Thoroughbred Racing Begins Saturday at Woodbine

The 2013 live Thoroughbred racing season begins Saturday at Woodbine, the first of 133 programs slated for the year.

A total of 87 horses were entered Wednesday for the Opening Day 10-race card, which begins at 1:00 p.m., highlighted by the featured $150,000 Star Shoot Stakes, at six furlongs for three-year-old fillies at 4:36 pm.

Woodbine’s 2012 season leaders will be in action on Saturday, with trainer Mark Casse, who has won six straight training titles, saddling two horses. Casse first earned top trainer honours in 2007 with 85 wins, and subsequently won 75 (in 2008), 71 (in 2009), 87 (in 2010) and a Woodbine meet record of 119 races in 2011, while last year saddling 94 winners en route to stable earnings of over $6.8 million.

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Jockey Luis Contreras, who captured his second consecutive Woodbine crown in 2012 with 195 wins and over $9.2 million in purses, following 212 wins and $11.5 million in purses in 2011, has seven mounts on Saturday’s card, including a ride aboard well-regarded Leinan in the Star Shoot.

Regulars Patrick Husbands, a seven-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s top jockey, along with other champion riders such as Emma-Jayne Wilson, the 2005 Sovereign and Eclipse Award winner as the continent’s top apprentice, who also became the only female rider to win the Queen’s Plate (aboard Mike Fox in 2007) and the popular Eurico Rosa da Silva, will also be busy on Saturday.

In addition, jockey Gary Boulanger, who won the 2001 Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate with Sam-Son Farm’s Dancethruthedawn, will make a welcome return to Woodbine for the season. Boulanger suffered career-ending injuries in 2005, but impressively resumed riding earlier this year in Florida. Boulanger has one mount, Miss Tatey Cat, trained by Casse, in the second race.

For the horseplayer, there’s plenty. Woodbine has lowered the Win takeout to 14.95%, the lowest of any racetrack in North America, meaning better payoffs.

There is also a $100,000 pool guarantee for the early Pick-4 on weekends, plus 20-cent bet minimums on all Triactor, Pick-3, Pick-4 and Superfecta pools and $1 minimums on Win-Place-Show wagers.

The Sovereign Awards, established in 1976 to honour Canada’s best in Thoroughbred Racing, will be held Friday night in a special dinner at Woodbine on the third floor as a prelude to Opening Day.

First race post time for Saturday and Sunday of Opening Weekend is 1:00 p.m. Friday racing returns on April 26. In fact, post time for all Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday (May 20, July 1, August 5, September 2 and October 14) programs will be 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday night racing, with a 6:45 p.m. post, starts on June 5 and will be conducted throughout the season, except on Wednesdays (July 3, August 7, September 4 and October 16) which follow Holiday Mondays.

Canada’s most famous horse race, the $1 million Queen’s Plate for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, will be held Sunday, July 7 while the Woodbine Oaks and Plate Trial will be staged a month earlier on June 9, all televised live on CBC.

As always, general parking and admission are free at Woodbine.