Colonial Downs Racetrack Picks: Virginia Derby Day, 3/15/2025

The Road to the Kentucky Derby comes to Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia, for the first time ever on Saturday, March 15! Typically, there is only horse racing at Colonial Downs Racetrack in the summer, but the track is hosting a special spring festival in 2025.

The highlight of it is the $500,000 Virginia Derby, a 1 ⅛-mile Kentucky Derby prep that offers 50 points to the winner. The Kentucky Oaks trail also visits Virginia for the first time, with 50 points on offer to the winner of the $250,000 Virginia Oaks. All racing during the spring festival will be on the sweeping 1 ¼-mile dirt track, though their celebrated Secretariat Turf Course will be back in action when live racing resumes for the summer.

There will be big fields and classy horses throughout the 10-race card, so make sure to tune in all day starting at noon EDT. You can watch and get expert analysis all day long at FanDuel TV and bet every race at FanDuel Racing!

The weather is expected to be warm and sunny for the Virginia Derby on Saturday, though conditions can always change as race day gets closer. Make sure to check the weather and scratches on race day before placing your bets, as scratches can happen for any reason, and you always want to make sure your picks fit the actual race conditions and pace setup.

Colonial Downs Racetrack Picks

Race 4 - Maiden special weight, six furlongs on the dirt - Rina Is Fire, Belle of the Wood

FanDuel odds: 4-1 and 7-2

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The even-money morning-line favorite is Keepsake, and with trainer Brad Cox and jockey Flavien Prat in her corner, she will be heavily favored. But with three second-place finishes in three starts, she is likely to run well but won’t be appealing to bet as that much of a favorite on the win end. Backwheel her in exactas, of course, but the better bet is to bet she’ll run second, and look at others in the top slot.

Rina Is Fire (4-1) makes only her second lifetime start. She was nosed out on debut at Laurel, but trainer Gary Capuano often moves horses up second-time out. This is likely to be a better field, going from the regular meet at Laurel to a boutique race day like this, but the sharp speed from her debut could give her the upper hand in a game of “catch-me-if-you-can”, and the price will be significantly better than it would be had she returned on a regular day at Laurel.

Among the first-time starters, look at Belle of the Wood (7-2). The outside draw in a field of six is a positive: she won’t be so far outside that she loses a lot of ground, but she can work out a clean trip. Trainer Brittany Russell is among the best with first-time starters, and has worked Bell of the Wood enough to suggest she is fit. Her only other sibling to race did well on debut for Russell, too, finishing second on debut at age two and graduating second time out, en route to becoming a stakes winner at three.

Race 8 - Virginia Oaks, 1 1/16 miles on the dirt - Icona Mama, Fondly

FanDuel odds: 8-1 and 7-2

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The Virginia Oaks does not have a lot of speed, so there is a good chance that a shrewd jockey who takes initiative early can lead them around. John Velazquez rides Icona Mama (8-1) for the first time ever in this spot, and might be able to do just that. Icona Mama does not always go to the lead, but she has shown some sprint pace on several occasions, even from a relative inside gate two back. She has also shown the ability to shake off company and go on. The 1 1/16 miles is a question, as she has yet to try it, but the one-turn configuration is a positive to help her carry it.

Fondly (7/2) could also get a nice run. She cedes experience to the rest of the field, as she makes only her second start in the Virginia Oaks. But, her debut was solid: going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs, this Graham Motion trainee tracked in range early, handled some trouble, and kicked away in the final furlong to win by four lengths. Motion does well stretching horses out, she should get 1 1/16 miles, and her outside draw in an eight-horse field bodes well for a clean trip.

Race 9 - Virginia Derby, 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt - Getaway Car, Omaha Omaha

FanDuel odds: 9-5 and 10-1

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Getaway Car (9-5) spent his juvenile year clashing with some of the best in his division, horses like Citizen Bull and Journalism. A freshening and a class drop got him back to the winners’ circle in the Sunland Derby last out. Now he comes second off the lay, and he remains out of the graded-stakes ranks. Though there is other speed in this race, Getaway Car may shape up to be the fastest of it, and the grit he showed at Sunland suggests that he has it in him to outgame his foes when the rubber meets the road.

If the pace does get to be too much, and sets up for a horse coming in from off the pace, Omaha Omaha (10-1) could play spoiler. He didn’t start well last out, but still chased on honestly enough to suggest that 1 ⅛ miles is within his abilities, something his pedigree suggests as well. He won while closing into a sharp pace two back going 1 1/16 miles at Laurel and ran a good enough second at the one-turn mile two back in the Jerome; this suggests the one-turn 1 ⅛-mile configuration could suit. Should Getaway Car lock up hard with the likes of John Hancock, American Promise, Authentic Gallop, or possibly even Georgia Magic or Rapture? Omaha Omaha will be there to pick them all up at a price.

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