Shenandoah Downs Opens Seven-Week Fall Harness Racing Meet Saturday – Sept 19

Harness racing returns to Shenandoah Downs on Saturday, Sept. 19, as the Woodstock track opens its 11th fall season with seven weeks of weekend racing, stakes competition, giveaways and special events.

Live pari-mutuel racing will continue through Nov. 1, with cards scheduled every Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. The fall meet follows a seven-week spring season at Shenandoah Downs and a four-day, non-wagering County Fair meet held in the days leading up to Labor Day.

Some of Virginia’s top young pacers and trotters will take center stage during the season. Two-year-olds of both sexes will compete in two major sets of championship races, beginning with the Virginia Sire Stakes.

Four $100,000 Virginia Sire Stakes divisional finals are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3.

Another group of young Virginia-bred horses will be featured late in the meet. Prep races for the Virginia Breeders divisional championships are scheduled for the weekends of Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 24-25. Four divisional championships will then highlight the Saturday, Oct. 31, card as part of closing weekend.

Before those championship races arrive, Shenandoah Downs will begin its season by honoring a horse whose career became closely tied to racing in Woodstock.

Opening day will include a tribute to John’s Dream, the winningest harness horse in Shenandoah Downs history.

John’s Dream was foaled at the Suffolk, Virginia, farm of owner, driver, and trainer Chuck Perry. The Dream Away gelding competed for 12 years, including 11 in Woodstock and one season at Oak Ridge in 2015.

During his career, John’s Dream made 36 trips to the winner’s circle at Virginia tracks. He finished his racing career with 57 victories and $435,362 in earnings.

The first 500 fans age 18 and older at the track on Saturday will receive a free commemorative John’s Dream long-sleeved T-shirt.

The opening-day tribute is the first of several promotions planned throughout the fall meet.

Shenandoah Downs will mark its 10th anniversary with a celebration on Saturday, Sept. 26. The following Saturday, Oct. 3, racing will be part of Shenandoah County’s annual Autumnfest celebration, the same day the four Virginia Sire Stakes divisional finals are scheduled.

Football and harness racing will come together Oct. 10 for the track’s “Pigskin & Ponies Own a Horse for a Day” event.

One of the track’s more unusual racing traditions returns the following afternoon. The Wiener Dog Derby is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11, giving dachshunds their turn to race in front of the Shenandoah Downs crowd.

Fans can pick up another souvenir Saturday, Oct. 17, when the track holds a baseball cap giveaway. Pink Power Breast Cancer Awareness Day follows on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Sunday programs throughout the meet will also feature weekly specials and a handicapping competition.

Fans can purchase $1 hot dogs and $2 canned beer each Sunday while also entering the free “Pick the Horses” handicapping contest. Each contest will offer $250 in cash prizes, with the weekly winner receiving $125.

Sunday winners also receive an additional incentive. Each will earn an opportunity to participate in an “Own a Horse for a Day” event on Nov. 1 and compete for a share of a $5,000 purse.

The Virginia Harness Horse Association sponsors the weekly promotion.

The seven-week schedule adds another chapter to the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds’ much longer racing history. Harness racing has been held at the fairgrounds for 110 years, making the sport a longtime part of the area’s agricultural and entertainment traditions.

Shenandoah Downs is located at the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds in Woodstock, just off Interstate 81 at Exit 283. The track sits about halfway between Harrisonburg and Winchester.

The fall meet concludes Sunday, Nov. 1.

Additional information about the season is available at shenandoahdowns.com. Fans can also use the website to access free TrackMaster past performance programs and Derby Bill Watson’s daily tip sheet.