011 |Air Support |{{nowrap|Claude R. McGaughey III}} |Stuart S. Janney III |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:00.80 |align=center |$600,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2010 | Donegal Racing |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:02.58 |align=center |$600,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2009 |{{nowrap|Battle of Hastings (GB)}} |Michael House |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:03.29 |align=center |$750,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2008 |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:02.22 |align=center |$772,500 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2007 |Horacio Karamanos |Peachtree Stable |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |1:59.62 |align=center |$1,000,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2006 |Go Between | Peter Vegso |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |1:59.74 |align=center |$1,000,000 |align=center |II |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2005 |James T. Scatuorchio |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:02.57 |align=center |$750,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2004 |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:01.22 |align=center |$500,000 |align=center |III |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2003 |Silver Tree |Peter Vegso |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:01.11 |align=center |$500,000 |align=center | Listed |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2002 |Orchard Park |Peter Vegso |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:03.10 |align=center |$500,000 |align=center | Listed |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2001 |Potaro (IRE) |Brent E. Bartram |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:02.18 |align=center |$200,000 |align=center | Listed |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |2000 |Lightning Paces |Greg W. Hutton |John J. Robb |Tulip Hill Farm |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:02.18 |align=center |$200,000 |align=center | Listed |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |1999 |Phi Beta Doc |{{nowrap|Ramon A. Dominguez}} |Robert W. Leonard |Dennis Foster & Robert W. Leonard |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |1:59.97 |align=center |$200,000 |align=center |Listed |
| style="font-size:90%; background-color:lightcyan"
|align=center |1998 |Crowd Pleaser |align=center |{{frac|1|1|4}} miles |align=center |2:00.28 |align=center |$250,000 |align=center |Listed |