WILL THEN LEADS THOMAS’ TRIO AS COMPETITIVE TEN ENTERED IN $250,000 OLD DOMINION OAKS
Posted on September 2nd, 2025
NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 31, 2025) — Saturday’s $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks at Colonial Downs drew a competitive field of 10 3-year-old fillies, led by Augustin Stable’s Grade 3 winner Will Then, one of three entrants trained by Jonathan Thomas.
Beyond the namesake event, the Sept. 6 Old Dominion Derby Day card features the $150,000 Colonial Cup, $150,000 Da Hoss, $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie’s Stakes, and $125,000 Kitten’s Joy, combining for $1.3 million in stakes purses.
The 1 1/8-mile Old Dominion Oaks is scheduled as the ninth race on a 10-race card, preceding the Grade 3 $500,000 Old Dominion Derby. Post time is 12 p.m. EDT.
Of the Thomas trio, Will Then is the leading contender. The War of Will filly went unbeaten in three starts as a 2-year-old, including victories in the Jimmy Durante (G3) at Del Mar and the China Doll at Santa Anita. Though winless in three sophomore starts, all in graded company, her best effort came in July’s San Clemente (G2) at Del Mar, where she finished third. Jaime Rodriguez will ride.
Also owned by Augustin Stable, stablemates As Catch Can, a graded stakes-placed filly, and Be Together, an impressive last-out maiden winner, give Thomas a strong hand in the field.
Trainer Brendan Walsh also brings a pair of top contenders, led by Somethinabouther, owned by X-Men Racing IV, Madaket Stables and SF Racing. A Grade 3 winner at 2, she most recently finished second in the Ontario Colleen (G2) at Woodbine, one of four stakes placings during her sophomore season.
Her stablemate, Sigh No More, is a Group 3 winner in Ireland while trained by Joseph O’Brien. In her second U.S. start under Walsh, the Irish-bred filly won the Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park.
Another major contender is Evershed, owned by Mark Grier and trained by Arnaud Delacour. She followed a local allowance win on opening day with a strong runner-up finish in the Saratoga Oaks (G2) behind undefeated filly Laurelin.
Here is the complete field for the $249,000 Old Dominion Oaks, listed from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds: Somethinabouther (Mychel Sanchez, Walsh, 6-1); As Catch Can (Jaime Torres, Thomas, 10-1); Sigh No More (Axel Concepcion, Walsh, 5-1); Pretty Lavish (IRE) (Kendrick Carmouche, Graham Motion, 15-1); Mischief in Motion (Jorge Ruiz, Mike Trombetta, 10-1); Sheila’s Lion (Francisco Arrieta, Keith Desormeaux, 20-1); Evershed (Daniel Centeno, Delacour, 2-1); Be Together (Gavin Ashton, Thomas, 30-1); Stillthinkingofyou (Paco Lopez, Derek Ryan, 12-1); and Will Then (Rodriguez, Thomas, 7-2).
General admission for Old Dominion Derby Day is $5 and tickets can be purchased online at www.colonialdowns.com.
Racing fans who can’t make it to Colonial can wager at any of the Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums throughout the state, The Rose Gaming Resort in Dumfries or VA-Horseplay locations in Chesapeake and Henrico. Bettors also can wager on racing from ColonialDowns via www.TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Incorporated and its family of racetracks. TwinSpires.com boasts an improved wagering experience and mobile app combining the latest technology with the ability to wager on virtually every quarter, harness and thoroughbred horse race from venues around the globe. TwinSpires.com also offers access to unmatched insight and analysis from horse racing experts, handicappers, insiders, educators and Bloodstock Research Information Services (Brisnet).
About Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs Racetrack, in New Kent, Virginia, hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces – the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4-mile dirt track. The Colonial Downs Group, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums® throughout the commonwealth, which offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming and full card simulcasting as well as Rosie’s Game Room in Collinsville, and The Rose Gaming Resort® in Dumfries which offers 1,650 HHR gaming terminals, full-card simulcasting, eight bars and restaurants and more than 100 hotel rooms.
