With the return of grass racing and better weather, the patience shown by the race office has paid off with big fields.
Mark Casse
The champion two-year-old colt of 2023 returned to his home track and easily won the King Corrie Stakes at seven furlongs.
Woodbine celebrated Patrick Husbands' 30 years of race riding on May 18 and he answered with the stakes win.
King's Plate hopefuls Piper's Factor and Roscar perform well, while the first juvenile race goes to an Ontario-bred.
Woodstock Stakes winner Midnight Mascot makes the King's Plate list, as does mate Essex Serpent, both owned by the Conrads.
Play the Music and Candy Overload won the weekend stakes, while many different owners and trainers won other races.
Graded stakes-winning mares battle in the Saturday feature at Woodbine; track hosts Kentucky Derby party on May 4.
Sunday's races at Woodbine were won by speedsters including Conrad Farms' Midnight Mascot, who took the Woodstock.
Sofia Vives won her first stakes race and four other races on opening day at Woodbine, which saw a record $4.5 million wagered.
The 129-day Woodbine meeting begins this weekend with a couple of good stakes races and a ceremony for the community garden.
The 49th Sovereign Awards was a smash success and a big night for Mark Casse and his trainees who took home many awards.
The Jockey Club of Canada will celebrate 2023 racing across Canada and help usher in the new seasons for 2024.
Trainer Mark Casse won three races at Gulfstream on Sunday and a stakes race on Saturday; Ontario sires had big weekend.
It was a big weekend for Canadian-bred horses with three stakes winners and a handy romp for the King's Plate hero of 2023.
King's Plate winner had his first workout as a four-year-old at Casse Training Center on Jan. 3 and voters get ready to pick 2023 champions.