Compromise Possible for Racing in Virginia

Blood-Horse

Winter weather didn’t just force cancellations of race days this week, it also forced the Virginia Racing Commission to postpone its regular meeting that had been scheduled Thursday, March 5, when it had hoped the future of racing in the state would be shaped through a compromise between horsemen and Colonial Downs.

VRC executive director Bernie Hettel said he hopes to reschedule Thursday’s postponed meeting for sometime later this month. He’s hopeful that a dispute between Jeffrey Jacobs’ Colonial and horsemen that saw the track cancel live racing last year and Colonial lose its racing license can be resolved at the meeting, or at least take a step in that direction.

The dispute has centered on race dates, with Colonial Downs preferring to run a short, high quality meeting with big purses and many stakes races. Local horsemen prefer more race days, which offer additional opportunities to race.

One discussed compromise would see Colonial Downs be reinstated for a racing license and conduct a short meeting, with top stakes races and purses. Under that compromise, horsemen would then lease the property from Colonial ownership and conduct additional race days.

The state’s horsemen’s group, the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, has joined forces with the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, Virginia Harness Horse Association, and the Virginia Gold Cup to form the Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA). Earlier this year, state lawmakers approved legislation that could direct revenues from advance-deposit wagering away from Colonial Downs and to the VEA.

The VEA has said the move will pave the way for racing in the state and it said it will work with Colonial Downs to forge a plan.

“These legislative changes will help us determine the direction and future of Virginia racing, not Colonial Downs,” the VEA said in a letter last month. “While Colonial Downs’ plan for 2014 called for five to six days of high-end racing that would have had little economic benefit for Virginia, these legislative changes now create a new model for racing in the state.”

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