Never Forget Mobile Exhibit on Display in Richmond in October

Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums^® will recognize the 20^th anniversary of 9/11 at all locations on Saturday and will provide free commemorative Rosie’s Reward Cards to patrons. In addition, to honor 9/11 victims and the families who survive them, Rosie’s will welcome the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit to Richmond from Wednesday, October 20 through Monday, October 25, 2021. The public exhibit is a tribute to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, including the 343 members of the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) who made the ultimate sacrifice. Rosie’s will display the exhibit in the parking lot located on Midlothian Turnpike. Admission to the exhibit is free of charge. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation created the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit in 2013. The foundation honors the sacrifice of Brooklyn’s Squad 1 firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. It also honors our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country.

WHAT: A high-tech, 83-foot tractor-trailer, which transforms into a 1,100 square foot exhibit. The memorial provides interactive education; including artifacts such as steel beams from the towers, documentary videos, and recordings of first responder radio transmissions. The 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit is a tool to further educate people across the country about the events of that tragic day.

WHO: Interactive guided tours conducted by FDNY firefighters providing firsthand accounts of the day and its aftermath. The 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit, which has traveled to nearly 50 states and Canada, has welcomed over 500,000 visitors to date.

WHEN:
October 20, 21, & 22 | 9AM – 2PM & 4PM – 8PM
October 23 | 11AM – 7PM
October 24 | 12PM – 6PM
October 25 | 9AM – 2PM & 4PM – 8P

WHERE: Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, 6807 Midlothian Turnpike, Richmond, VA 23225

About the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation: The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Tower Foundation’s mission is to honor the sacrifice of Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors and supports our first responders and service members who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country. For more information, please visit www.tunnel2towers.org

$159,500 to be Donated to Charitable Organizations – Checks Presented after each Race

Colonial Downs Group is hosting Community Day today, Wednesday, August 11. Community groups from New Kent, Richmond, Hampton & Dumfries will be at the track in New Kent enjoying a relaxed and fun afternoon of thoroughbred horse racing and community giving. Checks will be presented to individual charitable organizations following each of eight races on the card – totaling 28 checks and $159,500! Recipients range from Virginia Community Food Connections (Dumfries) to the New Kent County Community Foundation, from the Youth Aeronautics Education Foundation (Hampton) to the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation.

Acting Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Kathleen Jabs will be on hand for the Virginia Veterans Services Foundation check presentation. Jabs stated, “We appreciate all efforts in the Commonwealth to recognize and honor our veterans and their families. They have given so much for us and it is heartwarming to see others give back to them.”

Aaron Gomes, chief operating officer of Colonial Downs Group, stated, “We are extremely fortunate to be operating Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® in communities across Virginia. Giving back and helping those communities is at the core of our operational philosophy. We truly believe that sharing our resources and time adds value to the communities in which we live and operate.”

Community Day is in addition to the ongoing Rosie’s Gives Back program. Colonial Downs Group has made monetary and in-kind donations of more than $1.34 million and has logged over 1,100 service hours in Virginia communities through its Rosie’s Gives Back program.

First “Rosie’s Game Room” Opens This Week

Colonial Downs Group is excited to announce a new gaming option in Virginia and an expansion of its Off-Track-Betting (OTB) operation located at 2360 Virginia Avenue in Collinsville. Rosie’s Game Room will offer a hybrid of the newest gaming technology available along with a sampling of the best menu items from Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums across Virginia and the traditional OTB that has been located in Collinsville for many years. Rosie’s Game Room will include the same “slots-like” Historical Horse Racing gaming machines currently available at Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in Richmond, Hampton, Vinton, New Kent & Dumfries as well as Rosie’s renowned R’ Burgers and the world’s greatest fries! The upgraded facility opening on Thursday, July 22 has been expanded to more than 3,500 square feet and will have 130 parking spaces.

“Our five Rosie’s locations have delivered great entertainment to their communities while providing good jobs and important tax revenues to the localities and to the Commonwealth,” said Chief Operating Officer at Colonial Downs Group, Aaron Gomes. “We are proud to bring this same community partnership to Collinsville and we look forward to many years of fun, safe and successful operations.”

