Racing applications for the 2022 fall harness season at Shenandoah Downs are now available online.
The applications are available at vhha.net and shenandoahdowns.com. All horsepeople wishing to compete in the seventh annual pari-mutuel meet in Woodstock, Virginia must fill out an application and return it to the Virginia Harness Horsemen's Association by August 8.
The eight-week season, which will run from Sept. 16 to Nov. 6, is three weeks longer than any of the prior fall meets. Racing will take place Fridays at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m. through Oct. 15 then switch to a Saturday/Sunday schedule at 1 p.m. for the final three weeks.
The highlight of the meet will be the 25th running of the Virginia Breeder's Championships, which will take place on closing day, Sunday, Nov. 6. A total of eight divisional championships will be contested, each with an $80,000-plus purse. Elimination races for three-year-olds are the weekend of Oct. 22-23 while freshmen elims are Oct. 29-30.
The Breeder's Championships were held at Colonial Downs in New Kent from 1998-2014, at the Oak Ridge Estate in Nelson County in 2015 and have been held at Shenandoah Downs since.
A four-day Shenandoah County Fair meet will precede the pari-mutuel session though applications are not necessary to compete at it. Racing will take place Aug. 31 and Sept. 1-3 at 12 noon. The 2022 Fair meet is its 105th edition. Horses will not be allowed to stay at the Fairgrounds between the Fair and Shenandoah Downs campaigns.
The track is located at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock, halfway between Winchester and Harrisonburg off I-81 at Exit 283.
(Shenandoah Downs)