WOODSTOCK, VA — The Virginia Equine Alliance has announced the start and end dates for the 2020 season of pari-mutuel harness racing at Shenandoah Downs on the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock.
According to a news release, the fall meet will begin on Sept. 18 and continue through Oct. 17, with races scheduled for 3:30 p.m. each Friday and 2 p.m. each Saturday. A special card also will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. Dates are still pending approval of the Virginia Racing Commission, the release states.
The happy hour cards each Friday will run from 3:30-6:30 p.m. and feature $1 draft beer, $1 hot dogs and karaoke in the party tent, according to the release. Saturdays will feature promotions such as “Pink Power” Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the Weiner Dog Derby, Grateful Dead Day — featuring a Shenandoah Downs tie-dye t-shirt giveaway — and the Shenandoah County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Autumnfest celebration.
The release also states that the Virginia Harness Horse Association will sponsor three separate “Own a Horse for a Day” promotions, where fans have the opportunity to “own” a horse for a day and share in the winnings from a $4,000 purse.
Virginia Breeder’s events will take place on three consecutive Saturdays to open the fall meet, according to the release. Prep and elimination races for 3-year-old pacers and trotters of both sexes will be part of the Sept. 19 card, while 2-year-olds will compete on Sept. 26. Champions Day, when over $300,000 in purse winnings are distributed, will take place in conjunction with Autumnfest on Oct. 3.
From the Virginia Equine Alliance