Scenes From First Day Of Training At Colonial Downs
For the first time in six years, thoroughbred horses started to fill the Colonial Downs backstretch area this past week and began training on the main track. The first live racing season since the summer of 2013 will kick off Thursday August 8th at 5 PM.
The barn area opened Thursday July 25th and ten of the barns will be utilized this summer. Close to 40 horses shipped onto the grounds that first day.
When the track opened for training on July 26th, Colonial’s ownership group was there shortly after sunrise to welcome the first horses onto the track.
First horse on the track was Bourke’s Janneydancer, ironically, the only non Virginia-bred horse he brought. The 6-year-old New York-bred won a maiden claimer at Saratoga in 2017.
Here are some other images from July 25th and 26th.