Old Dominion Derby 2026: Supercharger Headlines Full Field of 14 at Colonial Downs
A full field of 14 three year olds goes to post for the 23rd running of the Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby on Labor Day at Colonial Downs, and Secretariat Stakes winner Supercharger enters as the horse with the most to prove wrong. The $500,000 turf feature closes out the Colonial Downs summer meet and anchors an eleven race card built around six turf stakes worth a combined $1.3 million.
Old Dominion Derby 2026 Race Details
The Old Dominion Derby runs as Race 9 on Monday, September 7, 2026, the actual Labor Day holiday and the closing day of the Colonial Downs 2026 summer meet. The Grade 3 test goes one and one eighth miles on the turf for three year olds and carries a $500,000 purse. First post for the full eleven race program is noon ET.
The Old Dominion Derby anchors a stacked closing day card. The supporting turf stakes include the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks at one and one eighth miles for three year old fillies, the $150,000 Colonial Cup at one and a half miles, the $150,000 Da Hoss at five and a half furlongs, the $125,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes at one and one sixteenth miles for two year olds, and the $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes at five and a half furlongs for two year olds.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Key Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go For Rocket | Armando Hernandez | Diego A. Herrera | Two straight wins since $30,000 claim in May |
| 2 | Heeere's Johnny | Ray Handal | Angel R. Rodriguez | Won $150,000 Saranac at Saratoga July 3 |
| 3 | Quiet Power | Shug McGaughey | Vincent Cheminaud | Broke maiden at Aqueduct June 11 |
| 4 | Lennox the Grey | Arnaud Delacour | Mychel J. Sanchez | 2nd behind Dr. Agne at Colonial Downs |
| 5 | Fuzzbuster | Vicki Oliver | Samuel Marin | 4th behind Supercharger in the Secretariat |
| 6 | Drop Shot | Greg Sacco | Cipriano Gil | Won Aug. 14 maiden at Delaware Park |
| 7 | Gramp's Legacy | Jeremiah O'Dwyer | Johan Rosado | Won 3 of last 4, back to back allowance wins |
| 8 | Tiernanogue | Brendan Walsh | Sheldon Russell | Won at Churchill Downs April 26, 2nd in Audubon Stakes |
| 9 | Chambersville | Kenny McPeek | Emmanuel Esquivel | Consistent allowance performer |
| 10 | Kravitz | Graham Motion | Mychel Chuan | 2nd in Kent Stakes at Delaware Park |
| 11 | The Big Con | Miguel Clement | Jorge Ruiz | Won Grade 3 Grey Stakes, 5th in Saratoga Derby (G1) |
| 12 | Dr. Agne | Cherie DeVaux | Jareth Loveberry | Won July 6 allowance at Colonial Downs |
| 13 | Siyouincanada (FR) | Joe Sharp | Paco Lopez | TDN Rising Star, 3rd against older at Saratoga |
| 14 | Supercharger | Cherie DeVaux | Axel Concepcion | Won Grade 2 Secretariat Aug. 1, third straight win |
Supercharger Enters Off the Best Win of His Career
Supercharger, a Constitution colt owned by CRK Stable and trained by Cherie DeVaux, arrives in career best form. He broke through with a maiden win at Churchill Downs on May 9, backed it up with an allowance score there on June 18, and then rallied from off the pace to take the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes on August 1 by a half length. That three race streak makes him the horse every other trainer in this field has to plan around. Axel Concepcion takes the mount from post 14.
DeVaux sends out a second runner in Dr. Agne, an Into Mischief colt who won first out at Saratoga as a two year old and followed that up with a July 6 allowance victory at Colonial Downs going one mile. He beat Lennox the Grey that day, and both horses reconvene here. Jareth Loveberry rides Dr. Agne.
The Big Con and Heeere's Johnny Bring Grade 1 Class to the Old Dominion Derby
Two runners step in off Grade 1 form in the Saratoga Derby. The Big Con, trained by Miguel Clement, won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine as a juvenile before finishing fifth in the Saratoga Derby. Heeere's Johnny, trained by Ray Handal, is a full brother to World Beater, last year's Old Dominion Derby winner, and he arrives off a win in the $150,000 Saranac at Saratoga on July 3 after several stakes placings at two. A repeat of what his sibling did in this exact race last year is not out of the question.
Go For Rocket and Gramp's Legacy Carry the Hottest Recent Form
Form students should take a close look at two horses with the sharpest recent numbers in the field. Go For Rocket, owned by Crown's Way Racing and William Granger and trained by Armando Hernandez, has won two straight since being claimed for $30,000 at Churchill Downs in May. He broke his maiden there on June 21 and then beat winners at Ellis Park on July 24. Gramp's Legacy, a homebred for owner Tyler Sliney trained by Jeremiah O'Dwyer, has won three of his last four starts, including back to back allowance victories at Colonial Downs on July 9 and August 13.
Well Bred Prospects Looking to Step Up in Class
Several lightly raced but well connected horses round out the Old Dominion Derby field. Quiet Power, a homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, broke his maiden at Aqueduct on June 11. Tiernanogue, trained by Brendan Walsh, won at Churchill Downs on April 26 before finishing second in the Audubon Stakes. Siyouincanada, a French bred trained by Joe Sharp, earned Thoroughbred Daily News Rising Star honors with his Churchill maiden win and then finished third against older horses at Saratoga. Kravitz, a homebred for Wertheimer and Frere trained by Graham Motion, broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park before finishing second in the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park.
