I am writing as an active member of the thoroughbred racing community. For the past 20+ years, I have been directly employed in the thoroughbred industry. From August 1998-April 2004, I was President and CEO of the Daily Racing Form, the national daily newspaper and website for thoroughbred racing and breeding industry. In November, 2004, I accepted the position as President and CEO of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) which operates three large thoroughbred tracks in New York: Belmont Park, Aqueduct Race Track and Saratoga Race Course. This association handles more wagering activity that any other racing association in the U.S. I left NYRA in May 2012 and launched a website Thoroughbred Racing Commentary (www.thoroughbredracing.com) devoted to reporting on thoroughbred racing and breeding best practices from around the world.

I am writing in support of Revoltionary Racing, LLC. in their efforts to acquire Colonial Downs and re-vitalize throughbred racing and breeding in Virginia and throughout the entire mid-Atlantic. I have also been very impressed by the work of the Virginia Equine Alliance in organizing all of the consituents of thoroughbred racing and breeding to work together in resurrecting the the horse racing and breeding industry in Virginia. It truly was a sad day five years ago when the then owners of Colonial Downs and the thoroughbred owners and trainers could not work out an equitable business relationship that would allow racing and breeding to continue.

As you well know, Virginia has had some of the best owners and breeders of thoroughbred horses for well over 70-80 years. They have included Paul Mellon of Rokeby Farms, Whitney Stone of Morvan Stud, Thomas Mellon Evans of Buckland Farms and his son Edward P. Evans, Marion DuPont Scott of Montpelier Stud, "Liz" Whitney Tippett of Langollen Farm, James and Alice Mills Hickory Tree Stud, Christopher Chenery of Meadow Stable and many, many other prominent throughbred owners and breeders.

The magnitude of the decline of thoroughbred racing and breeding in Virginia has been tragic given the state's great tradition of thoroughbred racing and breeding. In 1997 Virginia Thoroughbreds ran more than 2,300 races which had precipitously dropped to 333 race by 2014. Similarly there were more than 700 mares that were bred in Virgina in 1997. By 2014, that number had declined to 43 Virginia bred mares.

Virginia is very fortunate to have a well organized group of thoroughbred racing and breeding entities that are working closely with Revolutionary Racing LLC, the new owners of Colonial Downs. A crucial element of the re-juvenation of the thoroughbred industry will be the implementation of historical horse racing machines that have proven to be very popular and successful in such important state raving jurisdictions as Kentucky and Arkansas.

I had the great pleasure to attend races at Colonial Downs in the first few years that the track opened. From my extensive experience, I can tell you that the expansive turf course is without question one of the very best turf racing surfaces in the U.S. In addition to conducting thoroughbred flat races on the turf, Colonial wil be an ideal location to conduct steeplechase races at appropriate times throughout the year.

One of the things that has limited the growth of thoroughbred racing and breeding in Virginia was the bickering among the industry's constituent interests. It is important that the thoroughbred industry is organized and motivated to bring the thoroughbred industry back to its proper and revered status.

A prosperous and successful thoroughbred industry will bring significant economic activity to the state and restore Virginia's long held position as an important thoroughbred racing and breeding state.