Colonial Downs unveils 2026 summer meet with 35 stakes worth $6.5 million

Colonial Downs is making a clear play for regional power: a 45-day summer meet loaded with 35 stakes and handicaps worth more than $6.5 million, backed by average daily purses projected at $700,000. The schedule runs June 25 through Sept. 7, with racing set for Thursdays through Sundays and a Labor Day finale, a setup that should draw better horses, bigger fields and more serious betting from start to finish.

The centerpiece remains the Colonial Downs Festival of Racing on Aug. 1, and the card is built around the three races that define the track’s brand: the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the Grade 2 Beverly D. and the Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes. Colonial said the Million will be run at 1 1/4 miles, the Beverly D. at 1 3/16 miles and the Secretariat at one mile, all on the Secretariat Turf Course. That matters because the turf oval has become Colonial’s signature asset, and the track is leaning into it instead of chasing a generic summer program.

The supporting stakes list is deep enough to matter beyond the headline trio. Festival Day also includes the Van Clief, Andy Guest, Petramalo Mile, Tyson Gilpin and Reigh Count. Labor Day, Sept. 7, closes the meet with the Grade 3 Old Dominion Derby along with the Old Dominion Oaks, Colonial Cup, Da Hoss, Kitten’s Joy and Rosie’s Stakes. With the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks shifted to March dirt racing, the summer calendar now puts the grass program front and center.

The overnight races are being priced to keep horsemen in the game. Open maiden special weights will go for $70,000, Virginia-restricted maiden special weights for $87,500, open allowance races up to $80,000 and Virginia-restricted allowance races up to $90,000. That kind of structure does more than fill races. It rewards owners and trainers willing to keep quality horses on the grounds, and it gives bettors a more competitive product across the meet.

The bigger picture is hard to miss. Virginia Racing Commission approval made 2026 a record 48 live racing days at Colonial, the most expansive season in the track’s history. Colonial’s 2025 full meet generated a record $110 million wagered, while the Virginia Derby day drew more than 8,000 fans and a record $6.5 million handle. Festival of Racing day was even louder, producing a Virginia-record $10.46 million wagered and more than $2.8 million in purses.

That kind of momentum is why the Arlington Million still matters. Equibase lists the race’s history back to 1976, and its staying power gives Colonial a nationally recognized centerpiece every summer. With a new 40-person backstretch dormitory increasing horsemen housing capacity to 240, the track is not just booking races. It is building the infrastructure to keep the better ones coming.