Chambersville has been a steady allowance performer for Kenny McPeek. Drop Shot, trained by Greg Sacco, enters off an August 14 maiden win at Delaware Park. Fuzzbuster, trained by Vicki Oliver, finished fourth behind Supercharger in the Secretariat. Lennox the Grey, trained by Arnaud Delacour, returned from a layoff to finish a close second behind Dr. Agne at Colonial Downs and gets another shot at that rival here.
The Other Five Stakes on Old Dominion Derby Day
The Old Dominion Derby is the marquee event, but Colonial Downs closes out its 2026 meet with five more turf stakes on the same card, and one trainer's name shows up almost everywhere on it. Graham Motion is entered in five of the six stakes on Monday's program, sending out Kravitz in the Derby itself, Siouxse in the Oaks, a pair in Soleil Volant and Hardspun Reason in the Colonial Cup, Induction in the Kitten's Joy Stakes and Excessif in Rosie's Stakes. Only the Da Hoss goes on without a Motion runner.
| Stakes Race | Purse | Distance | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion Derby (Grade 3) | $500,000 | 1 1/8 miles, turf | 3 year olds |
| Old Dominion Oaks | $250,000 | 1 1/8 miles, turf | 3 year old fillies |
| Colonial Cup | $150,000 | 1 1/2 miles, turf | 3 years old and up |
| Da Hoss | $150,000 | 5 1/2 furlongs, turf | 3 years old and up |
| Kitten's Joy Stakes | $125,000 | 1 1/16 miles, turf | 2 year olds |
| Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes | $125,000 | 5 1/2 furlongs, turf | 2 year olds |
Old Dominion Oaks: Brad Cox and Saffie Joseph Jr. Load Up
The $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks drew 11 three year old fillies over the same one and one eighth mile turf course as the Derby. Brad Cox sends out Dagmara with Florent Geroux, and Saffie Joseph Jr. runs two, Dandona and Embrace Time. Shug McGaughey saddles Getting Serious for Forest Boyce, Kenny McPeek is in with Soloist, and Brendan Walsh and Michael Stidham round out the field with Forget About You and Fond of You.
Colonial Cup and Da Hoss Bring the Older Horses
The $150,000 Colonial Cup goes a full mile and a half on the turf for three year olds and up, and draws nine including Brad Cox's Just a Touch and the Graham Motion pair of Soleil Volant and Hardspun Reason. The $150,000 Da Hoss is the speed test of the day, five and a half furlongs on the turf for older sprinters, and Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse doubles up with Victory Achieved and Souper Quest.
Kitten's Joy Stakes and Rosie's Stakes Showcase the Juveniles
The two year olds get their turn in the $125,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes at one and one sixteenth miles and the $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes at five and a half furlongs. Jeremiah O'Dwyer, who also saddles Old Dominion Derby hopeful Gramp's Legacy, is represented in the Kitten's Joy by Mightily, and Wesley Ward, one of the sport's most reliable two year old trainers, sends out Omaha Spirit in Rosie's Stakes.
How We're Betting the Old Dominion Derby 2026
Supercharger is the horse to beat on form. A three race win streak that runs through a Grade 2 and shows tactical speed and a turn of foot both is exactly the profile that wins Old Dominion Derbies. Go For Rocket and Gramp's Legacy bring the freshest legs and the best recent figures of anyone chasing him, which makes them the two we want underneath in exotics. For punters who lean on class and graded form, The Big Con and Heeere's Johnny both walk in with Grade 1 experience from the Saratoga Derby and the Saranac, and Heeere's Johnny carries the extra story of trying to match his full brother's win in this same race twelve months ago.
Our lean for the trifecta is Supercharger on top, with Go For Rocket, Gramp's Legacy and Heeere's Johnny underneath in some order, using The Big Con and Dr. Agne to fill out a saver ticket. With 14 runners going one and one eighth miles on the Colonial Downs turf, tactical position out of the gate will matter as much as the form line, so watch how this field breaks before final board odds are posted.
Colonial Downs closes its 2026 summer meet in style on Labor Day, and the Old Dominion Derby is the race that decides who leaves New Kent with a leg up heading toward the fall stakes season.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Old Dominion Derby runs as Race 9 on Monday, September 7, 2026 at Colonial Downs. First post for the full eleven race Labor Day card is noon ET, and post time for Race 9 will follow depending on how the earlier races run.
A full field of 14 three year olds has been entered for the 23rd running of the Grade 3, $500,000 Old Dominion Derby, contested at one and one eighth miles on the Colonial Downs turf.
Official morning line odds were not yet posted when this preview was written, but Supercharger enters with the strongest recent form in the field. The Constitution colt has won three straight, capped by a rallying victory in the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes on August 1, and figures to head the wagering.
The Old Dominion Derby headlines a six stakes card worth a combined $1.3 million. Supporting races include the $250,000 Old Dominion Oaks, the $150,000 Colonial Cup, the $150,000 Da Hoss, the $125,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes and the $125,000 Exacta Systems Rosie's Stakes.
You can bet the Old Dominion Derby online at app.mywinners.com, through the MyWinners: Racing and Sports app on iOS or Android, or in person at your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in Connecticut.
