Million-dollar earning Gigante, named 2025 Virginia-Bred Horse of the Year, headlines a slate of award winners whose connections will receive hardware for their efforts Saturday March 14 at Colonial Downs. The trophy presentations will take place on the winner's circle stage between races during the prestigious Virginia Derby Day card in New Kent.
Gigante, owned by L and N Racing LLC and Clark Brewster, had three wins last year -- two on grass and one on dirt -- and $241,578 in earnings. The 6-year-old Not This Time horse was also named Virginia-bred Turf Horse of the Year. Gigante kicked off the year with a victory in the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds, then after stakes placed efforts in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial in New Orleans and the Find Stakes at Colonial Downs, won back-to-back starts at Remington -- the Remington Green Stakes and an allowance. The Steve Asmussen trainee was bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm.
Of Gigante's 31 career starts, seven took place at the New Kent track including wins in the 2023 Secretariat Stakes (Gr. 2), 2022 Kitten's Joy Stakes and a maiden special weight score the same year. Overall, the Virginia award winner has bankrolled $1,371,978 heading into action this spring.
Another million-dollar earner was named Top Virginia-bred Older Male. Eight-year-old Tapiture gelding Repo Rocks took honors by winning the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial and collecting top-three finishes in two other stakes -- a third in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth and a second in the Boston Handicap in New Kent. The Jamie Ness trainee was also runner-up in a Parx allowance. Bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, Repo Rocks has career earnings of $1,150,466 -- $184,875 of which came in 2025. The award recipient is owned by Double B Racing Stables.
John Wade's 4-year-old Not This Time filly Winfinity took honors as Top Virginia-bred Older Filly/Mare. Bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm, the award winner made her presence felt in New Kent with a victory in the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes July 12, a pair of close seconds in a $101,000 spring allowance and in summer $127,000 All Brandy Stakes. She even collected a third in a $100,000 handicap on closing day. The John Ortiz trainee bankrolled $143,480 from seven starts last year.
Top Virginia-bred Two-Year-Old honors went to Larry Johnson's Doubting Thomas who captured the $125,000 Jamestown Stakes on turf in gate-to-wire fashion. One month prior, the Carvaggio colt came from behind to win an $87,500 maiden special weight against ten other turf sprinters. With only two lifetime starts, the Michael Trombetta trainee has earnings of $127,500, He was bred by the late Larry Johnson at his Legacy Farm in Bluemont and is owned by Johnson's Estate.
Multi-million dollar earning Mindframe, also bred by Johnson, was named Top Virginia-Certified Older Male based on a stellar season that included a pair of Grade 1 stakes wins and a Grade 2 score. The 5-year-old Constitution horse won the Churchill Downs Stakes (Gr. 1) by a neck in May then came back a month later and prevailed in the Stephen Foster (Gr. 1) by a length over Sierra Leone. He kicked off the 2025 campaign with a win in the Gulfstream Park Mile (Gr. 2) and overall, amassed $1.4 million in winnings last year alone. Owned by Repole Stables and St. Elias Stables, Mindframe is trained by Todd Pletcher and has $2,054,580 in career earnings from just nine outings.
The Estate of Larry Johnson's Future Is Now powered home to three stakes victories in 2025, compiled earnings of $366,000 and as a result, was named Virginia-Certified Older Filly & Mare of the Year. The 6-year-old Great Notion mare reached the winners circle in the Giant's Causeway Stakes (Gr. 3) at Keeneland by a nose in April, the Caress Stakes (Gr. 3) at Saratoga by one-half length in July, and the Smart and Fancy Stakes at Saratoga the following month. In June, Future Is Now was runner-up in the Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga (Gr. 2). Overall, the Michael Trombetta trainee has earned $967,000 in winnings from 18 career starts. He was bred by Johnson and was certified at his Legacy Farm.
Just Philtored, a now 3-year-old great Notion filly, was named Top Virginia-Certified 2-Year-Old courtesy of an outstanding 2025 campaign where she won four races and bankrolled $279,430. Bred by ZWP Stable & Non Stop Stable of Maryland, the winner spent her 6-month Virginia residency at Woodberry Payne's Braeburn Training Center in Montpelier Station. Another Trombetta trainee, Just Philtored won two stakes in New Kent including the Dolley Madison in an impressive gate-to-wire performance with Mychel Sanchez in the irons, and the Keswick Stakes by a neck with Sanchez up again. Later in the year, she prevailed in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Stakes at Laurel.
Madison Meyers, whose operation is based out of the Middleburg Training Center, will be awarded Top Trainer honors on March 14. In 2025, she sent 146 starters out to compete and collected 19 wins, 15 seconds & 12 thirds, good for $1,043,173 in purse earnings. Desvio, her star performer, won the Grade 2 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland in October which followed a second in New Kent's Colonial Cup Stakes and third place finishes in a pair of Grade 2's -- the Red Smith at Aqueduct and the Dinner Party at Pimlico. Meyers also scored wins with six different horses at Colonial Downs: Secure's Hope, Rector, Phil's Prince, Twain, War Madam and Ruby Hamilton.
Larry Johnson, who had 18 Virginia-breds in action last year that compiled $861,273 in winnings, was named Virginia Breeder of the Year. In addition to Doubting Thomas, other of his top competitors included Noquestionaboutit who bankrolled $111,600 and had a maiden special weight and allowance win at Laurel, Hark Theangelssing who amassed $108,900 and had a winning maiden special weight effort at Colonial, and Noquestionaboutit ($107,613) whose 2025 highlight was a triumph in the Glen Petty Stakes.
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