Virginia Derby News from: http://www.colonialdowns.com
$1,000,000 VIRGINIA DERBY AWARDED GRADE II STATUS
The Virginia Derby, the second leg of the Jacobs Investments Grand Slam of Grass, got its second major upgrade of the year Friday when the American Graded Stakes Committee awarded the 1 ¼ turf test Grade II status.
The Colonial Downs fixture was a $750,000 Grade III event when English Channel stormed to victory. The 2006 edition of the Virginia Derby will be worth $1,000,000.
As recently as 2003, the Virginia Derby was an ungraded $500,000 stake. It earned the upgrade by attracting five Grade I winners in the last three runnings. Virginia Derby alumni have won or placed in 17 Grade I stakes since 2003.
Silver Tree won the 2003 Virginia Derby, beating Grade I winners Kicken Kris and King’s Drama. Kicken Kris captured the Secretariat Stakes (Gr. I) in 2003 and the Arlington Million (Gr. I) in 2004. King’s Drama annexed the Sword Dancer Invitational (Gr. I) at Saratoga in August.
Eventual Eclipse Award winner Kitten’s Joy demolished a stellar field in the 2004 Virginia Derby. Artie Schiller could not keep up with Kitten’s Joy at Colonial, but he has won five Grade I or Grade II stakes since, including the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr. I). Third-place finisher Prince Arch went on capture a Grade I of his own earlier this year in the Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap.
2005 Virginia Derby winner English Channel proved to be one of the best turf horses in America this fall with a pair of runner-up finishes in Grade I stakes and a fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (Gr. I), the best finish of any American horse in the Turf.
Colonial Downs’ 2006 thoroughbred meet will open Friday June 16 and run through Saturday August 12. |
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