Shenandoah Downs will usher in its 11th year of pari-mutuel harness racing on April 11 and continue a seven-week spring meet through May 24 with programs every Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. A seven-week fall meet will follow and extend from Sept. 19 through Nov. 1. Dates for both campaigns were formally approved by the Virginia Racing Commission at its December meeting.
Racing applications for the spring session will be available at shenandoahdowns.com beginning on Feb. 2 and need to be submitted to the race office by March 11. Peter Szymanski enters year number three in his role as Director of Racing and Karen Fagliarone returns for her second year as Racing Secretary. For more details, horsepeople can contact Fagliarone at 732-239-0281 or by e-mail at [email protected].
The barn area opens on April 6 and pre-meet qualifiers will be offered on April 7 at 10 a.m. After that date, qualifiers will take place on Saturdays at 12 noon, including opening day, April 11. Racing entries will be taken every Wednesday for both weekend race cards. Saturday entries will clear on Thursday and Sunday entries will clear on Friday.
Shenandoah Downs will experiment by going with seven-horse fields this spring whenever possible (in non-stakes races) as a new safety initiative.
A new multi-leg Seven Bends Claiming Series, celebrating the seven bends of the Shenandoah River that wind through Woodstock, Virginia, will be formalized in the coming days and posted on the track's website.
Virginia Sire Stakes and Breeders Fund eliminations and finals for three-year-olds will take place during the spring season. Sire Stakes trot eliminations (April 18) and pace eliminations (April 19) will lead up to $60,000 USD final rounds for both gaits on April 25. Three-year-old trot eliminations on (May 9, 16) and pace eliminations (May 10, 17) will lead up to $80,000 USD final rounds for both gaits on May 23.
A single round of $20,000 USD Breeders Fund aged trot and pace events will be conducted on May 2. Virginia Breeders and Sire Stakes events for two-year-olds will take place during the fall meet.
Shenandoah Downs will continue to make use of its new 175-stall, 32,500-square foot horse barn, which debuted last fall. The Virginia Equine Alliance funded the $2 million USD project to create a permanent structure to safely house horses during both meets. Two additional smaller barns are utilized as well along with 60 ship-in stalls.
Shenandoah Downs is conveniently located in Woodstock, Virginia halfway between Winchester and Harrisonburg at I-81, Exit 283, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah County Fair is held there every summer and includes a four-day, non-wagering harness meet which in 2026, will run from Sept. 2-5.
(With files from Shenandoah Downs)