ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 6, 1996 TAG: 9605060086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE
SOURCE: Associated Press
Thoroughbred racing's grandest event was good for Colonial Downs as well, as more than 1,000 people came to the off-track betting parlor to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby.
Betting on the derby was legal in Virginia for the first time at Colonial Downs, which opened in February. General manager Gil Short said 650 people paid $10 to view and bet on the race inside the building, while about 400 more paid $5 to partake of the festivities in a huge tent in the parking lot.
The betting parlor's total wagering for Saturday's event was more than $300,000, topping the previous high of $219,000, Short said.
Regulars at Colonial Downs said Derby Day was different than most days, and not just because of the derby staples of mint juleps and roses.
``It's a lot rowdier and more crowded,'' said Edna Morris, a Richmond woman who plays the ponies at the parlor about once a month. ``Most of the time, you get the die-hard gamblers. Today, it seems there are more people who come for the entertainment and to be part of the action. It's more of a festive feel.''
The crowd's hoots and moans filled the air as Grindstone and Cavonnier went to the wire in a photo finish at Churchill Downs. Grindstone won by a nose in the closest Derby finish since 1959.
Colonial Downs' top payoff on the Kentucky Derby to a single bettor was $5,499 for a superfecta bet.
Chuck Fodor, of Richmond, dropped $160 on two minutes of action, but he had no complaints about his first visit to Colonial Downs.
``I love horse racing, have loved it for years,'' Fodor said. ``But I never had an opportunity to go out and have fun watching it because there was nowhere to go.''
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines KEYWORDS: HORSE RACINGby CNB