The top three finishers in the 2022 Punch Line Stakes will renew their rivalry Saturday, July 15 in the 2023 edition as Colonial Downs culminates its opening week action with four Virginia-Bred Stakes. The turf quartet also includes the Edward P. Evans, Tyson Gilpin/Glenn Petty, and Brookmeade Stakes and each features a $125,000 purse.
D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Kingdom Bloodstock's Determined Kingdom prevailed by a convincing 5½ lengths in last year's Punch Line. The 4-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding, who was best in the 2021 Jamestown Stakes, has earned $250,189 from 15 outings and will be ridden by Mychel Sanchez. Larry Johnson's Embolden, Punch Line runner-up, is a Michael Trombetta trainee with a robust $342,641 bankroll. Colonial's all-time leading rider Horacio Karamanos has the mount. K Ed & Susie Orr's Boldor finished third in the Punch Line but did win the Meadow Stable Stakes last summer. The Steve Asmussen trainee, best in the 2021 Punch Line, boasts a bankroll of $562,183.
Iapetus Racing & Diamond T Racing's Gigante heads a field of ten 3-year-old and up horses in the one-mile Evans. The 3-year-old Not This Time colt captured the $125,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes along with a maiden special weight last year in New Kent. The Steve Asmussen trainee, 3-for-7 with $262,900 in earnings, will be ridden by Adam Beschizza. Last year's second- and third-place finishers are both in to go. Ten Strike Racing's Alex Joon, who finished one-half length behind the victorious Largent last year, has bankrolled $232,399. The 6-year-old Flatter gelding won a turf allowance at Colonial one month after the Evans. Kendama took third in both the Evans and Bert Allen Stakes and sandwiched a second between the pair in a New Kent turf allowance. The two will be ridden by Forest Boyce and Jeiron Barbosa respectively. Reiley McDonald's 7-year-old Hold Me Back gelding Passion Play, who won the 2021 Evans, is in the field as well.
Chambeau, the 2022 M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes winner, heads a field of seven in the 2023 edition slated for fillies and mares three and up at 5½ furlongs. Owned and bred by Sam English II, the lightly raced 6-year-old Karakontie mare has made just five life starts — all last year — and will get the riding services of Karamanos Saturday. Robert D. Bone and Edward J. Brown Jr.'s Carolina Sun was second in last year's Gilpin and also had a pair of other top three finishes at Colonial last summer. Stonestreet Stables' Aisha R N, an Asmussen trainee, is fresh off a turf allowance triumph at Lone Star May 11. This year's stakes has been renamed to include former VTA Executive Director Glenn Petty in the title.
The Brookmeade Stakes, for fillies and mares three and up at 1 1/16 miles, attracted a field of seven led by Morgan's Ford Farm's Surya, who collected maiden special weight and allowance turf wins in New Kent last summer. The 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense is trained by Brittany Russell and will be ridden by Forest Boyce.
Post time Saturday is 1:30 PM. Colonial Downs continues its 9-week summer racing season through September 9 racing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1:30 PM.
General Admission and parking are free at Colonial Downs except for the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing on Saturday, August 12. Premium tickets, full racing schedule and information are available at www.colonialdowns.com.
The racing action from Colonial Downs will be broadcast on FanDuel TV and FanDuel Racing. Racing fans can wager on racing from Colonial Downs via www.TwinSpires.com, the official advance-deposit wagering service for Churchill Downs Inc. and its family of racetracks. TwinSpires.com also offers access to unmatched insight and analysis from our horse racing experts, handicappers, insiders, educators and Bloodstock Research Information Services (Brisnet).
About Colonial Downs
Colonial Downs Racetrack, in New Kent, Virginia, hosts live thoroughbred racing on two nationally renowned surfaces – the Secretariat Turf Course, the widest turf course in North America at 180 feet wide and on a 1 1/4-mile dirt track, second in length to only the world-famous Belmont Park.
The Colonial Downs Group, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates Rosie's Gaming Emporiums® in Richmond, Hampton, New Kent, Vinton, and Dumfries which offer innovative historic horseracing (HHR) gaming technology and full card simulcasting as well as Rosie's Game Room in Collinsville, which features a limited selection of some of their best HHR titles plus full card simulcasting. The 2023 live racing season, which consists of 27 days from July 13 through September 9, is highlighted by the Grade 1 Arlington Million, Grade 1 Beverly D. and Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes on August 12 and the Grade 3 New Kent County Virginia Derby on September 9. The Beverly D. is a Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win & You're In” race.
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