Track Spotlight: Why Colonial Downs Belongs in Your Summer Betting Plans
Our new weekly series kicks off with Virginia's turf paradise, the widest grass course in North America and a stakes calendar stacked with Grade 1 quality.
Welcome to a new feature. Every week we put one track under the microscope and tell you why it deserves a spot in your betting rotation. We start with a summer meet that punches well above its weight.
Colonial Downs opens next Thursday, June 25. If you’ve never bet this track before, 2026 is the year to fix that. The fields are deeper, the purses are bigger, and the racing surface is unlike anything else in the country.
Where It Sits and How It Runs
Colonial Downs sits in New Kent, Virginia, tucked between Richmond and Williamsburg just off I-64. It runs a 45 day summer meet that opens June 25 and closes on Labor Day, Monday, September 7. Cards go Thursday through Sunday all summer long, with a standard post time of 12:30 p.m. ET.
The numbers tell you this is a serious operation. The meet carries 35 stakes races worth more than $6.5 million in total purses. That is real money chasing real horses, and the connections have noticed.
The Turf Course Is the Whole Story
Here is what sets Colonial apart. The grass course is called the Secretariat Turf Course, and at 180 feet wide it is the widest turf course in North America. More than 80 percent of the races here run on the grass. If you bet turf, this is your track. Full stop.
That width matters for handicapping. Wide turns and long stretches mean horses get room to make a clean run, so you see fewer trips ruined by traffic. Closers get a fair shot. Speed does not get an automatic free pass. Read the trips here and you can find value others miss.
The dirt oval is no afterthought either. At a mile and a quarter it is the second largest main track in the country, behind only Belmont Park. That is a wide, sweeping configuration that rewards stamina and tactical speed.
A Stakes Calendar Loaded With Quality
Colonial Downs is owned by Churchill Downs Inc., and they have packed the schedule. The headline event is the Festival of Racing on Saturday, August 1. The card is anchored by the Arlington Million, a Grade 1 worth $1 million and one of the most prestigious turf races in the world. It moved here after Arlington Park closed in Chicago, and Colonial gave it a home worthy of the name. The Beverly D (G2) and the Secretariat Stakes (G2) share that same card, so August 1 is the date to circle in red.
Closing day on Labor Day, September 7, brings the Old Dominion Derby (G3), a $500,000 turf test for three-year-olds, alongside the Old Dominion Oaks and the Colonial Cup. Sharp three-year-old form tends to show up for this one.
Opening weekend gets you going early. Saturday, June 27 features the Edward P. Evans Stakes and its distaff counterpart the Brookmeade, both $125,000 turf events for Virginia-bred and Virginia-restricted runners.
New Stakes for 2026
| Stakes Race | Date | Grade | Purse | Surface / Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward P. Evans Stakes | June 27 | Listed | $125,000 | Turf, 1 1/16 miles |
| Brookmeade Stakes | June 27 | Listed | $125,000 | Turf, 1 1/16 miles |
| Maggie Walker Stakes | July 18 | Listed | $100,000 | Dirt, 1 mile |
| Yorktown Stakes | July 25 | Listed | $100,000 | Dirt, 9 furlongs |
| Arlington Million | August 1 | G1 | $1,000,000 | Turf, 1 1/4 miles |
| Beverly D Stakes | August 1 | G2 | $500,000 | Turf, 1 3/16 miles |
| Secretariat Stakes | August 1 | G2 | $500,000 | Turf, 1 mile |
| Colonial Turf Dash | August 8 | Listed | $100,000 | Turf, 6 furlongs |
| Shenandoah Turf Dash | August 8 | Listed | $100,000 | Turf, 6 furlongs |
| Old Dominion Derby | September 7 | G3 | $500,000 | Turf, 1 1/8 miles |
The expanded season added four new $100,000 stakes. The Maggie Walker runs a mile on the dirt for fillies and mares on Saturday, July 18. The Yorktown goes nine furlongs on the main track for older horses on Saturday, July 25. The Colonial Turf Dash and its female counterpart the Shenandoah Turf Dash both run six furlongs on the turf on Saturday, August 8. More races means more betting opportunities, and the fields here have grown every single year.
Why It Plays Well for Bettors
Turf racing rewards patience and trip reading. Add the widest grass course in North America, deep fields, and a long meet with consistent Thursday-to-Sunday cards, and you have a track built for exotic bettors. Pick 4s, Pick 5s, and Pick 6 sequences carry real value here because field sizes hold up. You can build tickets with confidence instead of praying for chalk.
If you like turf racing, exotic bets, and summer cards with genuine depth, Colonial Downs should already be on your radar. The quality is real and it keeps climbing.
Get Set for Opening Day
Pin Colonial Downs as a favorite track in your MyWinners lobby starting next Thursday, June 25. Bet online at app.mywinners.com, grab the app on iOS or Android, or get down at any of our Connecticut venues. First post is 12:30 p.m. ET. We’ll see you on the turf.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
For the official Colonial Downs schedule and stakes calendar, check the Virginia Equine Alliance stakes announcement.
