Toronto, ON – Woodbine Entertainment Group has always believed that safety of horse and rider is paramount in the sport of Thoroughbred racing. In 2007, the company installed Polytrack, a partially synthetic, all-weather surface at Woodbine. It was an important step in saluting that mandate. The track’s starting gate is also well-regarded by horsepeople across the […]
Horse Racing News
Toronto, ON – The entry box for the first program of the 2009 Thoroughbred season will close today and Woodbine racing secretary Steve Lym is excited to see the curtain rise on the new year. If the strength of this past weekend’s workout tabs is any indication, racing fans will have plenty from which to choose on […]
The Executive Director of the Ontario Racing Commission has issued the 2009 Licence to Operate a Racetrack to Nordic Gaming Corporation for Fort Erie Race Track. The issuance of the licence includes approval of a 78 race date schedule to begin May 2nd and running through to October 27th. From January to March this year, […]
Lexington, KY – The Breeders’ Cup announced today that the distance of the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon has been lengthened from 1 ½ miles to 1 ¾ miles for this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Nov. 6-7, during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park. The Breeders’ Cup Marathon will be the longest major stakes race […]
Toronto, On – Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Square Eddie was today installed as the early favourite for the 150th edition of the Queen’s Plate. Last year, Not Bourbon staved off a determined deep-stretch bid from Woodbine Oaks winner Ginger Brew to win the $600,000 winner’s share of the Plate purse. The son of Not Impossible was […]
Guelph, ON – The Ontario Equine Centre (OEC), a not-for-profit public private partnership, is moving ahead with its plan to develop a world-class equine facility and research incubator, which will serve all equine breeds and disciplines. Having consulted widely with the various levels of government and all sectors of the equine industry and with a sustainable […]
Assiniboia Downs blew out the final candle on its 50th anniversary with the crowning of Horse of the Year and Manitoba-bred Horse of the Year in the annual Horse of the Year Banquet held Saturday evening. Monsoon Rain, owned by Larry Carter and trained by Marty Drexler, washed away his completion for Horse of […]
Toronto, On – Woodbine’s main track opened for training on Thursday morning, a key sign that the start of the 2009 thoroughbred season is just around the corner. The 167-day meet opens in less than a month, on Saturday, April 4. Since the backstretch opened in early February, training has taken place on the quarter-mile […]
The battle for Assiniboia Downs Horse of the Year, presented by the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA), will come down to two of the best horses ever to set foot on the local track. Sounds of cash registers could be heard when both Miss Missile and Monsoon Rain set their hooves on the track. […]
From the moment he embarked on his career as a jockey, Chad Beckon set his sights on making it a success story. Some six years later, the 28-year-old could be on track for his most memorable season. Things haven’t always come easy for Beckon, son of the late Toronto-based jockey Dan Beckon. Yet regardless of […]
Calling it “spring” training may be a little too optimistic as Assiniboia Downs opened its training track to horses for the first time Tuesday, March 3 at 7 a.m. Opening was originally scheduled for Sunday but was postponed because of record cold temperatures late last week. “We cannot get the track surface to a […]
Toronto, ON – Investigators attached to the Equine Medication Control and Drug Task Force have received information about individuals offering for sale and/or using so-called ‘powdered EPO’. It also has been referred to as a powdered blood builder. Acquisition, possession or use of EPO in any form is illegal and contrary to the Rules of […]
Champion racehorse Seabiscuit, whose key championship and retirement years were spent at Ridgewood Ranch in Willits, CA, will be featured on a Seabiscuit Stamped Envelope (44 cents) in 2009 commemorating his outstanding win against Triple Crown Winner War Admiral. The special stamped envelope is scheduled for release on May 11. As 1938 horse of the […]
Toronto, ON – The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) has signed an agreement with the State of Illinois Racing Board (IRB), formalizing the two organizations’ commitment to share intelligence and investigative findings which will protect the integrity of racing in both jurisdictions. The terms of this Memorandum of Understanding outline how the ORC and the IRB […]
Las Vegas here they come! Six people won their way to Las Vegas to represent Assiniboia Downs in the $1,000,000 Horseplayer World Series. Representing all walks of life, Carol Barkwell, Grant Buckoski, Stewart Hayek, Blair Miller, Wayne Misko, and Esther Schmeider, will be among more than 200 other contestants at the Orleans casino in […]