When the horses return to Colonial Downs in early July it will feel like a homecoming for Jill Byrne. The vice president of racing has always been around horses and held high-profile jobs in the racing world.
She describes the make-or-break 2021 season at Colonial Downs in New Kent that begins on July 19 as her biggest challenge in three decades in the industry.

An escort horse waits to take a thoroughbred to the starting gate at Colonial Downs on Aug. 9, 2019. Staff file (Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press) Byrne is a horse lover who “stalked” Secretariat at Saratoga as a young girl. She grew up in Barboursville in the heart of Virginia’s equine country. Her father, Peter Howe, was a rider and a trainer who trained two Eclipse Award winners. “My father put me on my first racehorse to gallop when I was 12 but I was riding show horses from the time I was probably 2 or 3 years old,” she said.

Byrne spent her summers at Belmont Park and Saratoga racetracks in New York and went to work for famous trainers. Her then-husband Patrick Byrne was the trainer of 1997 Horse of the Year and Eclipse Award winners Favorite Trick and Countess Diana as well as Awesome Again, the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner.

Before she returned to Virginia to take a position at Colonial Downs two years ago, Byrne worked as the director of Broadcast and Programing at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Kentucky and the senior director of racing for the Breeder’s Cup.

Her arrival in New Kent coincided with a new era at Virginia’s only thoroughbred racecourse. Colonial Downs was shuttered for five years from 2014 following disputes between the owner and the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. Peninsula Pacific Entertainment bought the course and racing resumed in 2019.

“It was great. We were able to attract a great racing team. Everybody wanted to be a part of the rebirth of Colonial Downs,” Byrne said. The course was pulling in a purse of $500,000 a day, one of the highest in the nation.

Money brought success but Byrne said Colonial Downs is also a beautiful facility with extensive barn areas and “second-to-none” grass and dirt tracks.

“We had all the ingredients for success. We had a very successful 2019 and were prepared to build off of that with even more improvements. Then COVID hit,” Byrne said.

“It whacked us right in the head. It was tough on the horsemen who lost out the most by not being able to race and make money,” she said. Colonial Downs operated without fans initially in 2020 but canceled the remainder of last year’s meet after positive COVID-19 tests.

The pressure is now on for the 2021 meet that begins July 19. Byrne said the track has been preparing for the season since September.

“We are back. We have put that behind us and are ready to absolutely have an incredible racing season this year,” she said.

Colonial Downs plans 21 days of racing this summer compared to six in 2020 and 18 in 2019. The purse will be a minimum of $500,000 a day, putting Colonial Downs in the top three courses in the country for summer meets. As many as 850 horses are expected to arrive at the racecourse over the summer months.

“The core of everything we do is to put on a safe race meet,” said Byrne. “It’s great that we can have fans back because racing lends so well to spectators.”

The racecourse and the Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums that Colonial Downs operates are expected to attract about 200 additional seasonal workers. However, the course has experienced the recruitment issues felt across the entertainment industry in the wake of the pandemic.

“We are doing a lot of creative things to get people here, offering hiring bonuses,” Byrne said.

Byrne said the 2021 season is the greatest challenge of her career but she relishes it.

“I want the best for Colonial Downs racetrack and for the horse industry in Virginia to succeed,” she said, “Failure’s not an option.”

Darrell Wood of the Virginia Equine Alliance said Colonial Downs’ racetrack is extremely attractive to riders. The dirt track at a mile-and-a-quarter is the second largest in the county after Belmont while the turf track is the widest grass racing surface in the country.

“Because our season’s only seven weeks long, we can use that grass course as much as we want knowing it’s got the rest of the year to come back for racing the next year. That’s why horses come here,” he said.

Wood said while only the best horses can run on grass at most courses, the extensive grass area allows more extensive turf racing at Colonial Downs.

“We like to think it’s the best turf course in the country,” he said.

