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American Promise wins sold-out Virginia Derby, now Kentucky Derby qualifier, at Colonial Downs

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American Promise wins sold-out Virginia Derby, now Kentucky Derby qualifier, at Colonial Downs


NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. — More than 8,000 people filled the stands at Colonial Downs for the much-anticipated Virginia Derby on Saturday.

American Promise won the race and secured a spot in the 151st Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3.

WATCH: American Promise wins sold-out Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs

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American Promise wins sold-out Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs

In addition to the Derby, there was another significant race on Saturday: the Virginia Oaks, where 10 horses competed for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the First Lady presented trophies to the winners of the Virginia Derby and Virginia Oaks events.

Virginia Derby Day’s roughly 8,000 tickets officially sold out on Wednesday.

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The event included special guests, unique experiences, and entertainment to honor the significant day in Virginia sports.

Esther Hall, a lifelong horse racing enthusiast from Virginia, was thrilled that the Virginia Derby is now a qualifier for the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m just so glad that Churchill created this race as a Derby prep race. It’s a brand new, first year it’s ever been a prep race,” Hall said. “And it’s a big prep race, a 50-point winning, you’re in prep race. So there are a lot of good horses here, good riders, good trainers. And I think it’ll really help the growth of Colonial Downs and hopefully horse racing in Virginia.”

FULL INTERVIEW: Jockey Nik Juárez on American Promise’s Virginia Derby win

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FULL INTERVIEW: Jockey Nik Juárez on American Promise’s Virginia Derby win

Hall said her passion for the sport began in her youth and was fueled by her father’s promise.

“He put me up on one of the last old draft horses we had down there on the farm when I was three. And, you know, and I got scared, made him take me off,” she recalled. “But then when we got home, I said, ‘Daddy, I want a horse.’ He said, ‘Well, you can have one when you’re 12.’ And he thought I was going to forget, but I didn’t. And I’ve been riding since I was 12.”

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PHOTOS: Fashion on display at Virginia Derby

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PHOTOS: Fashion on display at Virginia Derby

Hall said horses have “always just been a passion” for the 70-year-old.

“Since I don’t work with horses anymore, I was able to come down here to the racetrack,” Hall said.

She hopes more people discover the sport.

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“Bring your friends and your family here and introduce them to horse racing. These horses you’re seeing right now, these are some of the top horses in the country,” Hall said. “It’s beautiful watching the horses. There’s no excitement like it, you know. And then half an hour later, you get to watch another race and go through it all over again.”

FULL INTERVIEW: Why horses have ‘always been a passion’ for Virginia woman

FULL INTERVIEW: Why horses have ‘always been a passion’ for Virginia woman

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Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

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Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing


RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger met with public safety leaders from across the commonwealth Monday as part of a “unified readiness” coordination effort.

The governor met with police and fire chiefs, sheriffs, emergency managers and private sector members — including Dominion Energy — to discuss Virginia’s commitment to public safety, intelligence sharing and interagency collaboration.

“As global tensions continue to evolve, I want to be very clear: there are no known threats specific to Virginia at this time,” Spanberger said. “Today’s briefing was about making sure that information can be shared quickly and we remain at the ready.”

The meeting relates to Spanberger’s Executive Order 12, which she says reaffirms Virginia’s commitment to public safety, community trust, and readiness.

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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.





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Opinion | Virginia Giuffre’s brothers join protest outside Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch

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Opinion | Virginia Giuffre’s brothers join protest outside Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch


The brothers of the late Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre joined demonstrators outside Epstein’s former ranch in New Mexico on Sunday to demand more transparency. 

The protest, pegged to International Women’s Day, was attended by what the Santa Fe New Mexican estimated to be hundreds of demonstrators, including activists and lawmakers, outside the estate formerly known as Zorro Ranch.

Sky Roberts said it was the first time he had visited the ranch, and demonstrators’ presence was important as a show of “force” that they’re not “going away,” as some people, including the president, try to direct attention away from the Epstein scandal. During his remarks, he rebuked the government for what he called a cover-up and demanded the Justice Department release documents that show who visited the ranch, among other things.

“All those names are in the files, and right now the government is covering those up,” he said, according to Reuters.

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Epstein reportedly talked about using the ranch (now owned by Don Huffines, the GOP candidate for Texas state comptroller) for a eugenics-inspired plan to impregnate several women to “seed” the human race with his DNA (there’s no evidence he carried out such a plan). Giuffre’s posthumously released memoir includes allegations about meeting politicians and CEOs at Zorro Ranch, which was also recently linked to an unverified claim in the Epstein files alleging the deceased sex criminal had the bodies of two women buried near the property. After that allegation surfaced among the recently released Epstein files, New Mexico’s state legislature formed a truth commission to investigate Epstein’s activities at the ranch; the state DOJ has opened a probe of its own.



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Brothers of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre visit New Mexico ranch, demand unredacted documents

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Brothers of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre visit New Mexico ranch, demand unredacted documents


Two brothers of one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers visited the sex offender’s former New Mexico ranch on Sunday for ​the first time to demand the Trump administration release unredacted documents to reveal ‌the identities of men their late sister alleged sexually abused her at the property.



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