The first horse onto the Tapeta track at Woodbine for its 71st racing season, Saturday, April 18, will be the filly CRUMLIN TROUBLE, who was co-owned and trained by the late Mike Doyle before she was claimed last summer.
Doyle, who passed away suddenly late last year, would often be a fixture on the opening weekend of Woodbine’s spring season, and he will be missed. There will be some 30 trainers with horses entered on the first day of the 128 card meeting including stalwarts Robert Tiller and Tino and Sid Attard.
Crumlin Trouble, trained by Alex Patykewich, meets five fillies and mares in the opener at 1:20 p.m., a 5-furlong dash. Her jockey is listed as Robert Stewart, riding in his first race in at least seven years (according to Equibase), who, interestingly, is not one of the half-dozen jockeys from other locations who announced their intention to ride at Woodbine this year.
Woodbine assembled seven races for Saturday and seven more Sunday with 85 horses entered in total. The horse population continues to be low throughout North America.
The good news is that some horsepeople will have a chance to grab some purse money, much needed after a very long winter. The Saturday feature race is a $114,600 allowance/optional claiming dash at 5 furlongs with the sharp older mare CHROMEPLATED HEART and Jeff Alderson looming as the pair to beat. An eight-year-old owned and trained by Debra Rombis, Chromeplated Heart and Alderson won first time out in May 2024 and almost won first time out last year.
Among the challengers to Chromeplated Heart are newly turned three-year-old SOUPER DIVA, who won two stakes races last year for the 6 Deep Stable and trainer Steven Chircop.
Sunday’s feature is the WELCOME BACK HANDICAP, a starter event worth $60,000 at 5 1/2 furlongs. Nine-year-old ARTEMUS CITYLIMITS, who has earned over $717,000 in his career and won the Vice Regent Stakes last year, will be favoured based on his winter racing. Dwight Baron’s Artemus Citylimits is one of a number of horses trained by the now-retired Martin Drexler, Woodbine’s second-leading trainer of 2025. Those horses are being dispersed to other trainers including American Joe Sharp, who is listed as conditioner for Artemus Citylimits.
Photos by Michael Burns, Jr. (newly inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame)
Toronto ON, April 14, 2026. (Woodbine Racetrack Michael Burns Photo)
Thoroughbreds get an early morning bath after training at Woodbine in preparation for opening day of the 128-day Thoroughbred race meet at Woodbine, Saturday April 18, 2026, post time 1:00pm. (Woodbine/Michael Burns Photo)
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