Lennox the Grey takes Old Dominion Derby on busy Labor Day at Colonial Downs

Six turf stakes worth a combined $1,319,200 closed out the Colonial Downs meet on an action-packed Monday afternoon of Labor Day racing.

Old Dominion Derby (G3)

Lennox the Grey displayed great tenacity to win the 1 1/8-mile $506,000 Old Dominion Derby (G3) over nine fellow sophomores.

With Mychel Sanchez in the saddle for trainer Arnaud Delacour, Lennox the Grey set fractions of :24.57, :50.80, and 1:15.54. He was headed briefly when The Big Con charged up the inside, but Lennox the Grey battled back to win by a nose in 1:49.77.

Chambersville, Supercharger, Quiet Power, Dr. Agne, Heeere’s Johnny, Kravitz, Tiernanogue, and Drop Shot completed the order of finish.

Lennox the Grey started as the 9-2 fourth choice off an allowance win at Colonial Downs.

Old Dominion Oaks

Storm’s Wake, dropping in class off a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Oaks (G1), delivered as the 7-10 favorite in the 1 1/8-mile $253,600 Old Dominion Oaks for three-year-old fillies.

The Brian Lynch trainee rated in fourth place through splits of :25.14, :49.85, and 1:13.95, then rallied under jockey Samuel Marin to beat Soloist by a head in 1:48.60.

Siouxse, Thankfulness, Fond of You, Getting Serious, Dagmara, and Dandona finished third through eighth.

Colonial Cup S.

Just a Touch, a participant in the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1), continued his transformation into a grass star with a victory as the 7-10 favorite in the 1 1/2-mile $153,600 Colonial Cup.

Since switching from dirt to turf in April, Just a Touch has gone 3-for-4. In the Colonial Cup, he rated in third place behind splits of :23.30, :48.29, and 1:14.21 before taking command and holding off deep closer Carcano to score by a head in 2:26.66.

Florent Geroux rode the winner for trainer Brad Cox. Write Off Jerry, Hardspun Reason, Soteil Volant, Crisper, Benjis Benefit, and Prevent rounded out the order of finish.

Kitten’s Joy S.

Two-year-olds raced 1 1/16 miles in the $127,400 Kitten’s Joy S., and Popcorn proved decisively best as the 4-5 favorite, rallying from as far back as sixth place to triumph by two lengths.

Pace fractions of :23.62, :48.67, and 1:13.10 set the stage for Popcorn’s winning rally. With Axel Concepcion aboard for trainer Jonathan Thomas, Popcorn hit the wire in 1:42.37, bringing his career record to 2-for-2. He previously won a Horseshoe Indianapolis maiden special weight.

Mightily took second place over Heracles, followed by Life’s Pageant, Fridaynightclub, Royal Authentic, and Call Me Micky J.

Rosie’s S.

In the $127,400 Rosie’s S., a 5 1/2-furlong dash for juveniles, the filly Omaha Spirit led all the way to beat males as the 7-5 favorite.

Jockey Paco Lopez allowed Omaha Spirit to set splits of :22.66 and :45.62. Bee Crazy, another filly, chased Omaha Beach throughout but hit the wire 1 1/4 lengths behind in second place.

Regent’s Park, Golden Corsair, All Nessed Up, I Feel Lucky, and Excessif trailed home the winner, who is trained by Wesley Ward.

Da Hoss S.

The meet closed out with the $151,200 Da Hoss S., a 5 1/2-furlong dash in which Spirited Sol overcame a troubled trip to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Spirited Sol trailed a six-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in :22.53 and had to fight his way through traffic down the homestretch. Nevertheless, he rallied in time to triumph by 1 1/4 lengths for jockey Martina Rojas and trainer Kimberly DePasquale, completing the race in 1:01.67.

The outcome was a shock to bettors, as Spirited Sol brought an 0-for-8 grass record into the Da Hoss and started at 25-1.

Souper Quest finished second by a nose over Creed’s Vision, followed by Governor Sam, Two Seven O, and Louie the Sun King.