Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Woodbine’s 2006 Meeting Opens on April 1
Posted on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
By GREG MELIKOV, HW Contributing Writer
Woodbine, the only North American track that can stage standardbred and thoroughbred racing on the same day, launches its 2006 thoroughbred meeting on April 1. That’s two week earlier than last year.
The multifaceted Canadian facility, which also has a seven-furlong harness racing surface, boasts a spectacular 1 ½-mile turf course that encircle two tracks, including the mile dirt oval.
The highlight of the 167-day season, which runs through Dec. 3, is the $1 million Queen’s Plate Stakes, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Run at 1 ¼ miles, North America’s oldest continuously staged stakes race that debuted in 1860 is scheduled on June 26.
The $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes, third leg of the Triple Crown at 1 ½ miles on the E. P. Taylor grass course, is scheduled for Aug. 7. The middle leg, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes at 1 3/16 miles on the main track, will be run on July 16 at Fort Erie.
Since 1959, there have been seven Canadian Triple Crown winners. The last 3-year-old to perform the feat was Wando in ‘03.
Woodbine will offer more than $57 million in purses. An array of stakes includes several other million dollar races: The $1 million Atto Mile on the turf on Sept. 18 and the $1 million E. P. Taylor Stakes at a mile of the turf and the $2 million Pattison Canadian International at 1 ½ miles on the grass, both on Oct. 23.
The parade of Eclipse Award winners in the Grade 1 Canadian International began in ‘73 when Secretariat clinched the grass championship in his farewell to racing.
For the last several years, parking and admission to Woodbine have been free. And 1,700 slot machines were installed in ‘00 on a special floor.
Woodbine is a historic track, opening in 1874 on what was then the far eastern outskirts of Toronto, now virtually downtown. The name of the original track was changed to Old Woodbine in 1956 and in the spring of ‘63 became Greenwood.
However, live racing at Greenwood ended in ‘93 and a state-of-the-art teletheater was constructed on the site. The present Woodbine, which has undergone several multi-million-dollar expansions and upgrades, opened on June 12, 1956. It is located on 640 acres in the northwestern outskirts of Toronto.
Woodbine officials are hoping for a meeting as good as ‘05 when total wagering increased 7.7 percent to $364,436,580 (Canadian). The daily average handle rose 9.7 percent to $2,222,174.
The 167-day meeting ran several days longer when Woodbine was compensated for losing three full cards and another 22 races on five cards because of bad weather or track conditions.
"Woodbine’s 2006 Meeting Opens on April 1" was posted on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 at 9:20 am and is filed under Canada Horse Racing, Race Tracks News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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