“There’s a lot of cautious optimism,” he said of the forthcoming season.

David Macaulay, [email protected]

When thoroughbred racing returns to Colonial Downs on July 19, the people who place bets on the successful horses won’t be the only winners.

The prospect of a summer full of races and the return of the crowds post is a win-win for the economy of New Kent and Virginia as a whole.

New Kent County received $6.7 million in revenue as of June 6 in FY2021 from horse racing and off-track betting, according to figures from the county. Revenue was hit in 2020 when racing was canceled, and Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums closed due to COVID. The county received no revenue during the pandemic closure from March 22, 2020, until the end of the financial year. However, the county received $4.4 million in revenue in FY2020.

Rosie’s Gaming Emporium reopened its doors July 1, 2020. Since then, it’s been back offering up its historic horse racing gaming technology to hundreds in facilities across the state.

“We ended up not bad (in FY2020) and 2021 was even better,” said New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway. He pointed out New Kent receives a percentage of revenues from Rosie’s in Richmond, Hampton, Vinton and Dumfries as well as the locations at the track.

“This is our biggest business and one of our larger employers,” Hathaway said of Colonial Downs. “Definitely as far as tax revenue.”

Hathaway said the prospect of Colonial Downs operating a full season with no capacity restrictions is likely to boost revenues further.

“We are excited that things are getting back to normal for Colonial Downs,” Hathaway said. He said the new owners of the racetrack, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, are very dedicated to horse racing and community-oriented.

Hathaway said the reopening of Colonial Downs in 2019 after five years of closure has also helped other county businesses.

“One of the great things about Colonial Down is they have brought back the Virginia Derby. We are excited about the Virginia Derby event at the end of August,” Hathaway said. “It not only showcases New Kent, it showcases the whole commonwealth.”

Hathaway said the new owners of Colonial Downs want to grow the Virginia Derby to make it “one of the premier events in the country.”

The lucrative nature of Colonial Downs and Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums is apparent in the financials for just one month — May 2021.

Rosie’s and Colonial Downs representative Mark Hubbard said the enterprise paid $776,604 in taxes to New Kent County in May and just less than $2 million to the state of Virginia. Wagers made at all Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums in Virginia in May 2021 totaled more than $257 million. Almost $46 million was made in wagers in New Kent County alone. More than $237 million was paid out in prizes the same month.

“These numbers are relatively consistent month to month,” Hubbard said. “Our pledge to bring lots of entertainment and fun along with good jobs and significant tax revenues to Virginia and its localities where we operate is being met.”

Jill Byrne, vice president of racing at Colonial Downs, said race days attract about 3,000 people on an average day. The purse for the new season will be a minimum of $500,000 a day.

“It has a big effect, having racing back. If we have over 850 horses stabled back here and trainers coming from all over the country, it will benefit grocery stores and everyone in the local economy,” she said. The racecourse will employ about 200 seasonal workers this year.

The continued development of Colonial Downs could mean even greater future revenues for New Kent and Virginia.

A consultants’ report prepared in 2018 by Richmond-based Chmura Economics & Analytics predicted the venue could generate almost $350 million a year in economic impact.

“The successful revitalization of Colonial Downs could generate $349.1 million in economic impact in Virginia, and support over 1,407 state jobs in 2022 when the operation reaches its full capacity. Colonial Downs operations would also result in $26.4 million in annual tax revenue for the state government, and additional tax revenue for New Kent County and other Virginia localities. In addition, it would contribute $18.0 million per year to Virginia’s horse industry,” the report stated.

By David Macaulay, [email protected]

Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) Chairperson D.G. Van Clief, Jr. announced today that he will be stepping away from his role with the VRC in order to serve on the Board of the Federal Trade Commission’s new Horse Racing Integrity & Safety Authority. The announcement came during Monday’s VRC meeting at Colonial Downs — its first in-person session since December, 2019.

Van Clief was invited to be one of nine directors on the new Authority and only one of four to be chosen from the horse racing industry — the other five are independent and will come from the outside the industry. The Authority has been tasked with assembling a body of recommendations related to medication rules, and enforcing those, along with safety protocols and enforcement of those, by next February.

