It will not be the new normal, but it is likely that the 2021 Queen’s Plate will be run in the early fall as it was for the first time in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on in the world and while vaccines are beginning to arrive in Canada, it is not certain that crowds will be permitted under any circumstance until later in 2021.
And because the Queen’s Plate, the biggest show of the Ontario Thoroughbred season, takes a great deal of planning with television and Woodbine events staff, a decision needs to be made soon (before February/March) with regards to the date of the Canadian classic. This year, the Plate was held on September 12 although the racing season began two months later than usual on June 10. Fans were not permitted at Woodbine throughout the shortened 2020 season but the hope is that fans could return later in 2021.
“I don’t have any expectations that in May or June we are going to have [fans] back,” said Jim Lawson, president and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “We are considering that the Queen’s Plate won’t be back at its usual late June date in 2021.”
Fans make the Plate the big event that it is and if there is a chance to open the track up to spectators again, keeping the Plate at the later date in 2021 is a better bet for Woodbine.
“We are living in a world right now where the Toronto Raptors are playing in a foreign city, the NHL is likely only going to have a Canadian-only league and the Blue Jays are thinking about where they are going to play,” said Lawson. “It is not something we would do permanently, I could see the Plate returning to its late June, early July date [in 2022] but for 2021 it is likely we will see a late stakes schedule again.”
The Canadian Triple Crown of the Plate, Prince of Wales at Fort Erie and Breeders’ Stakes was held from September 12 through October 24 this year. Field size and quality for the three race series was solid considering the late changes to race dates.
Lawson noted that there is also a large number of stables which did not send horses to the US to winter-train for the first time in years and instead, its horses will be prepared in Ontario.
STALL TALKING:
There is a distinct possibility that the sales barns on the Woodbine property, used for decades for horses in training and overflow horse population, may not be used in 2021. This appeared to be the case at the outset of 2020 but the barns were eventually used. A notice sent out this month from Woodbine said the sales barns tack rooms would be demolished.
Fewer stalls will mean a difficult time for owners and trainers with smaller stables to obtain their desired number of stalls and attract new owners.
Bigger stables were able to get any number of stalls on the Woodbine backstretch in 2020; Mark Casse had 75 while other trainers such as Kevin Attard also had 50-60 stalls. This means fewer opportunities for other successful trainers who want to attract clients and their horses.
And should the policy continue it is possible, some trainers say, there would be a large drop in the number of trainers and owners racing at Woodbine.
Lawson was asked by Canadian Thoroughbred about the lack of a stall cap:
“This is an issue which is easier to review when demand far outweighs supply. We are in the business of optimizing field sizes/wagering and that means getting the optimal performance out of our stalls,” said Lawson. “Generally, that means starts at Woodbine per stall. Of course there are many factors to consider and while it is acknowledged that it may not be ideal in the long run to consolidate our stall space, that is part of the consideration – there are so many factors and to account for the optimization of our racing program, our managers need the discretion to do what is right for our business.”
Spring stall applications are due January 29 to stall operations manager Tim Lawson.
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