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On Wednesday at Colonial Downs, What the Beep pulled off an upset with a one-length victory over heavy favorite Tan and Tight in the $60,000 Camptown Stakes for Virginia-bred or -sired fillies and mares. The homebred daughter of Great Notion was ridden by Forest Boyce for trainer Karen Godsey, who bred and broke the 5-year-old mare on her Eagle Point Farm.

“This is very emotional for me,” said a tearful Godsey. “Her mother (Toccoa) was my first winner. To win a race like the Camptown, which my grandfather helped to start, is important to me. We mainly race here and the rest of the year I am breaking horses on the farm.”

What the Beep won the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes here last summer but hasn't raced since an off-the-board finish in an allowance race at Laurel last October.

“She got a little cut on her leg and we almost missed that last race,” Godsey explained. “So she came home and got to spend the whole winter being a horse, hanging out, and ran around an 80-acre field with all her brothers. It's nice she gets to do that, come back here and run like this. It's kind of what her momma did. I would take her home every winter and come back here and win every summer. She's a happy horse.”

The bay mare led every step of the way getting the 5 ½ furlongs over firm turf in 1:02.95 after setting fractions of 22.38 seconds, 44.37 seconds and 56.31 seconds.

The Camptown was the fourth victory in 16 starts for What the Beep who could race next to defend her title in the M Tyson Gilpin Stakes. She earned $36,000 for the tally to boost her bankroll to $189,503 and paid $15.20, $4 and $2.20.

Tan and Tight, the 2-5 post-time favorite, stalked the pace and made a mild rally in the stretch but was no threat to the winner returning $2.20 and $2.20. Bella Aurora ($2.20) finished third in the six-horse field, followed by Solarte, Determined Love and Chasing Midnight to complete the order of finish.

A compact field of four went to the gate in the $60,000 Edward P. Evans Stakes for Virginia-bred or -sired runners with heavily favored Largent, owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. The son of Into Mischief covered the mile over firm turf in 1:36.14. He was trained by Todd Pletcher who picked up his third victory in the first two nights of racing at Colonial this season. Tyler Conner had the winning ride.

“I wanted to be a little closer than I was (early in the race),” Conner said. “I let him settle where he's happy. My man Trevor (jockey McCarthy) had me in a little tight. I didn't want to take back and go around. So I just went with the momentum and hoping he's split somewhere and I could get through.”

Largent's tally was his fourth in six starts and the $36,000 winner's share boosted his bankroll to $134,670. He paid $2.40 and $2.10. There was no show wagering in the race.

Embolden, the 2019 Jamestown winner, was beaten just a length in the mile race and paid $2.10. Carbon Data and River Deep completed the order of finish.

Also of note on the card was the 3rd race, a first-level allowance race won by Robert LaPenta, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Chrysalis Stable's Farmington Road, who was making his turf debut after racing on the Triple Crown trail earlier this year. Pletcher and Conner partnered here as well with the son of Quality Road who had last raced in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, finishing eighth in a 10-horse field.

Colonial Downs will race a special make up card this Sunday at 5:30 PM.

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River Deep, winner of the 2019 Edward P. Evans Stakes, will try to defend his title Wednesday at Colonial Downs against six other Virginia-bred/sired horses including Todd Pletcher trainee Largent and 2019 Jamestown Stakes winner Embolden. The $60,000 one-mile turf stakes has been carded as the eighth race.

Morgan Ford Farms' River Deep won last year's Evans courtesy of a disqualification when initial first-place finisher Speed Gracer was tagged for interference and placed fourth. Forest Boyce will ride the Phil Schoenthal trainee who enters with a bankroll of $298,130. The 6-year-old Arch gelding has a won pair of other Virginia-bred stakes — the Bert Allen and Hansel, both in 2018.

Dare To Dream Stables' Embolden has earned top-three finishes in all six of his starts. The 3-year-old colt by The Factor will make his 2020 debut Wednesday. He wrapped up his 2019 campaign with a third in Remington's Springboard MiIe and preceded that with runner-up finishes in the Atlantic Beach Stakes and the Grade 3 Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct and Belmont respectively. Trevor McCarthy, Colonial's leading rider last year, has the mount for trainer Mike Stidham. Embolden was bred by Nancy Terhune and Ernest Frohboese.

Twin Creeks Racing and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Largent brings an impressive resume into the Evans. The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding is fresh off an allowance optional claiming win March 28 at Gulfstream. In five starts he has three wins and two seconds with earnings of $98,670. Largent, who was bred by Lazy Lane Farms, is 3-for-3 on turf.

Also in the field are Black Prong, who was third in the Evans last year; Fionnbharr; Carbon Data; and Ismusbemyluckyday.

Six Virginia-bred/sired horses will compete in the $60,000 Camptown Stakes including 2019 M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes winner What the Beep, Jamestown Stakes runner-up Bella Aurora and New York/New Jersey invader Tan and Tight. The 5 1/2-furlong turf test for fillies and mares three and up is the fourth race on the card.

Eagle Point Farm's What the Beep enters 2020 action with a bankroll of $153,503. Jockey Forest Boyce, who directed the winning Gilpin effort last year, will be up again. Trainer Karen Godsey's home bred, a 5-year-old Great Notion mare, finished fourth in last year's Camptown. What The Beep is 3-for-7 on turf.

Country Life Farms' Bella Aurora is the highest money earner in the field with $154,140. The 3-year-old Carpe Diem filly capped off 2019 with a win in Laurel's Gin Talking Stakes. Bred by Morgan's Ford Farm and trained by Mike Trombetta, Bella Aurora will be ridden by Keiber Coa.

e Five Racing Thoroughbreds' Tan and Tight is trained by Mike Stidham and gets the services of jockey Trevor McCarthy. The 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly powered home in a maiden special weight January 19 at Aqueduct over a sloppy track. She returned to turf in her only start since — a tight runner-up at Monmouth July 5. Overall, she has finished second in all three of her career turf starts. Tan and Tight was bred by Jim and Katie Fitzgerald.

Rounding out the field are Solarte, Camptown runner-up in 2019; Determined Love; and Chasing Midnight.

One day earlier on Tuesday, July 28, the $40,000 Hansel Stakes, open to Virginia-bred, sired and certified two-year-old horses, will be contested at 5 1/2 dirt furlongs as the fourth race. Only three of the eight horses — Natural Attraction, Merchant of Hope and morning-line favorite Sky's Not Falling have started previously and each won their maiden special weight debuts. The last named was bred in Maryland by Larry Johnson and won his five-furlong bow at Delaware July 1. The Seville gelding is trained by Mike Trombetta and will be ridden by Keiber Coa.

Second choice in the morning line is David Ross' Guillaume, a Kentucky-bred colt by Hard Spun. Trevor McCarthy will ride for trainer Mike Stidham. Ross, whose stable name is DARRS, Inc., was leading owner at Colonial last year with five victories.

Others entered include a pair of Susan Cooney-trained Virginia-breds, Stay In and Canherun. Dare to Promise and Alpha Queue round out the field.

Colonial's season continues through September 2 with cards every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:30 PM. A makeup card for Monday's heat-related cancellation will be held on Sunday August 2, at the same time. The track features a nightly All-Turf Pick-5 wager that covers the program's final five races.

The 2020 race meet will be presented “spectator-free.” In Virginia, bets can be placed at any Rosie's Gaming Emporium or at any VA-Horseplay Off Track Betting location. Online betting is available through TVG.com, Xpressbet.com, Twinspires.com and NYRABets.com. All of Colonial's races will be aired on TVG. More details are at colonialdowns.com/wagering.

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