Foxfield Races

Just got back from the Foxfield Races outside of Charlottesville.  Fantastic time! Marq Your Bible ran in 2 1/8 mile race over ten national fences. Toughest race to date as the course had a big hill at turn 2 (out of 3 turns). He lost only by a neck and finished 2nd! Even the college drunks enjoyed it! (Then got arrested, only 24 total this year according to the local newspaper.)

A photographer from the Daily-Progress got this picture of Marcus passing
Plated and challenging Harmony Bay after the last jump.

Dispute With Colonial Downs-It Could Be Worse

From the "It could be worse" files of history, comes this story of horsemen at the Tulsa Fair Grounds in 1914 trying to conduct a meet. Well, somebody do gooder who thought gambling was a sin, or would increase crime or increase traffic (all real reason given by modern day horse racing haters) or whatever, sued and successfully convinced a judge to place a restraining order on the meet. Well, the Fair Grounds basically told the judge to stick it and went ahead with the meet. Somebody then told the Governor about the defiance and well, I will let you read the newspaper article from here about what happened next...

Ian Stewart's April 8, 2014 Letter to Virginia Horsemen-Annotated

President and CEO of Colonial Downs Ian Stewart has been a waging public relations war with Virginia horsemen over the current dispute over racing dates and purse levels. He somehow believes this will win us over by making the public put pressure on us. I am not really seeing the Paris mob outside my farm. His latest letter (published online and in public for everyone to see) sounds like his "final offer," if you will, as he done dealing the VHBPA. Here is the letter, he wrote and I will warn you, it is long and boring. So, for your pleasure, I have annotated Mr. Stewart's letter because he left a few things out (typos I am sure). The executive summary of his letter is this: Mr. Stewart and his team knows nothing about horse racing, the business of horse racing, and are trying to place blame on the people who stand to loose the most. Click the image to enlarge the letter (in two parts).