Shenandoah Downs reached the halfway point of its 2023 pari-mutuel harness racing schedule on Mother's Day Sunday when a seven-week, 14-day spring season came to an end.
Shenandoah Downs will host its two biggest races of the spring season on Saturday (April 22) the $25,000 Blue Ridge Open Pace and $25,000 Alleghany Open Trot in addition to a drivers challenge for up-and-coming reinsmen.
The first ever spring harness season at Shenandoah Downs kicked off Saturday on a warm but blustery afternoon as local Woodstock, Virginia resident trainer Betsy Brown reached the winner's circle in the initial race with Terrys Watching runner-up in the 2022 Virginia Breeder's Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot Championship.
Shenandoah Downs might not be home for Stacey McLenaghan, but it’s close. McLenaghan moved with her family from Canada to Virginia when she was 12 and grew up in New Kent, about three hours southeast of Woodstock, Virginia, where Shenandoah is located.