By Amber Kuehn

NEW KENT

The clip-clop of Your Round's hooves could be heard Friday as he walked circles around the stable area at Colonial Downs. So could the munching coming from Court Vision's stall.

Sailor's Cap galloped along the track, while a gray colt, Southwest, poked his head nervously about his new surroundings.

All were in town for the Virginia Derby, an event that has become the biggest in Virginia horse racing history.

The 10-race schedule kicks off at 12:55 this afternoon, with the highlight being the $750,000 Virginia Derby, which begins at 5:44 p.m. CBS will

cover the Derby for the second straight year, from 5-6 p.m.

The event has grown since its inception in 1998, said Darrell Woods, director of marketing at Colonial Downs. By Friday, attendance sales for this year were ahead of last, when the Derby drew a record 8,695 fans.

Eleven years ago, the purse was $200,000 and 4,000 fans attended. There was no national television exposure.

Now, the event is much more social. There have been infield parties the past three years, and this year a picnic at the first turn will take place.

Woods said the atmosphere mirrors that of Triple Crown races. The Colonial Downs staff prepares year-round to ensure it is Virginia's finest.

"We're trying to do what Churchill Downs and what the big players do, and it's starting to catch on," Woods said. "People now have started to dress up, wear the fancy hats."

While the race might not have the same reputation as the Triple Crown races, the track draws from the best pool of horses and jockeys. Perhaps most notable in this year's race is Kent Desormeaux, the jockey who rode Big Brown to victory in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Desormeaux will ride Court Vision today.

Nine 3-year-old thoroughbreds are slated to run the 1-1/4-mile track in the Virginia Derby, with Sailor's Cap the 8-5 morning-line favorite. The Kentucky-bred horse won the Colonial Turf Cup on June 21 and could pick up his second victory in the Grand Slam of Grass, a four-race turf series with prize money at approximately $5 million for a horse who wins all four.

Most trainers, though, claim their horses have as much chance to win as any.

Tammy Ingebritson, a Roanoke native and assistant trainer for Your Round, thinks he is primed to win, though with 15-1 odds he is the bettors' sixth choice. Your Round is the grandson of the most recent Triple Crown winner, Affirmed (1978), and placed third in the Colonial Turf Cup.

"I think he's sitting on his best race," Ingebritson said. "I don't know if his best race is good enough but... I guess at 5:47 we'll know. We'll either be celebrating or licking our wounds."

Ingebritson said she's excited about what horse racing in Virginia has become, and what it can become. She said several of her family members are coming to this year's race.

"All of a sudden, they're realizing how important a race this is, so that's really special," she said. "Horse racing in Virginia is really special for me. That would've been like a dream come true when I was growing up."

Old Man Buck, racing at Colonial Downs for the first time, has proved himself on turf courses, winning 3 of 5 races on grass. Winner of $250,000 in prize money, he has the third best odds today at 5-1.

Jose Castanon, an assistant to trainer Ken McPeek, said Old Man Buck looked good during his Friday morning workout.

"The horse is ready," he said. "He loves the turf."

In a nearby stall, Court Vision held his head high and proud while munching on straw. The only horse in the field to race in the Kentucky Derby, the dark bay colt appeared as confident as those who work with him. Tabbed the most experienced in the field, he finished fourth in his first test on turf - in tumultuous rain.

"He's a very classy horse," said John Ortiz, assistant foreman to three-time Virginia Derby-winning trainer Bill Mott. "He's never too hot or too anxious, and he felt awesome (Friday) morning on the track."