Colonial Downs’ 13th harness season opener will feature 10 races on Friday, six of which are first-leg divisions from several different late-closer pacing series
.
The New Kent, Horace Martin Memorial and U Gotta Win One Now multi-leg series all begin on the track’s first night. The New Kent, for non-winners of two races, has a pair of nine horse fields and a 10-horse grouping.
The Martin, which has a single eight-horse field, and the U Gotta Win One Now, which has a nine and eight-horse division, will all be contested at a unique three-quarter-mile distance. Hi Im Johnny Kash, which swept the latter series in 2009, is back to put his title on the line this fall. Chris Page will direct the eight-year-old gelding for trainer Roland Dunavant in the series’ first division.
Opening night’s festivities will coincide with the New Kent County Fair’s kickoff at Colonial Downs. The fair returns after a one-year absence and will continue through Saturday evening. The gates will open at 4:00 p.m. and the first race Friday will go to post at 5:00 p.m. Following the last race, the movie 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' will be shown on the infield jumbotron.
The County Fair will re-open on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and will be highlighted by a special 'mixed breed' card of horse racing which will begin at 1:00 p.m. The event will begin with a pair of steeplechase races, followed by a thoroughbred race, and will then finish off with 10 consecutive harness races. The 13 races are all pari-mutuel, and will continue thru 6:45 p.m.
A special opening weekend/county fair admission/parking policy will be in effect both Friday and Saturday. The price per carload is $5, and that includes parking and general admission for everyone in the vehicle.
The harness racing season will continue on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. with Colonial’s popular $16 Family ’n Friends 4-pack special back in the promotional mix. For $16, a group of four family members or friends can get four admissions, programs, tip sheets, hot dogs, soft drinks and a souvenir gift any Sunday through October 31. A '4-pack' coupon can be downloaded at colonialdowns.com.
The 2010 fall meet will run until November 6 with racing scheduled Saturdays at 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. The fourth floor Turf Club Dining Room will be open on weekends. For more information, call 804-966-7223 or visit colonialdowns.com.
(Colonial Downs)