The Colonial Downs horse track in New Kent recently ended a record-setting season.
Fans were welcomed back to the racetrack for a 21-day program that was held over seven weeks throughout this past summer. The total handle for those 21 days at Colonial Downs was nearly $46.9 million, which generated a record daily handle of roughly $2.2 million; $10.4 million in purses were paid, averaging $522,000 per day, the highest monies earned by horse, trainer, jockey, and owner in Virginia history.
Other season highlights included 10 races that featured Virginia bred horses with $1 million in purses, helping to boost Virginia’s breeding program; having fully 725 horses stabled on the grounds, showing Colonial Downs’ increased strength in the Mid-Atlantic region; and attracting an average of more than 8 horses per race, higher than the national average in August.
“It is so gratifying to see the continued revival of Virginia racing as we mark new all-time handle heights,” John Marshall, Colonial Downs Group Executive Vice President, Operations, said in a statement. “We have held true to our promise of building Colonial Downs into one of the country’s elite boutique meets. We thank our horsemen, fans, and team for doing their part in making it so.”
Colonial Downs plans to add more race days to its calendar for the 2022 season.