On Saturday, March 14, John (Jack) H. Kenney, a longtime executive of Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly Ontario Jockey Club), builder and innovator in the sport of horse racing passed away peacefully at the age of 79 at St. Michael’s Hospital, in Toronto. “Jack leaves behind a tremendous legacy, having urged horse racing into the modern […]
Ami’s Flatter, currently a top prospect on the Kentucky Derby trail for trainer Josie Carroll, was today installed the early 5-2 favorite for the 156th edition of The Queen’s Plate. Last year, it was filly Lexie Lou who thrilled a packed Woodbine grandstand with a powerful stretch run to take the winner’s share of the […]
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) has announced Tapeta™ will be installed on Woodbine’s one-mile main track in time for the 2016 Thoroughbred racing season. The synthetic surface will replace Polytrack, which has been in place since August of 2006. Construction on the Tapeta™ (pronounced Ta-PETE-a) track will begin on December 1, 2015. The four December dates, […]
According to a report in the Toronto Star, the issue of expanding gaming operations at Woodbine Racetrack may be back up for debate, after a May 2013 decision to ban table games at the facility. Back in 2013, Toronto’s city councillors voted 20-24 against allowing table games at the Woodbine, during a meeting in which […]
Sunday morning was another beautiful, fairly warm and comfortable morning. The weather and the excitement of opening day not too far away brought out several owners to watch their pride and joys train. The track is in perfect shape for this time of year with the help of the weather this year as I can […]
Week nine of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded on Sunday with a win for Kent Farrington (USA) and Willow in the $85,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic competing at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. Alan Wade (IRL) finished the week with another strong track for the horses and […]
Roberta (Bert) Sheffield (CAN) had a terrific forward and fluid Gr. III Freestyle test, placing second aboard Double Agent (Darcy) with 72.417% in the final segment of the CPEDI3* at the CHI Al Shaqab in Doha, QAT. Sanne Voets of The Netherlands made it three-for-three victories, scoring 76.417% aboard Zoya Sollenburg, while Ann Cathrin Lübbe […]
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has been notified of a confirmed case of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), caused by equine herpes virus 1 (EHV-1), in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. See the notice below. The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) has determined that this case does not involve a racehorse. However, […]
One hundred and two stakes races, worth more than $20-million in purses, will highlight Woodbine’s 133-day Thoroughbred meet in 2015. The Woodbine stakes schedule, unveiled today by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), is highlighted by the 156th running of The Queen’s Plate. The 1 1/4-mile classic, which carries a $1 million purse, is set for […]
The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) and Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) will further enhance the ORC’s current Out of Competition Testing (OCT) program. WEG will apply for reimbursement of qualifying out-of-pocket testing and laboratory expenses through The Jockey Club’s Out of Competition Testing Grant Fund (“Grant Fund”). The Grant Fund has been established by The Jockey […]
Hastings Racecourse’s general manager, Darren MacDonald, reports that there are more than 350 horses now on the grounds. That is very good news because at this time last year it was only about 200 horses on the grounds. MacDonald also reported that a large stable from Portland Meadows had started to ship in and they […]
The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency released the following memo to the horse industry regarding their position on the substance cobalt. It states: Given the recent publicity surrounding cobalt, the purpose of this notice is to provide the racing industry with information with respect to the CPMA’s position on this substance. Cobalt is a naturally occurring, trace element […]
The Kentucky Senate passed SB74 today, a bill that would enable a lottery game based on the results of live horse racing, by a margin of 22 – 9 today in a morning session at the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. The bill creates a new designation called a shared lottery game that builds off […]
Last spring, a group of Standardbred breeders from Ontario launched a lawsuit against the province and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). The group, made of up breeders from nearly 40 Ontario farms, alleged that when then OLG announced the cancellation of the lucrative Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP) in March 2012, giving only […]
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is seeking public participation in the nomination of horses and people who have made a significant contribution to Canadian horse racing, for induction to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2015. Nominations for the following will be considered: • MALE HORSE: Stallions or geldings whose contribution […]
