For anyone considering buying a racehorse this fall, there is a compelling argument for starting in Ontario. The CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale gets underway at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion with 198 Canadian-bred yearlings catalogued and a notably diverse selection of pedigrees from leading Ontario and U.S. stallions.
This year’s buyers will be shopping against a very different financial backdrop. More than $10 million in additional funding has been directed to Ontario’s Thoroughbred industry in 2026 as part of the Ontario government’s new $35-million annual investment in horse racing for each of the next five years. Of the new Thoroughbred funding, $5 million has been added to the Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP), with millions more going toward restricted racing opportunities for Ontario-bred and Ontario-sired horses.
The result is more money to race for, more ways for an Ontario-bred to earn it and a considerably stronger potential return on the initial investment that that has breeders optimistic.
Bernard McCormack of Cara Bloodstock, who will consign 28 yearlings to the sale, points to both the enhanced racing program and the relatively small group of horses eligible for some of its richest opportunities.
“It’s very obvious there are huge amounts of money for these graduates,” McCormack said. “There are only going to be about 190 go through the ring and those horses are going to run for a million dollars, whether it’s as a two-year-old or as three- and four-year-olds… At the end of the day, that’s a huge incentive.”
A Million Dollars Just for Sales Graduates
Simply passing through the ring at the CTHS Ontario sale can open the door to significant additional racing opportunities.
The 2026 Sales Stakes program offers $1 million in purses, with the $300,000 Muskoka Stakes and $300,000 Simcoe Stakes for two-year-olds and the $200,000 Algoma Stakes and $200,000 Elgin Stakes for three- and four-year-olds.
There is also another $344,000 in Sales Graduate Maiden Allowance races, consisting of four $86,000 races for eligible graduates.
For breeders, there is an additional incentive to put their better Ontario-breds through the sale. An eligible Ontario-bred CTHS sale graduate that wins at the maiden special weight level or higher can generate a one-time $10,000 Sales Graduate Maiden Bonus for its breeder.
Glenn Sikura of Hill ‘N’ Dale Canada believes those opportunities should encourage both buyers and breeders to take another look at the Ontario marketplace.
He noted that Hill ‘N’ Dale had 12 graduates competing in stakes on Sales Stakes weekend alone, with those horses racing for close to $1 million combined.
“There are people that buy continuously and successfully at the sale that could almost guarantee themselves, at some point in time, either a winner or placing in those races,” Sikura said.
Ontario-Bred Means More Than Restricted Racing
The attraction does not end with races restricted to Ontario-breds. Eligible registered Ontario-breds competing in open races at Woodbine can earn an owner bonus worth an additional 20 per cent of the purse earned, while eligible Ontario-sired horses receive bonuses ranging from 22 to 33 per cent in open races at Woodbine. Fort Erie also offers 20 per cent bonuses under its program rules.
That means buying an Ontario-bred does not limit an owner to restricted company. A good horse can compete in open races while retaining access to valuable Ontario-specific incentives.
If that horse is also Ontario-sired, the advantages can become even greater. Ontario’s 2026 restricted racing program includes approximately $3.9 million in Ontario-bred and Ontario-sired stakes opportunities, while Canadian-breds can also pursue some of the most historic and valuable races in Canadian racing, including the $1-million King’s Plate, the $750,000 Woodbine Oaks and the remaining legs of the Canadian Triple Crown and Triple Tiara.
McCormack believes the combination is significant.
“The racing opportunities have increased. The sales stakes, and the number of racing opportunities for sales graduates has increased. The maiden races and the Ontario Sired racing program has increased and has more money in it, which is what we needed,” he said.
A New Door Opens in New York
Ontario and Canadian-bred horses now have another potentially important advantage.
The new Empire Trillium Series, developed jointly by Woodbine Entertainment and the New York Racing Association, is a 14-race series for horses foaled in Canada or New York carrying a total of $3.2 million in purses.
Eight races will be held during Belmont Park’s new winter meet, with six additional races at Woodbine, providing eligible Canadian horses with racing opportunities on both sides of the border. More than 700 two-year-olds were nominated to the inaugural series, including 156 Canadian-foaled horses.
It is an important addition for buyers who may want the flexibility to campaign in both Canada and the United States.
Better Horses, Better Programs, and Better ROI
There is another encouraging development heading into this year’s sale: Ontario breeders appear increasingly willing to keep quality yearlings at home.
McCormack said the catalogue is stronger than it has been in recent years.
“The pedigrees of the horses that are in the sale are a lot better than they have been the last few years,” he said, attributing that improvement to renewed investment by breeders and renewed interest in the Ontario sale. “There’s been a real effort to get the breeders to come back. I mean, a lot of breeders were sending all their better horses to Kentucky to sell, and I think a lot of them are being kept here now.”
The catalogue reflects that diversity.
Renewed breeder confidence is as a result of the strong investments in programs that will strengthen the industry.
Ontario’s TIP budget has risen 28 per cent to approximately $19.4 million, Ontario Breeders Awards have increased to $5.9 million, stallion awards to $500,000 and the Ontario Sired Reward of Excellence program to $200,000.
Programs are also helping Ontario breeders improve the quality of the broodmare population.
Funding for the Mare Purchase Program has increased 87.5 per cent to $750,000. Eligible Ontario residents purchasing an in-foal mare at a recognized public auction outside Ontario can receive 50 per cent of the purchase price, to a maximum of $25,000 Canadian per mare, subject to program requirements. An additional $2,500 is available when an eligible mare is subsequently bred back to a registered Ontario sire.
For buyers, all of those incentives ultimately come back to one thing: a stronger potential return on investment.
The Canadian Premier Sale has long offered affordable access to well-bred horses, but the economics have become even more attractive. Buyers are now shopping for horses that can compete for $1 million in Sales Stakes, additional sales-graduate races, Ontario-bred and Ontario-sired bonuses, millions of dollars in restricted stakes and, for eligible horses, the new Empire Trillium Series. At the same time, breeders have been given greater incentives to invest in better mares and keep more of their quality yearlings in Ontario.
Prime examples include Paramount Prince and Katie’s Grace. Paramount Prince, purchased for $21,000 at the 2021 Ontario sale, has surpassed US$1 million in earnings and won this year’s Grade 3 Seagram Cup. Katie’s Grace, a $10,500 purchase in 2024, won the $350,000 Bison City Stakes this summer.
“If you buy a horse in the Toronto sale, the average price last year was $27,000, and I believe the New York bred Fasig Tipton sale averaged $130,000,” said Sikura noting that New York had 1,363 foals in 2024 while Ontario had 570. “So, you know, do the math. Which would you rather buy? Would you rather spend $130,000 US or $27,000 Canadian?”
And McCormack points to the relatively small number of horses competing for substantial rewards. With approximately 190 yearlings going through the ring and $1 million alone available to sales graduates, he calls it “a huge incentive.”
The result is a marketplace where buyers can potentially spend less to get in, have more opportunities to earn once they are in, and still have the upside of owning a horse capable of competing in open company. For anyone looking to put a yearling budget to work this fall, that makes the Canadian Premier Sale an increasingly compelling place to start.
The Latest
