News Releases

Tuesday, August 20, 2019Contact: Alexa Ravit (212) 521-5307
Colonial Downs Broadcasting in High Definition for 2019 Meet

Colonial Downs, which opened on August 8 for its first live race meet since 2013, is broadcasting races this year in high definition. The signal upgrade was assisted through The Jockey Club High Definition (HD) Grant Fund.

Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club, announced the creation of the HD Grant Fund at the 2018 Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining to Racing in response to findings from McKinsey & Company’s 2018 analysis of the Thoroughbred industry, which were presented at the conference. The McKinsey team found that less than one-third of all racetracks broadcast on TVG provided HD signals, and they recommended that racetracks upgrade to HD signals to be competitive with other sports following the legalization of sports betting.

Through the HD Grant Fund, qualifying tracks may receive up to $150,000 to purchase or lease HD production equipment. Colonial Downs is the fourth racetrack to use this fund, following Hawthorne Race Course, Delaware Park, and Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack.


“By taking advantage of the HD Grant Fund to assist our ‘Racing Revival,’ we have been able to sustain our core principle of providing our fans with a first-class racing product,” said Jill Byrne, Colonial Downs’ vice president of racing operations. ”Colonial Downs is honored to be selected by The Jockey Club as its most recent grant recipient.” 

“We are pleased to assist Colonial Downs in showcasing its racing product in the best possible light, and are confident that this upgrade will pay dividends in improving handle and the fan experience today and in the future,” said James L. Gagliano, president and chief operating officer of The Jockey Club.


About Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs’ bright future features the return of live Thoroughbred racing and full card simulcasting with the excitement of innovative historic horse racing (HHR) gaming technology. In collaboration with the Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) and Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA), Colonial Downs is set to bring competitive horse racing back to New Kent County and the Commonwealth with the reopening of the best turf track in the country and a future network of satellite HHR facilities branded as “Rosie’s.” Colonial Downs Group is making a $300 million investment in the Commonwealth of Virginia creating 800 new jobs by the end of 2019. This effort will generate $25 million annually in state tax revenues, $17 million annually in local tax revenues and $25 million annually to Virginia’s horse industry. The project is not receiving any tax credits or government incentives.

About The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms. It founded America’s Best Racing (americasbestracing.net), the broad-based fan development initiative for Thoroughbred racing, and in partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, operates OwnerView (ownerview.com), the ownership resource. Additional information is available at jockeyclub.com.