As he waited to do an interview hours before the March 15 running of the Virginia Derby, trainer Kenny McPeek was approached by racing fans who wanted their photograph taken with him.
McPeek was one of four Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning trainers with entries Saturday at Colonial Downs, on a day the track drew a record crowd and brought in a record handle.
As the only one in attendance in the Commonwealth, he drew a crowd.
"The history of horse racing is deep in Virginia," McPeek said. "I think to have a signature event like what they've got today is nothing more than perfect. Because we need to get Virginia back on the map as a Thoroughbred location."
Buoyed by its first-time status as a Kentucky Derby qualifier, the Virginia Derby was at its biggest and best Saturday, a perfect sun-splashed afternoon.
Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone—the voice of the Kentucky Derby—was on the mic for the event, and Virginia gov. Glenn Youngkin was on hand for the trophy presentation.
"The racing and equestrian industry has been part of Virginia's history," Youngkin said. "And I think Virginia has contributed so much to racing and the equestrian industry that we should have more of it here."
Moving the Derby to a spring dirt race and having the Kentucky Derby connection elevated both the profile and excitement for the day.
"It's great for Virginia racing, for sure," trainer Mike Gorham said. "They've never ran in the spring before. We've got a beautiful day. Got a big crowd and a lot of enthusiasm. Everyone's pointing to the Derby. Everyone's got a little Derby fever. It's a good show."
The elevated stakes—50 points toward the Kentucky Derby for the winner and a prize of over $500,000—helped attract a field that included entrants trained by McPeek, D. Wayne Lukas, Bob Baffert, and Brad Cox.
Lukas' American Promise took first in dominant fashion, pulling away from the field on the backstretch, setting a track record for a 1 1/8-mile race and winning by 7 3/4 lengths.
McPeek's Render Judgement placed second, followed by the Virginia-born Omaha Omaha, a crowd favorite on the day.
Baffert's Getaway Car—the favorite at post-time—placed fourth, while Cox's Rapture took sixth.
Just over a decade after Colonial Downs was shuttered, the track—which re-opened for Thoroughbred racing in 2019—enjoyed arguably its finest day.
A sell-out crowd of more than 8,000 fans rang through a record $6,540,489 in bets.
The goal, put simply, is to grow Thoroughbred racing in Virginia, where not having events year-round has been an obstacle. To counter that, the Virginia Equine Alliance launched its certified program, running Virginia-only restricted races and awarding prize money to horses that lived or trained in Virginia for at least six months before the age of three, even when their wins came in other states in the mid-Atlantic region.
"When Colonial was shuddered, our Thoroughbred industry was falling apart," VEA president Debbie Easter said, estimating Virginia was breeding about 100 Thoroughbred foals a year at that point. "For us to compete with the states around us that had more money, more horses, we couldn't do it. We decided if we can't breed them all, we're gonna raise them."
Gorham brought an added dimension of Virginia pride to the track Saturday. His horse, Omaha Omaha, was born at Chance Farms in Gordonville, Va.
As American Promise ran away from the field down the backstretch, Omaha Omaha pulled himself into a pack and, after a photo finish, took third place, behind McPeek's Render Judgement.
"I think a lot of things are coming together in Virginia," McPeek said. "With Churchill Downs working together with the Virginia Racing Commission and the governor, and the fact that there is a good breeding program here in Virginia—we need to grow all of that. As you can see with the number of people that are here today, you have a lot of energy. This is really what horse racing is about, days like today."