Van Clief received special recognition from long time VRC Commissioner J. Sargeant Reynolds, Jr., who took over as Chairman beginning with today’s session. This will be Mr. Reynolds’ second stint as Chairman.

“This association (with Virginia horse racing stakeholders) isn’t about to be over,” Van Clief said to the gathering after he received a commemoration plaque for his service. “I’m just going to be leaning on you in a different way moving forward. Part of my job is to represent everyone in this room in my next position.”

“I’m happy I got a chance to come to this meeting and explain to my colleagues in the industry where I was going, why I was going and when I was going,” he added. “Things have been moving fast since I was invited to serve. There’s a lot to do in a short period of time and I’ll probably be calling on you for help and advice. Colonial Downs is already ahead of the curve in many of these areas and can provide great us some examples.”

Reflecting on his time in Virginia, and especially the challenges the industry faced after Colonial Downs initially closed in 2014, Van Clief referenced the unique Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) business model as the major factor in helping move the industry forward in a quick manner.

“When all four VEA member groups — the VHBPA, VTA, VHHA and Virginia Gold Cup — all coalesced under one not-for-profit umbrella, it gave the industry immediate credibility, political clout, a common will and a common voice. It’s amazing what that allows you to get done and the fast track we’ve been on in Virginia since. We’ve seen rapid growth the last several years and the re-emergence of what I think is going to be one of the nation’s best boutique race meetings this summer at Colonial Downs.”

“I’m honored to have been asked to serve on the VRC and thank my fellow commissioners for the privilege of serving with them,” Van Clief added. “The Executive staff has done an amazing amount of work with a very small staff and provided great leadership in putting its best foot forward. I’m delighted to have been along for the ride and honored to have served my home state.”

Hosting Job Fairs Every Saturday in June
$500 Seasonal Completion Bonus among the Benefits

Colonial Downs Group has announced that every Saturday in June it is hosting job fairs at the racetrack in New Kent County to hire seasonal workers for the summer horse racing schedule. Races begin on July 19 and will take place every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday for seven weeks ending on September 1. Seasonal hourly positions are available for heavy equipment operators, groundskeepers, security, food & beverage and housekeeping. Teller positions are also available but experience is required.

Colonial Downs Group offers competitive wages and will provide a $500 bonus to any worker who completes the full summer season. The bonus applies only to seasonal positions and candidates must be hired between NOW and July 16, 2021 to qualify. Part-time and full-time positions are available with other hiring incentives. Details on the job fairs are as follows:

Saturday, June 12 | 10AM-4PM
Colonial Downs & Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, New Kent, VA 23124

Saturday, June 19 | 10AM-6PM
Colonial Downs Racing Office, 10700 Horsemens Rd, New Kent, VA 23124

Saturday, June 26 | 12PM-6PM
Colonial Downs & Rosie’s Gaming Emporium, New Kent, VA 23124

John Marshall, executive vice president of operations at Colonial Downs Group, stated, “We are seeking energetic team members who want to work in a fun and exciting environment and can provide excellent customer service. We look forward to meeting our newest co-workers at our June job fairs.”

When Colonial Downs begins its third season of thoroughbred racing under the ownership of the Colonial Downs Group on July 19, fans will see a new face on camera who provides selections and insight into each upcoming race from the paddock area.

Jessica Paquette, long time handicapper at Suffolk Downs and most recently Sam Houston, will make her debut in New Kent replacing Merv Huber, who is unable to travel to Colonial Downs this season but will stay on as morning line odds maker and provide guest analysis.

The 36-year-old Lowell, Massachusetts native is excited to be part of the Colonial Downs team, and the track’s signature racing surface is a big reason why.

“I’ve heard the Secretariat Turf Course is the best grass surface in the country, and it’s my favorite kind of racing. Being able to talk about beautiful pedigrees on a great grass course just lights my soul on fire. Turf is a much more specific surface than dirt. Some horses will love it and some will only take to that specific course.”

