Monday, April 16 2012

Town Prize impressive in Woodstock

TORONTO, April 15 - William Sorokolit's Town Prize made every call a winning a one in Sunday's $155,800 Woodstock Stakes, at Woodbine.

The three-year-old son of Speightstown-Prized Stamp, trained by Darwin Banach, completed the six-furlong main track sprint in a time of 1:08.22, nearly breaking Essence Hit Man's track record 1:08.16.

Tu Endie Wei triumphs in Star Shoot

TORONTO, April 14 - Tu Endie Wei, recently crowned Canada's champion two-year-old filly, celebrated the honour in style with a runaway five and a half length score in Saturday's $166,000 Star Shoot Stakes at Woodbine.

The Brereton Jones’ filly, trained by Reade Baker, took to the lead under regular pilot Jim McAleney in the six furlong main track sprint, marking a quarter in :23 with Casa Loma forcing the pace off her right flank.

Friday, April 13 2012

Town Prize one to catch in Woodstock

TORONTO, April 12 - Town Prize, a speedy three-year-old son of Speightstown-Prized Stamp, will look to capture his first added-money event in Sunday's $150,000 Woodstock Stakes, at a distance of six furlongs over Woodbine's Polytrack.

As a juvenile, the Darwin Banach trainee recorded a third-place effort in the Colin Stakes sandwiched between a pair of wins over the Toronto oval 'Poly.'

Wednesday, April 11 2012

Rose and Shine shoots for the stars in Star Shoot

TORONTO, April 11 – Rose and Shine, a three-year-old daughter of Mr. Sekiguchi, looks to start her campaign on a winning note when she goes postward against Sovereign Award champion Tu Endie Wei in Saturday’s $150,000 Star Shoot Stakes, at Woodbine.

Owned by James Sabiston and trained by Ralph Biamonte, Rose and Shine won three races, along with one second and one third, from seven starts last year, including victories in the Muskoka and Princess Elizabeth Stakes.

Tuesday, April 10 2012

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees

April 10 - The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2012 inductees. This year’s honour roll includes three horses and two people representing the Standardbred industry, as well as three horses and two people from the Thoroughbred ranks.

Sunday, April 08 2012

Essence Hit Man repeats in Jacques Cartier

TORONTO, April 7 - Essence Hit Man, who was named Canada's champion sprinter at Thursday's Sovereign Awards, captured the $168,300 Jacques Cartier Stakes, for the second year in a row, in familiar front-running fashion.

The Audre Cappuccitti trainee, who established a track record of 1:08.16 while winning the 2011 edition of the event, commanded the lead from the outside stall in the six furlong main track sprint marking a quarter in a reasonable :22.09 as Madman Diaries offered minimal pressure.

Wednesday, March 28 2012

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Ballot

TORONTO, March 27 - The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2012 ballot. A total of 30 horses and people, including 15 Thoroughbred racing candidates and 15 Standardbred racing candidates have been selected to appear on the ballot.

The two 20-person Election Committees will declare the winners in the respective categories and they will be announced on Tuesday, April 10.

Thursday, March 22 2012

Woodbine To Host Six Breeders’ Cup Challenge Races As Part Of 2012 Schedule

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 22, 2012) -- The Breeders' Cup announced today that the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Challenge series will consist of 73 automatic qualifying races into the Breeders' Cup World Championships. This year’s series has been expanded to 10 countries and will feature 13 new races to the schedule including 52 Grade or Group 1 events. Breeders’ Cup will pay entry fees and provide travel allowances for the connections of the Challenge winners into the Championships. Woodbine will host six races during the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Challenge season beginning on September 15 with the Natalma Stakes. (Complete 2012 schedule is available at https://members.breederscup.com/challenge/schedule.aspx)

Horses around the globe will be qualifying for the 29th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on November 2-3, and will be televised live by the NBC Sports Network. The Breeders’ Cup Classic will be shown live in primetime on NBC from 8-9 p.m. ET on Nov. 3.

Thursday, March 08 2012

Top filly Dixie Strike named Queen’s Plate Winterbook choice

TORONTO, March 8 - Filly Dixie Strike, trained by champion conditioner Mark Casse and owned by John Oxley, was today installed as the 4-1 favourite for the 153rd edition of the Queen's Plate, following in the footsteps of her half-sister, 2011 Queen's Plate heroine, Inglorious.

Last year, Inglorious, who also captured the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, rallied impressively through the stretch to earn the winner's share of the $1 million purse. The Josie Carroll trainee was also a 4-1 favourite in the Winterbook.

Thursday, March 01 2012

Derby dreams abound for Woodbine connections

TORONTO, March 1 – In February, some 397 three-year-olds were nominated to the 2012 U.S. Triple Crown, (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) including seven horses trained by Woodbine’s leading trainer Mark Casse.

The 2012 Kentucky Derby, which will be held on May 5 at Churchill Downs, is limited to 20 starters. Should more than 20 horses enter, the entries will be determined by the amount of graded stakes earnings accumulated by each horse.

Thursday, February 23 2012

Woodbine 2012 stakes schedule unveiled

TORONTO, February 22 – A 102-race, $23 million stakes calendar, will highlight Woodbine's 167-day Thoroughbred meet in 2012.

The Woodbine stakes schedule, released today by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), is highlighted by the 153rd running of the Queen's Plate. The 1 1/4-mile classic, which carries a $1 million purse, is set for Sunday, June 24.

Tuesday, February 14 2012

WEG is the engine of the Ontario horse racing industry

Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) is the engine of the Ontario horse racing industry – an industry which in 2010 was responsible for approximately 60,000 jobs and over $2 billion of expenditures annually.

WEG is very proud of its partnership with the Province of Ontario. WEG entered into a contract with the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) in 1999. WEG has invested significantly in providing the venue, the infrastructure and many of the support services for the OLG’s slots-at-racetracks operations at Woodbine and Mohawk.