Month: March 2023

Woodbine Set To Open April 22, Ongoing Race Date Negotiations With Ontario HBPA Not Expected To Impact Season

With a stacked stakes schedule that offers more than $17 million in purses and highlighted by the first running of the King's Plate in 70 years, Woodbine Racetrack is set to open its 2023 Thoroughbred meet April 22.

“The long and storied history of Woodbine includes many incredible seasons of racing, and this year is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever,” said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. “With compelling and competitive racing on the track, and transformative initiatives off the track that will bring racing to more people than ever before, I can't wait for the starting gates to open on April 22.”

The Woodbine stakes program also features 39 graded stakes, the return of the Grade 1 Canadian International run at a new distance of 1 1/4 miles, and three Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' races highlighted by the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Other highlights include the Breeders' Stakes, which is the last leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes, and the new Pink Lloyd Stakes, just to name a few.

For the 2023 meet, $62 million in purses will be offered, remaining at the same level as last season. For the first condition book, click here.

One of the most exciting racing seasons at Woodbine will be contested against the backdrop of the $1-billion Great Canadian Entertainment Resort Casino Toronto opening this summer on the Woodbine property. ​

The resort, which is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment, will feature a modern Vegas-style casino, integrated 400-room hotel, 5,000-seat live entertainment venue, and multiple on-site dining options. The new casino resort is expected to attract 12 million visitors, annually, to the property in Rexdale, bringing live horse racing to a new audience.

To support the growth on the property, Woodbine is actively recruiting for hundreds of new jobs. Job seekers are encouraged to visit the career section on Woodbine.com.

Woodbine Entertainment is also continuing its work on the Woodbine Community Plan – the redevelopment of the entire 684-acre property that Woodbine Racetrack is situated on. Plans are to build a large-scale urban community, connected to Toronto and the GTA through a new GO Station, that will provide Toronto with much-needed new and affordable housing, employment space and thousands of new jobs.

On the sports betting front, Woodbine Entertainment is continuing its work with regulators on the integration of pari-mutuel wagering into licensed online sports books. Once integrated–which is expected to happen this season–horse racing will be available to the millions of sports bettors in Ontario, reaching an unprecedented number of potential new customers which will benefit the entire industry and the 25,000 jobs it supports across the province.

Woodbine is also exploring a new racing schedule with a goal of maximizing wagering by running more races in the fall and on its two marquee weekends – The King's Plate and Ricoh Woodbine Mile.

“As conveyed to our horse people over the past several months, we strongly believe we can optimize our racing calendar,” said Michael Copeland, President, Commercial for Woodbine Entertainment. “Reducing a handful of race dates at the start of the season and running many of those races in the fall, when our horse supply is stronger, will drive increased wagering which will benefit the entire industry.”

While the number of race dates is the main issue in negotiations with the Ontario Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association for a new agreement, Woodbine Entertainment does not expect the situation to have any impact on the 2023 racing season.

“While it is unfortunate that we haven't been able to reach a new agreement with the HBPA, we will continue to work with our regulators and our horse racing community to ensure an exciting season of racing at Woodbine,” added Copeland.

Operating without share capital, Woodbine Entertainment's sole mandate is to sustain and grow a vibrant horse racing industry in Ontario that supports a way of life for thousands of families throughout the province. ​

“This is an exciting time for Woodbine and the Ontario horse racing industry,” said Lawson. “We have all just come through a very difficult few years, but we have a dedicated and resilient racing community that continues to deliver a world-class product, and through our transformational investments and collective commitment we are now within reach of our ultimate goal of having a strong and sustainable foundation for racing in Ontario for generations to come.”

The post Woodbine Set To Open April 22, Ongoing Race Date Negotiations With Ontario HBPA Not Expected To Impact Season appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Protagonist Lands With A Bang For Haggas Down Under

by TDN AusNZ

Protagonist (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) continued the success story of British trainer William Haggas in Australia when he captured the G3 Sky High S. (2000 metres) at Rosehill (video), beating fellow French-bred 6-year-old gelding Zeyrek (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) when holding on in a photo finish. It won't be a huge surprise to the team at home, as you may remember Haggas serving a warning on Protagonist late last month when he told TDN AusNZ readers, “You shouldn't underestimate him, he's quite a smart horse.”

Still, that was before the horse had touched down on Australian soil and there have been plenty of hurdles to jump since then, and the local preparation has been ably handled by assistant trainer Issy Paul, her second stint in charge of the raiding team having accompanied Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) two years ago.

“To come off a flight and after two weeks of quarantine–we've only come out of quarantine today–he's awesome,” Paul said.

“We weren't sure whether the ground was going to suit him, particularly when they upgraded the track, but what a star.”

Whilst Paul declined to commit to a future target for the horse, James McDonald pointed to improvement still to come.

“He's a nice, solid galloper who handles himself beautifully,” McDonald said. “I think he'll improve a bit off that as well–he hit the front a fair way from home and just star-gazed a bit, just had a good look around. When they got to him he found again, so that was impressive.”

Protagonist was initially purchased as a yearling by Mark McStay/Avenue Bloodstock for €125,000 at Arqana August in 2018.

The post Protagonist Lands With A Bang For Haggas Down Under appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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