Colonial is known for having large fields that compete on grass, but Paquette seems unfazed by the challenge of picking winners for viewers. “I’m a real pedigree nerd,” she said. “With grass races, you can find horses with hidden turf pedigrees that just jump up and surprise you. I’ll provide insights during the paddock show on specific horse flesh I notice. I’m a day-to-day horse person. I’ll be getting a sense of the barns on site and watching patterns. I’ll be familiarizing myself with the trainer colony. I’ll be taking a lot of notes. I think you can stumble across a lot of nice horses that way.”

Growing up, Paquette’s parents did not have a background or interest in horses, so her equine passion began with participation in the ‘Kids to the Cup’ program as a young teenager. She never looked back.

“Once I got involved in ‘Kids to the Cup’ (KTTC) 25 years ago, it changed my life. It put me on the path to get where I am today. I was a nerdy horse crazy kid back then and I just fell in love with racing during that golden era of the ’90’s when Silver Charm and Skip Away were racing. It just captivated me. Nothing fills me with as much joy as being at a racetrack and being up close,” she added. “No matter what breed, I love watching all horses turn left.””

From KTTC, she started out as a hotwalker at Rockingham Park, then went on to work as a mutuels clerk and followed that with an internship in the publicity department. After those experiences, she landed another internship at Suffolk Downs and never left. Paquette spent the next 14 years at Suffolk where she rose through the ranks to become Senior VP of Marketing and an on camera personality and handicapper.

Suffolk closed its doors for good in June, 2019 after 84 years in business. Rockingham previously closed in 2016. Both closures hit Paquette hard.

“As a fan, I watched Rockingham close and it was heartbreaking. It was the first place I saw a live horse race. At Suffolk, I was helping run the place so mourning the loss of something I Ioved so much was tough but I had to be professional about it. The day still had to go on. Putting on a public face when your heart is being ripped to pieces was challenging. We sent the old girl off the best way we could,” Paquette added. “The last day was a celebration. I watched the last race from the roof by myself. Those are memories I’ll take with me the rest of my life.”

Since Suffolk closed, Paquette served as on camera handicapper for the Sam Houston thoroughbred meet this past winter. In a Covid-pandemic environment, she performed the job remotely, from a studio she set up in her closet. And in March, she became the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Director of Communications & the Annual Fund. The position allows her to work from home in the Northern Shore of Massachusetts where she owns two Off Track Thoroughbreds.

What A Trippi, retired now from success in the show ring — which came after collecting 9 wins in 42 starts as a racehorse — occupies some of her home time now along with Puget Sound, who after 84 starts is enjoying time as a “pasture ornament” according to Paquette.

“Those two fill my day every day,” she said. “Aftercare is the most important thing to me. I’m grateful to be in a position to be able to give back professionally. Every good thing in my life has come from horses so giving back means a lot. I think thoroughbreds are the greatest athletes. They can do anything you ask of them, as long as you ask them correctly.” Colonial Downs and the VHBPA contribute $15 each to the TAA for every start during the race meet.

Paquette will arrive in New Kent on July 15 and go on camera from the paddock around 1:30 PM four days later. “After giving my picks remotely, I can’t wait to see horses again in person.”

Colonial’s season will continue through September 1 with racing every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:45 PM. The $250,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby (Gr. 3) highlights meet festivities on Tuesday August 31. Paquette not only gets to provide selections for all races held over the 180-foot-wide turf course and 1 1/4 miles dirt track, she gets to work with some of her best friends as well.

“I was in ‘Kids to the Cup’ with Merv Huber when we were horse crazy wild-eyed children and we’ve been friends since. Jason Beem (Colonial track announcer) is one of my best friends. And I’m looking forward to working with Jill Byrne (Colonial VP of Racing) who I have so much respect for. She is a pioneer in racing and an inspiration. I’m just really excited for this opportunity,” she added. “When racing in Suffolk ended in 2019, it was easy to think that your best days are behind you when the thing you love most goes away. Not so any more.”