One hundred and one stakes races, worth more than $20-million in purses, will highlight Woodbine’s 133-day Thoroughbred meet in 2016.
“We’re excited to once again provide a full slate of world-class races that offers owners a chance to showcase their horses at a variety of distances, both on turf and our brand new Tapeta surface” said Steve Lym, Woodbine’s Director of Racing.
The Woodbine stakes schedule, unveiled today by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), is highlighted by the 157th running of The Queen’s Plate. The 1 1/4-mile classic, which carries a $1-million purse, is set for Sunday, July 3.
The Plate, North America’s oldest continuously-run stakes event and first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of Racing, will be complemented by three turf stakes events, the Grade 2, $200,000 Highlander Stakes, the Grade 2 $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes and the Grade 3, $150,000 Singspiel Stakes.
The lucrative Ricoh Woodbine Mile will now be contested on a Saturday. The $1-million event, won last year by European invader Mondialiste, is set for September 17 kicking off a rich weekend on the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
The stellar Saturday slate also includes the Grade 1, $300,000 Northern Dancer Stakes, for three-year-olds and upwards and the Grade 2, $300,000 Canadian Stakes, for fillies and mares three-year-olds and upwards. The main track feature on Saturday’s Ricoh Woodbine Mile undercard will be the $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Derby, a 1 1/8-mile tilt for three-year-olds.
The Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In weekend extends to Sunday, September 18, with a pair of grassy events for juveniles including the $250,000 Natalma Stakes, recently elevated to Grade 1 status, for juvenile fillies and the Grade 2, $200,000 Summer Stakes, for two-year-olds. Last year, Catch a Glimpse captured the Natalma en route to a splendid score in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies turf.
The iconic Grade 1, $1 million Pattison Canadian International, won last year by Cannock Chase under a perfect trip from riding superstar Ryan Moore, is set for Sunday, October 16. The 1 1/2-mile grass event headlines an outstanding card that includes the Grade 1, $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, for fillies and mares, the Grade 2, $300,000 Nearctic Stakes, a six-furlong turf sprint, and the $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes, a six-furlong main track sprint for fillies and mares.
Woodbine will again be a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series which features a lucrative “Win and You’re In” incentive. A score in the Natalma, Summer, Ricoh Woodbine Mile or Canadian Stakes guarantees the victor a berth in the corresponding championship event at the Breeders’ Cup (November 4/5) at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
Sunday, June 12 will mark an important day at the Toronto oval buoyed by the running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, the first leg in Canada’s Triple Tiara of Racing. Also slated for June 12 is the $150,000 Plate Trial, the country’s top prep race for The Queen’s Plate.
The victor of the Plate Trial, and the Oaks if an exceptional filly steps forward, will have three weeks to prepare for the Plate. The Breeders’ Stakes, third and turf gem of racing’s Triple Crown, is set for Sunday, August 21 at Woodbine. The 1 1/2-mile turf race carries a purse of $500,000.
The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, a 1 3/16-miles main track event, will go on Tuesday, July 26 at Fort Erie Racetrack.
Woodbine’s 60th season launches Saturday, April 9, with a first-race post of 1:00 p.m. and concludes on Sunday, December 4.
Click here for the 2016 thoroughbred stakes schedule.
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