WORLD RECORD HOLDER DONCHO TO RUN IN $150,000 DA HOSS STAKES
Posted on August 29th, 2025
NEW KENT, Va. (Aug. 29, 2025) — Trainer Michelle Lovell confirmed that JAL Racing’s Doncho, who earlier this month set a world record going 5½ furlongs on turf, will be entering the $150,000 Da Hoss Stakes on Old Dominion Derby Day at Colonial Downs. Doncho had also been entered in Sunday’s Disco Partner Stakes at Saratoga but will scratch from that race.
“The Da Hoss was the original plan,” Lovell said. “It’s better spacing, four weeks after his race at Ellis, and four weeks until the Woodford at Keeneland, assuming everything works out.”
Facing allowance company on Aug. 8 at Ellis Park, Doncho led throughout and stopped the clock in :59.75, breaking the previous world record of :59.80 set by Cogburn in 2024.
“I just love the way he did it,” Lovell said. “The length of his stride, how smoothly he traveled. It was great. We weren’t planning on going to the lead. He was gliding around there beautifully. “He ran a really good race, but he worked on Monday like it didn’t take anything out of him. He’s doing fantastic. He’s just beautiful. After Just Might retired, he’s my new musclehead.”
Before the record-setting score, all Doncho’s success had come on dirt. In all, the 4-year-old gelding has four wins from eight starts, including the 2024 Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont Park.
Lovell previously won the 2021 Da Hoss with Just Might, who led all Thoroughbreds that year with seven stakes victories.
The Da Hoss Stakes is one of six turf stakes scheduled for Old Dominion Derby Day on Saturday, Sept. 6. The card features $1.3 million in total purses, headlined by the Grade 3, $500,000 Old Dominion Derby. Other stakes include the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks (Listed), $150,000 Colonial Cup, $125,000 Rosie’s Stakes (sponsored by Exacta Systems), and the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy.
Post time for Old Dominion Derby Day is set for noon ET. Fields will be drawn Saturday, Aug. 30.
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.
