Arlington Million, Beverly D. Top Colonial Downs Meet

A robust schedule of 35 stakes races and handicaps worth more than $6.5 million, topped by the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing on Saturday, Aug. 1, is on tap when the Virginia racetrack opens its doors for a 45-day summer season on Thursday, June 25. The 2026 schedule will offer live racing every Thursday through Sunday, plus a special holiday card to bring down the curtain on the season on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Overnight races will offer $70,000 purses for open maiden special weight contests ($87,500 for Virginia-restricted races), while allowance races will feature purses up to $80,000 for open runners and $90,000 for their Virginia-restricted counterparts. The Colonial Downs Festival of Racing is highlighted by the Arlington Million (G1T), the $500,000 Beverly D. (G2T) and the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2T). The Million will be run at 1 1/4 miles, the Beverly D. will be contested at 1 3/16 miles, and the Secretariat covers one mile. The races are slated to be run over Colonial's acclaimed Secretariat Turf Course. Five additional stakes races pepper the Festival Day program: the $150,000 Van Clief Stakes (listed) for older runners at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf and its sister race the $150,000 Andy Guest Stakes; the $100,000 Petramalo Mile, a mile dirt race for 3-year-olds and its distaff counterpart, the $100,000 Tyson Gilpin Stakes at 7 furlongs; and the $100,000 Reigh Count Stakes at 7 furlongs on the dirt. Colonial's other graded stakes race, the $500,000 Old Dominion Derby (G3T), is slated for closing day on Labor Day. The Old Dominion Derby is a 1 1/8 miles turf race for 3-year-olds and headlines a sextet of turf stakes which also includes the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks (listed) for sophomore fillies at also 1 1/8 miles; the $150,000 Colonial Cup for 3-year-olds and up traveling 1 1/2 miles; the $150,000 Da Hoss for older runners sprinting 5 1/2 panels; and a pair of tests for the juvenile set—the the 1-1/16 mile $125,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes and the 5 1/2-furlong $125,000 Rosie's Stakes. Four new $100,000 stakes races were added for the expanded season—the Maggie Walker Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on the dirt on Saturday, July 18; The Yorktown Stakes for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on the main track on Saturday, July 25; plus the Colonial Turf Dash for 3-year-old turf sprinters and its female counterpart the Shenandoah Turf Dash both at 6 furlongs on Saturday, August 8. There is one more open company stakes race on the 2026 docket, the $100,000 Love Sign on Saturday, July 25 for fillies and mares sprinting 6 furlongs on the dirt. Virginia-bred, -sired, and/or -restricted runners get plenty of opportunities throughout the summer, starting June 27, the first Saturday of the meet. With continued collaboration between Virginia and Maryland stakeholders, six stakes races restricted to Maryland- and Virginia-bred or sired horses begin on the second Saturday of the meet on Independence Day. For the second straight year, Colonial Downs will host qualifying races for the Claiming Crown. The top two finishers in each race will automatically qualify for the Claiming Crown which will be held at Churchill Downs on Saturday, November 14. Condition books and stall applications are available online at www.colonialdowns.com under the horsemen's tab as well as at Equibase.com.