Rolando And Reputation Impress Most In Festival Of Racing Day Undercard Stakes

NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 9, 2025) – Four undercard stakes were run on Festival of Racing Day at Colonial Downs, and the winners of the sibling dirt stakes, Rolando and Reputation made it known they are serious players in their divisions after dominating their 3-year-old rivals in the $100,000 Petramalo Mile and seven-furlong $100,000 Tyson Gilpin, respectively.

The added-money action on Saturday kicked off with St. George Stable’s Rolando wiring the Petramalo and setting a track record. Going one mile over a fast main track in 1:33.55, Rolando topped the previous mark of 1:33.70 set by Continuation in 2021.

With Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the irons, the Fausto Gutierrez trainee got the jump on the field, led comfortably throughout, and finished four lengths ahead of Barbadian Runner. Lured Away rallied from the back of the pack to run third.

“You ride a horse like this you don’t have to do much,” Velazquez said. “I was hoping someone else went to the front and I would sit off of them but the way he broke today I wasn’t going to fight him. I kept him five wide until we got to the turn and then dropped him down. It was his first start after a long break so I was just concerned about getting him settled early.”

Sent off at 3-1, Rolando returned $8.80. Notching his second stakes score, Rolando added $60,000 for a total bankroll of $232,860 and a career record of 8-4-1-2.

Facing seven fillies, JR Ranch and MyRacehorse’s Reputation was equally dominant, taking the Tyson Gilpin by 6¾ lengths, covering the seven furlongs in 1:21.14.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, Reputation broke in the back of the pack but was urged into the race by jockey Javier Castellano, who guided her through traffic while tracking the front-running Impulse Buy. After splitting horses in the far turn, Reputation bid for the lead at the eighth pole and pulled away in dominant fashion. Impulse Buy stayed on for second and G W’s Girl finished third.

“That was a dream trip,” Castellano said. “(They went) 21.44, (I was) right behind the speed, saved all the ground, split horses, stepped up outside, and she cleaned up really well.”

Sent off at 3-1, Reputation returned $8.00. Reputation’s career record of 6-3-0-1 totals $158,822 in lifetime earnings.

Older turf sprinters clashed in the $150,000 Van Clief and $150,000 Andy Guest, both going 5½ furlongs across a firm course.

Flying late in the Van Clief, Elizabeth Merryman and Marc Detampel’s Witty rallied from the back of the pack to mow down his seven male rivals across the lawn and stop the clock in 1:02.52.

Piloted by Jaime Rodriguez, Witty outkicked Had to Have him in the final strides to win by a neck. Sent off at 3-1, Witty paid $8.00. Bred and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, the 6-year-old multiple stakes winner now has a lifetime bankroll of $897,782 from a record of 33-11-11-1.

In the Andy Guest, The Estate of R. Larry Johnson’s Hollywood Walk cut the corner through the turn and rallied up the rail to beat six fillies and mares by three-quarters of a length. Odds-on favorite Mrs. Gambolini ran wide to finish second.

Trained by the current meet leading conditioner Mike Trombetta, Hollywood Walk was piloted by Mychel Sanchez, whose perfect ride aboard the 2024 Camptown victress was the difference between first and second in Saturday’s Tyson Gilpin.

“I’m really happy that we finally got the win because I’ve had a couple seconds and thirds with her,” Sanchez said. “She has got a lot of heart. She always gives you everything she has. She’s such a big mare–they do such a great job with her. I wanted to be on the rail right from the beginning because I knew (front-runner Bosserati) lugs out a little bit and I’d have room. I try to show up on days like this.”

Sent off at 8-1 odds, Hollywood Walk paid $19.00. Maryland-bred and Virginia-certified, the Larry Johnson homebred is a half sibling to Mindframe, one of the current leaders in the older male route division. From 26 starts, Hollywood Walk tallies 6-4-8 with $482,731 in lifetime earnings.