Colonial Downs postponed the Arlington Million (G1) Day race card one day to Sunday (Aug. 11) due to expected heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
In an updated press release Wednesday, the track said the decision was made after consulting with weather experts, and that it’s confident the full 12-race “Festival of Racing” card would be run on Sunday.
Tropical Storm Debby forces track to reschedule to Aug. 11
In addition to the Arlington Million, the card also features the $500,000 Beverly D (G2), a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup race to the BC Filly & Mare Turf, and the $500,000 Secretariat Stakes (G2).
On Tuesday, the track canceled Thursday and Friday racing, and rescheduled the cards for Monday and Tuesday (Aug. 12-13).
The weather forecast for New Kent, Virginia, home of Colonial Downs, is calling for an 85% chance of rain Thursday and Friday, with nearly 2 inches of rain possible over that time period. Saturday is expected to be mostly sunny with no rain in the forecast.
The “Festival of Racing” will be the biggest race day in Virginia history, offering a total of $2.8 million total prize money on the 12-race cards.
In addition to the Million, Beverly D, and Secretariat, there are four other stakes – the $150,000 Andy Guest, the $150,000 Van Clief, the $100,000 Petramalo Mile and the $100,000 Penny Chenery.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.