The Virginia Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually since 1998 at Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs is a racetrack for Thoroughbred flat racing and Standardbred harness racing located in New Kent County, Virginia adjacent to Interstate 64, halfway between Richmond, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia.-History and information:...

 race track in New Kent County, Virginia

New Kent County, Virginia

At the 2000 census, there were 13,462 people, 4,925 households and 3,895 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 per square mile . There were 5,203 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile...

. A Grade II

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 event, it is raced on turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 at a distance of 10 Furlong

Furlong

A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....

s (1¼ miles) and is open to three-year-old horses.

The Virginia Derby currently provides a purse of $1 million and is the second leg of the Grand Slam of Grass

Grand Slam of Grass

The Grand Slam of Grass is a series of American Thoroughbred horse races made up of four turf events for three-year-old horses.The series offers a $5 million bonus for any horse who wins all four races...

 which offers a $2 million bonus for any horse who wins all four races.

Records

Fastest time:

• 1¼ miles : 1:59.62 Red Giant
  Red giant
  A red giant is a luminous giant star of low or intermediate mass in a late phase of stellar evolution. The outer atmosphere is inflated and tenuous, making the radius immense and the surface temperature low, somewhere from 5,000 K and lower...
  
   (2007)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 - Peter Vegso (2002, 2003, 2006)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 3 - Edgar S. Prado (2002, 2003, 2004)

Most wins by a Trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

:

• 3 - William I. Mott (2002, 2003, 2006)

Winners of the Virginia Derby since 1998

Year	Winner	Age	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Distance (Miles)	Time	Grade
2011	Air Support	3	Alex Solis Alex Solis Alex O. Solis is a jockey based in the United States. He currently lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California...	Shug McGaughey Shug McGaughey Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey, III is an American Hall of Fame thoroughbred horse trainer. He has earned wide respect in the industry as a man of great integrity....	Stuart Janney III	1-1/4	2:00.80	II
2010	Paddy O'Prado Paddy O'Prado Paddy O'Prado is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Winchell Thoroughbreds, he finished third in the 2010 Kentucky Derby. His regular jockey is Kent Desormeaux.-Racing Career:...	3	Kent J. Desormeaux	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC	1-1/4	2:02.58	II
2009	Battle of Hastings	3	Tyler Baze Tyler Baze Tyler Baze is an American Champion jockey. Born into a racing family, both of his parents were jockeys as is his uncle, Gary Baze. His second cousin is U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey, Russell Baze....	Jeff Mullins	Michael House	1-1/4	2:03.29	II
2008	Gio Ponti Gio Ponti (horse) Gio Ponti is a United States race horse and a specialist on the turf course. He was sired by Tale of the Cat, a son of Storm Cat, out of the stakes-placed Alydar mare Chipeta Springs, making him half-brother to stakes-winner Fisher Pond...	3	Garrett Gomez	Christophe Clement Christophe Clement Christophe Clement is a Thoroughbred horse trainer in the United States.- Racing background :Christophe Clement initially acquired his training skills from father Miguel, a leading trainer in France, Christophe later worked for the prominent French racing family of trainer Alec Head...	Castleton Lyons Castleton Lyons Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm....	1-1/4	2:02.22	II
2007	Red Giant Red Giant (horse) Red Giant is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who in September 2008 set a world record for 1¼ miles on Turf....	3	Horacio Karamanos	Todd A. Pletcher	Peachtree Stable	1-1/4	1:59.62	II
2006	Go Between	3	Garrett K. Gomez Garrett K. Gomez Garrett Keith Gomez is an American thoroughbred jockey.-Early career:Gomez learned to ride by watching his father, Louie, who was a jockey at many tracks in the Southwest United States...	William I. Mott	Peter Vegso	1-1/4	1:59.74	II
2005	English Channel English Channel (horse) English Channel is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by James T. Scatuorchio and bred by Keene Ridge Farm, he was sired by Smart Strike out of the Theatrical mare Belva. In four years of racing, he competed in twenty three races, winning thirteen, finishing second in four, and finishing...	3	John R. Velazquez	Todd A. Pletcher	James T. Scatuorchio	1-1/4	2:02.57	III
2004	Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy Kitten's Joy is an American Thoroughbred racehorse by the Sadler's Wells stallion El Prado out of the Lear Fan mare Kitten's First. Kitten's Joy is owned and bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey...	3	Edgar S. Prado	Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans Dale L. Romans is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of a trainer, Dale Romans is best known for training the winner of the 2011 Preakness, Shackleford....	Ken and Sarah Ramsey	1-1/4	2:01.22	III
2003	Silver Tree	3	Edgar S. Prado	William I. Mott	Peter Vegso	1-1/4	2:01.11
2002	Orchard Park	3	Edgar S. Prado	William I. Mott	Peter Vegso	1-1/4	2:03.10
2001	Potaro	3	Brent Bartram	Jonathan Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard is a Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing....	Augustin Stable	1-1/4	2:02.18
2000	Lightning Paces	3	Greg Hutton	John J. Robb	Tulip Hill Farm	1-1/4	2:02.18
1999	Phi Beta Doc	3	Ramon Dominguez Ramon A. Dominguez Ramon A. Dominguez is an Eclipse Award-winning champion jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing....	Robert W. Leonard	Dennis Foster/ Leonard	1-1/4	1:59.97
1998	Crowd Pleaser	3	Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn Jean-Luc Samyn is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.The son of a pastry chef, Jean-Luc Samyn was one of three children. At age thirteen, he went to work for the stable of trainer John Cunnington at Chantilly, a racecourse about north of Paris city center...	Jonathan Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard is a Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing....	Augustin Stable	1-1/4	2:00.28