Old Dominion Derby Day Good for extensive home team * The Racing Biz

All in all it was a pretty good day for the home team, or at least, perhaps the extensive home team, Saturday at Colonial Downs.

There was Casa Cielo, located in Colonial for Trainer Keith Sormeaux all summer, to ward off a mid-race challenge to kick Clear and win the joy of the kitten for two-year-olds. There was trainer Jonathan Thomas, a resident of Virginia, who scratched two of his three runners in the old Dominion Oaks, and can only be as catch, who slipped in to make a 16-1 up region.

There was trainer Riley Mott, whose wife is a resident of Charlottesville, surrounded by a robust cheering section after winning the grade 3 Old Domy Derby with World Beater, who warned his name on this day.

“Look, I am from Virginia,” said Thomas. “It’s really cool to win a big race here. We love it here.”

Such as Catch Can, a Mo-Murre triple that he trains for Augustin Stables, was the best priced winner of the day and returned from $ 34.20 for a profit of two dollars. Perhaps the tip she was live, from the trainer’s decision to scratch his two other runners, including the more logical-on-paper participant, who was then 7-2 on the morning line.

“This anti -foal had trained the best of everyone,” Thomas explained. “I hoped that we made the right decision when we scratched the others, but that was our gut yesterday. Between my assistant and I just felt that she trained so well.”

She ran to her training and gathered along the rail under Jaime Torres to wear out 6-5 favorite and old leader Evershed to win with three parts of a length.

“She is very tenacious,” said Thomas. “You know what? What she has sometimes missed in quality, she has always made up for steadfastness. She really tries, really difficult. If you look because of her form, it is very rare that she does not close or end up or just be defeated. So I am really proud of her to win an interest.”

World Beater already had his efforts, in the degree 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational, no less. So it was no surprise that he booked an easy victory in the old Dominion derby of class 3-he was on 2-5 but it was still gratifying for mott. His wife Megan is from Charlottesville and a root section based in Virginia at the moment.

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“She grew up there,” said Mott. “My parents -in -law still live there. My sister -in -law lives in Richmond, and so we had a pretty large audience. It’s just very nice.”

One of the people who saw Mott on Saturday was Debbie Easter, the former executive director of the Virginia Forgled Association.

“She was actually one of my first owners when I broke out, one of my first supporters,” said Mott. “You always remember those people. To be able to bring the horse here, where she is so heavily involved in racing Virginia, was a big problem.”

Mott said that World Beater, whom he trains for Pin Oak Stud LLC, would probably not point to the Breeders’ Cup, and prefer it to steer his second -year student with older horses.

On the other hand, if the owners of Casa Cielo have their way, their two -year -old Caravaggio Colt goes to Del Mar.

Casa Cielo, located in Colonial this summer, broke his girl in second place and asked about the colonial peat on July 25. He posted three works on the track between then and Saturday $ 125,000 Kitten’s Joy, whom he won with nearly three lengths.

Mark Hatcher and David Clapp, who, with partners, racing such as Don’t Tell My Wife Stables 2024, LLC, had traveled from Kentucky to view the race. The week before, Hatcher went to Kentucky Downs to root their trainer, Keith Sormeaux, while he sent Bear River to win the grade 2 Mint Kentucky Turf Sprint to hit a Breeders’ Cup ticket.

However, this one was different. This one was his.

“I had a great time with Kentucky Downs,” said Hatcher. “I have a better time here today.”