The Virginia Derby returned today with a sold-out crowd and a full schedule of races. Thousands packed Colonial Downs to cheer on horses and see which ones would qualify for the Kentucky Derby. “It’s my first time at the Virginia Derby,

The "Road to the Kentucky Derby" winds through Virginia for the first time this weekend, as the Virginia Derby joins the series with some serious contenders for the Run for the Roses.

But he kept going.” American Promise, the D. Wayne Lukas entry into Saturday’s Virginia Derby, pulled away from the field, setting a Colonial Downs 1 ⅛-mile track record of 1 minute, 46.41 seconds and finishing 7 ¾ lengths ahead of Render Judgement.

A sellout crowd of more 8,000 on Saturday will witness a first in Virginia horse racing. “We are absolutely thrilled by Virginians’ response to this historic day of racing,” Frank Hopf, senior director of racing operations for Colonial Downs Racetrack,

For the first time in its history, the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs was completely sold out, drawing in fans from across the state for a day of racing, betting, and excitement.