by Darrell Wood

Arrington, VA — Pari-mutuel harness racing will return to the Oak Ridge Estate next week for the first time since 2001 as the Virginia Equine Alliance presents a two week meet in beautiful Nelson County.

Pacers and trotters can begin shipping onto the grounds Monday (Oct. 5) in preparation for opening weekend, which kicks off Saturday (Oct. 10) at 12:30 p.m. and continues Sunday (Oct. 11) at 1 p.m. The campaign concludes the following weekend, Oct. 17 and 18, with the same post times.

Closing day is highlighted by the annual $320,000 Virginia Harness Champions Day, which features eight divisional title races of Virginia-bred or sired 2- and 3-year-old pacers and trotters of both sexes.

Despite a new venue and location, Racing Secretary Craig Andow anticipates solid support from horsemen, who should come close to filling the barn area. Trainers Mark Gray, Herman Hagerman, Corey Braden and Scott Warnick will bring the largest contingents, with 16, 13, 12 and 11 horses, respectively. Charlie Dunavant will be based there with nine head, Leon Harris and George Anthrop have seven, and Scott Woogen and Arthur Hauser ship in with six apiece. Many others, including locally based Amanda Jackson, will have smaller stables on site.

The track will be open for training daily from 6 a.m. until 12 Noon. Qualifiers will be held on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at 11 a.m.

Saturday’s cards will be drawn Wednesday and Sunday’s entries will be collected on Thursday.

Qualifying times are 2:15 for pacers and 2:17 for trotters. The 3-year-olds are allowed two seconds and 2-year-olds get a three second allowance. Virginia bred, sired or owned horses receive an additional two seconds beyond the age allowance.

The Oak Ridge property has an area near the stables reserved for horsemen where 50 campers can be accommodated for the full two weeks. Insurance will be provided for drivers and trainers. A link to Virginia Racing Commission license applications and W-9 forms, along with other meet details, are at www.virginiaequinealliance.com. Horsemen-related questions can be directed to Craig Andow at 551.204.1796.

The Oak Ridge Estate is located halfway between Charlottesville and Lynchburg off Route 29 in Arrington, Va. (near Lovingston). The exact address is 2300 Oak Ridge Road, Arrington, VA 22922. Based in Nelson County, Oak Ridge is directly in the heart of a craft beer, winery and spirits trail and is surrounded by great hiking opportunities, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Wintergreen Ski Resort.