Woodbine Entertainment celebrated an historic moment on Wednesday as the first section of sod was placed on the new inner turf course.
The sod-laying ceremony took place on the front stretch after the first 250-foot section of turf was installed earlier in the day. Irwin Driedger, Director of Thoroughbred Racing Surfaces & Fleet, was joined by Jonathan Zammit, Vice President of Thoroughbred Racing Operations, and Jim Lawson, President and CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, to mark the significant milestone of the game-changing project.
“Today’s occasion is a celebration of Woodbine’s commitment to premier turf racing,” said Zammit. “We look forward to the completion of the new course next year, which will complement our existing turf assets and elevate our world-class racing product to new heights for both our horsepeople and customers.”
The transformation of the former Standardbred racing surface, which was unveiled in 1994, to a second Thoroughbred turf course began in early April as Woodbine Mohawk Park has undergone multi-million-dollar renovations and is now the site of year-round harness racing.
The new seven-furlong turf course, which will consist mostly of Ontario-grown Kentucky Bluegrass, is expected to be ready for racing by next year’s Queen’s Plate.
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