Saturday marks one of the biggest days on the racing calendar in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is Virginia Derby Day at Colonial Downs and for the second year it is held in the spring as part of a 3-day special meet. The 10-race Saturday card includes a late Pick 4 sequence that has three stakes races and 1/ST Bet and Xpressbet have a 2 Million 1/ST Rewards Points Hit & Split to add to the fun. As always, just remember to register for the new promotion. Here is how I am attacking the Virginia Derby Day late Pick 4.


Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.

Race 7: Sandy Bottom
Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 7 Runaway Diva; 6 Eunomia
Backups: None

Forecast: The sequence kicks off with this $100k one-mile event for fillies and mares where I am intrigued by the horse for course, #7 Runaway Diva. The Runhappy mare comes in having hit the board in 7 straight races, including a pair of runs over this surface last summer. She has shown an affinity for this unique one-turn configuration and draws outside, which should give jockey Julien Leparoux options in this compact group of 7. I will use her along with the more obvious 6-5-ML favorite #6 Eunomia to kick things off.


Race 8: Virginia Oaks
Grade: X
Main Ticket: 3 Bottle of Rouge
Backups: None

Forecast: #3 Bottle of Rouge was made the 6-5-ML favorite in this year’s Virginia Oaks after her win last month in the Sunland Park Oaks. The Vino Rosso filly has done little running outside of her sixth-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last fall and should find herself in a perfect early spot a few lengths off the pace of #1 Dazzling Dame and #4 Kadabra. Flavien Prat will be aboard this $100,000 Keeneland September ’24 purchase for the first time. She should relish the one-turn 1 1/16-mile configuration at Colonial Downs.


Race 9: Virginia Derby
Grade: B
Main Ticket: 5 High Camp; 9 Ocelli; 7 Incredibolt
Backups: None

Forecast: The third leg is the feature, which not only rewards 50 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, but also is part of 1/ST BET and Xpressbet’s ongoing Triple Crown Prep Race Money Back Special. Most of you know by now, but for those who do not, it is used much like insurance since you get up to $10 back on your Win bet if your horse finishes second or third. As always just remember to register.

I will try to beat the ML favorite #1 Buetane and second choice #8 Confessional in this $500k 9-furlong affair with a trio of horses for barns hoping to make their first major impression on the Triple Crown trail in the near future. One of them is #5 High Camp. The Instagrand colt ran well on debut in Florida to finish second and backed it up with an off the pace victory in his first start as a 3YO. He has to prove himself at a mile or longer, but has a lot of talent and retains hot riding Johnny V. I also like #9 Ocelli. The maiden has kept better company over his last two starts than he encounters today and can absolutely finish with energy. If they go at it early, he should be rolling late. Finally, I will include #7 Incredibolt. I doubt he goes off at anything close to his 10-1-ML offering, but his last was too poor to believe. If he gets back to his runs at Churchill Downs last winter, he very well could earn himself a spot in the starting gate in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.


Race 10:
Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 6 Freedom Road; 7 Maclean’s Rook; 1 Seeking Unity; 4 Dr Ruben M
Backups: None

Forecast: The finale is a second-level allowance at 1 1/16-miles where I will try to beat 2-1-ML favorite #8 Lure Him In. The 11-time winner brings the strongest resume in and draws favorably outside the main speed, but has a spotty pattern of late. The 9YO raced last in a Florida-bred stake on January 10 and has only worked three times since. I know he won during this meet last year, but he was a far easier horse to trust in the early part of 2025. I will use a few in hopes of beating the Sam Wilensky trainee to close things out.