Virginia Champions Day at Colonial Downs is on Saturday, Aug. 31, and with runners entered in four of the five stakes, Mike Trombetta looks poised to make a run to repeat as meet leading trainer. In 2023, the conditioner tallied 18 wins, winning his first local title. Heading into the final two weeks of the 2024 meet, Trombetta is tied with Mike Stidham at 10 wins.

Saturday’s five turf stakes showcasing Virginia-bred, -sired and -certified horses are offering $725,000 total in purse money. First post on Saturday is 1:30 p.m. ET and the added money events will go as races 5 – 9 on the 11-race program.

Larry Johnson and R. D. M. Racing Stable entered two in the $125,000 Jamestown Stakes, both trained by Trombetta. Despite being the lone filly facing six freshman boys in the 5½- furlong sprint, Sail Theseven Seas is the 6-5 morning line favorite. Sporting two seconds in two starts over dirt tracks, including last out in the Keswick, she will make her grass debut in the Jamestown. Wheneveruremember is still a maiden but the Gun Runner colt put in a solid effort on the local sod earlier in the month. Both Wheneveruremember and Sail Theseven Seas faced stretch traffic in their last race.

“They both had troubled trips,” Trombetta said. “So I’m just hoping that everybody stays out of each other’s way and they have a fair shake at it. I think Sail Theseven Seas has been running with some pretty quality types, so I’m excited to watch this race to see how this goes. Sailtheseven Seas has run very good on the dirt, she hasn’t been on the turf but there is no reason to think she shouldn’t like the grass.”

Facing 10 foes of older males in the 1-1/16 miles $150,000 Bert Allen Handicap, Larry Johnson and R. D. M. Racing Stable’s Sky’s Not Falling is the 3-1 second choice in the morning line. Twenty-two of Sky’s Not Falling ‘s 25 turf attempts have been at shorter distances than he will be tasked with in the Bert Allen, and the 6-year-old’s lone stakes win came in the 2022 Maryland Million Turf Sprint. 

“(In terms of best distance), he kind of does everything right,” Trombetta said. “It’s a matter of finding the right spots that are available. With this group of horses, he fits very well. We’ve got to go and try and see what he can do.”

Second against open company last out in the Andy Guest, Larry Johnson’s Hollywood Walk will face a field of nine female turf sprinters in the $150,000 Camptown.

“She’s training very well,” Trombetta said. “I’m happy with her. There are a couple of quality fillies in there as well, but I think she is a good fit. I imagine she’ll be in the top three selections.”

Trombetta’s final two stakes runners on Virginia Champions Day, Country Life Farm’s Galilei and Larry Johnson and R. D. M. Racing Stable’s Naval Empire, both come in the $150,000 Nellie Mae Cox. After winning the Brookmeade by 1¾ lengths, Tufani headlines the field of 11 older fillies and mares going 1-1/16 miles; however, Galilei got the best of the morning line favorite in last year’s Brookmeade.

“(Galilei) seems to run well at Colonial,” Trombetta said. “I hope she’s up for this and can run that kind of race. We’ll take a shot with Naval Empire in there as well, so I think we have chances and we’ll give it a try.”

Though she has only two lifetime wins, Naval Empire is two-time stakes-placed. The 4-year-old Empire Maker filly is a half sibling to Wheneveruremember.

“(Naval Empire) has had glimmers of some big races,” Trombetta said. “She’s kind of lightly raced this season; hopefully she can do some good in the (Nellie Mae Cox).”

Colonial Downs has added an extra day of live racing on Wednesday, Sept. 4, serving as a make-up day for the nine-race card lost on Friday, July 12. First post is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET. Wednesday will kick-off a four-day race week to close the 2024 meet, which concludes with New Kent County Virginia Derby Day on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Grade 3 $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby headlines a card with $1.3 million in stakes purses including five other turf stakes.

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