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(Continued fron\ Page 15) Virginia Trials.
A unique venture, the Trials will feature four thoroughbred races on Middleburg’s seven-furlong dirt track, originally built by Paul Mellon.
The day’s first race is at 2 p.m. and is carded for 3- and 4-year-old maidens at five furlongs. The purse of $2,500 will be contested by four horses.
“We’re very concerned about the safety of the animals," says Michael Hughes, treasurer of the VTA. “We are therefore restricting the number of horses in each race to four. ”
A four-stall starting gate, loaned by Hickory Tree Farm, will make sure all the horses have the same chance.
The second race will also be over five furlongs for 2-year-olds and a purse of $1,500 will be offered.
Perhaps the most exciting race of the day will be the third race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up.
Stall one will be filled by Wolver Hill Farm’s Cross Point, a winner last fall at Laurel. Ollie Figgins Jr. will handle the reins. Stall two will hold a Charlottesville entry, Lorely Farm’s Wanchefe, a winner earlier this year at the Penn National Racetrack in Harrisburg, Pa. Swan Motch will be riding. Stall three will have a horse from Potomac, Md., Dr. Jorge Garcia’s Last Commercial, a winner at Laurel in the fall, who will be ridden by Helen Richards. The final horse will be VTA director Tyson Gilpin’s Undetermined, a winner at Charles Town. No rider has been listed.
The day’s fourth race will be for the gentlemen, three and up, over five furlongs for a $2,500 purse.
The trials are designed to introduce the public to horse racing in Virginia and to teach the horses about
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