2025 Horse Racing Tickets and Racecard Update
Ticket sales are open for Festive Finish, the year-end horse-racing meet on December 21, 2025, with organisers saying tickets are available online and at local retailers. VINO has published a racecard update naming Fighting Back to face St Croix’s Pure Speight in the feature, and organisers have confirmed ferry transport arrangements with a December 20 reservation deadline.
Organisers of the year-end horse-racing meet have opened ticket sales for Festive Finish, the final racing showdown of 2025 that will bring competitors from St Thomas, St Croix, Tortola and Anegada to the Clinton E. Phipps Sr Racetrack on December 21, 2025. Southland Gaming VI, which is staging the event, says tickets are available at festivefinish.eventbrite.com and at a range of local retailers.
Race-day travel by sea has been arranged to make attendance easier for Virgin Islands residents. The ferry Ocean Dreams has been designated for race-day transport and will depart West End at 10:30 AM, returning from Red Hook at 7:00 PM; the operator is offering seat reservations specifically for the races and will run a free shuttle between Red Hook and the racetrack for ticketed ferry passengers.
Ferry tickets must be purchased by December 20 at 5:00 PM, and organisers stress seating is limited. While Southland Gaming VI had not yet released an official race card, local news site Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) has published a detailed card that lists the entries for the seven-race program.
According to VINO, the feature is a 1-mile Open showdown for Class A horses with an $18,000 purse; it will pit Anegada runner Fighting Back of Francis Racing Stables, trained by Omarie Smith, against St Croix’s Pure Speight, which dominated the feature at the Salute to Service races on November 9, 2025.
VINO reports that Fighting Back will be running in only its second race at the Clinton E. Phipps Sr Racetrack, and will also face other top mounts in the feature including Emmett, Ice Road and Grand Tower. Notably absent from the line-up, VINO adds, will be Floki's Flight and former Governor's Cup champion Ghostinyou.
The VINO racecard also highlights a competitive fifth race on the seven-race card where Anegada and Tortola horses will be prominent. Class A horses Unsociable (Anegada) and Laser Sharp (Tortola) are listed to contest six furlongs for a $16,500 purse. Also named for that race are Mundo Mix — a recent winner at the Salute to Service meeting — and Friar Laurence, making for a lively prelude to the feature.
Organisers and the ferry operator advise fans to reserve seats early. Local retailers selling event tickets may be able to provide additional information about ferry reservations and the free shuttle service. Spectators are urged to buy tickets online or at authorised outlets and to secure ferry reservations by the stated deadline to avoid disappointment.
Festive Finish continues a regional tradition of inter-island racing that draws owners, trainers and fans across the Virgin Islands. For BVI communities the meet is an opportunity for local tourism and small businesses to benefit from visitor spending, and for horseracing supporters to see top local mounts compete before the season closes.
This article is based on information provided by event organisers and the racecard published by Virgin Islands News Online (VINO); readers should monitor the official Festive Finish event page and Southland Gaming VI communications for any further updates or changes to the race schedule and transportation arrangements.
Primary source: VINO