Breeders’ Cup can be thought of as Super Bowl in Thoroughbred racing. It consists of 14 races over two days and many of the race victors will be voted as Eclipse Award winners by turf writers and racing officials across North America. The Eclipse is the most prestigious award in North American racing.

Several horses who competed at Colonial this summer are pointing for Breeders’ Cup (BC) races, most notably Beverly D. winner Fev Rover who earned a starting berth in the BC Filly & Mare Turf with that victory.

Da Hoss Stakes winner Nobals is headed to the BC Turf Sprint as is Gear Jockey who raced here in the Van Clief Stakes.

No Nay Mets, who won the Rosie’s Stakes on Virginia Derby Day, is expected to start in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint. He would not be the first Rosie’s Stakes winner to win a BC race. Four Wheel Drive completed that double in 2019.

Two other horses have BC aspirations: Fulmineo (BC Juv. Turf) a maiden winner here and Memorialize (BC Juv. Fillies Turf) who was second on debut here.

The Breeders’ Cup rotates among several tracks and this year’s event will be held at Santa Anita in Southern California. Simulcast information is as follows:

Breeders’ Cup Day 1 Friday, November 3
5 BC races (all for 2yo horses)
First race at Santa Anita: 2:30 p.m.
First Breeders’ Cup race: 5 p.m.
Last Breeders’ Cup race: 7:40 p.m.
Last Santa Anita race: 8:10 p.m.
Advance wagering will be available for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup race. Should anyone ask, there will not be advance wagering on Thursday for Friday’s races.

Breeders’ Cup Day 2 Saturday, November 4
9 BC races
First race at Santa Anita: 1:10 p.m.
First Breeders’ Cup race: 2:30 p.m.
$6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (biggest BC race): 6:40 p.m.
Last Breeders’ Cup race: 8:00 p.m.
Last Santa Anita race: 8:30 p.m.

On behalf of myself and the Colonial Downs Group, I wanted to personally reach out to you regarding the current COVID-19 pandemic. All Rosie’s locations, Richmond, Hampton, New Kent & Vinton, will close at the end of business today until Monday, March 30. While there are no known COVID-19 cases impacting anyone associated with any Rosie’s location, we believe this is the best decision to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The health and safety of our employees and guests is our top priority and we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution as the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic continues to elevate concerns across the nation and around the world. In taking this action, we’ve closely followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for social distancing as well as following directives made for the health and welfare of all Virginians by Governor Ralph Northam.

Rosie’s employees will be paid in full for this two-week period. Employee paychecks, paid time off and benefits will not be affected. Rosie’s employees have been encouraged to seek medical attention if they experience symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Colonial Downs Group has said any time spent away from work as a result of COVID-19 will not impact employees.

We strongly value our employees and guests and the contributions they make in the communities where we operate. We will continue to encourage everyone to follow the guidelines established by the CDC and our state of Virginia to protect themselves, loved ones and families to reduce health risks.

Thank you for being a valued guest.

Aaron Gomes
Chief Operating Officer