Shenandoah Downs will usher out its seven-week fall harness racing season on Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 28 & 29 with a pair of 14-race programs, headlined by Sunday's $802,200 Virginia Breeder's Championships as the richest card in Virginia harness racing history.
Eight divisional championships will be contested between two- and three-year-old pacers and trotters of both sexes with purses ranging from $84,000 to $92,400. Freshman finals will kick the card off in races one through four and sophomore clashes will close it out in races 11-14. In between are four Virginia Breeder's aged races with $20,000 purses, and the traditional Sunday features, a $10,000 Open Handicap Pace and Trot. A series of $8,000 prep and elimination races in the two- and three-year-old classes have taken place over the last four weeks.
Sunday food and beverage specials include $1 hot dogs and $2 canned beer.
Saturday's card pays tribute to Halloween with a "Trunk or Treat" celebration for kids who come dressed in costume. They can collect candy in a safe and fun environment between 1:30-2:30 p.m. and can enter a costume contest at 2 p.m. Two inflatable obstacle courses and a petting zoo will be available for the young set to enjoy all afternoon. Equine author Amber Sawyer will also be on site reading excerpts from her children's book "Love to Race" and will lead children in horseshoe decorating.
Four divisions of the meet long U.S. Harness Drivers Club competition will be contested on Saturday to close out the series. A trophy will be presented to the leading point-earning reinsman after the final race. All participating drivers have donated their share of driver earnings from the series to various non-profits, which will receive cheques in a series of presentations throughout the afternoon. Those include the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, the American Cancer Society's Shenandoah Valley Chapter, Shenandoah area Future Farmers of America organizations, and local 4H chapters. The Virginia Equine Alliance will also present cheques to the Saddle Creek Standardbred Retirement Farm in nearby Palmyra on Saturday and to the Standardbred Retirement Foundation on Sunday.
(With files from Shenandoah Downs)