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Golden Gate: El Camino Real Derby, San Francisco Mile Highlight Winter/Spring Stakes Schedule

Twelve races comprise the 2021 Winter/Spring meet stakes schedule at Golden Gate Fields as released from the racing office by Director of Racing/Racing Secretary, Patrick Mackey.

The 40th running of the 9-furlong El Camino Real Derby is the first race on the list. Scheduled to run on Saturday, Feb. 13, the El Camino Real Derby offers a $100,000 purse and gives the winner 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. For the third straight year, the victor of the El Camino Real Derby will also be granted a free berth into the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Racecourse in Mid-May.

The second annual Gold Rush Weekend features the highest quality racing in Northern California. The two-day event is set to take place on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25, and is a precursor to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs just one week later.

Six stakes are stretched across the April 24 program, including the feature race of the Winter/Spring meet: the $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at one mile on turf.

The $100,000 California Derby for 3-year-olds is also a well-respected race, along with the $75,000 California Oaks for 3-year-old fillies and the $75,000 Lost In The Fog Stakes for the fastest sprinters on the grounds. The Camilla Urso, a five-furlong turf dash for fillies and mares, and the Golden Poppy for female turf routers completes the half-dozen stakes in what is expected to be an epic afternoon of racing.

On April 25, Sunday festivities recognize those who support the California breeding industry. Both co-featured races are a part of the “Gold Rush Series,” a sequence of stakes races throughout the year for horses that were bred or sired in California.

The Silky Sullivan Stakes, a $75,000 one-mile turf race, is named after the “last to first” fan-favorite in the late 1950s. The Campanile Stakes, also a one-mile grass affair with a $75,000 purse, is restricted to fillies.

Three-year-olds who run well against stakes company in April are likely to eye the $75,000 Alcatraz Stakes on May 23 as their next possible target.

Sophomores are also eligible to compete against older horses in the prestigious $100,000 All American Stakes on Memorial Day Monday, May 31, while the traditional closing weekend Albany Stakes for turf sprinters will be run on Saturday, June 12.

2021 GOLDEN GATE FIELDS WINTER/SPRING MEET STAKES SCHEDULE*

Saturday, Feb. 13: $100,000 El Camino Real Derby (for 3 YO's at one mile and an eighth on Tapeta)

Saturday, April 24: $250,000 Grade 3 San Francisco Mile (for 3 YO's and up at one mile on turf)

Saturday, April 24: $100,000 California Derby (for 3 YO's at one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta)

Saturday, April 24: $75,000 California Oaks (for 3 YO fillies at one mile and a sixteenth on Tapeta)

Saturday, April 24: $75,000 Lost In The Fog (3 YO's and up at six furlongs on Tapeta)

Saturday, April 24: $75,000 Camilla Urso (Fillies and Mares 3 YO's and up at five furlongs on turf)

Saturday, April 24: $75,000 Golden Poppy (Fillies and mares 3 YO's and up at one mile and a sixteenth on turf)

Sunday, April 25: $75,000 Silky Sullivan (California-bred 3 YO's at one mile on turf)

Sunday, April 25: $75,000 Campanile (California-bred 3 YO fillies at one mile on turf)

Sunday, May 23: $75,000 Alcatraz (3 YO's at one mile on turf)

Monday, May 31: $100,000 All American (3 YO'S and up at one mile on Tapeta)

Saturday, June 12: $50,000 Albany Stakes (3 YO's and up at five furlongs on turf)

*information is subject to change

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Keeneland’s Spring Meet To Include 18 Stakes Races Worth $4.1 Million

Keeneland will present 18 stakes, featuring the 97th running of the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and the 84th running of the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), worth a total of $4.1 million during its 2021 Spring Meet from April 2-23. The Toyota Blue Grass and the Central Bank Ashland are two nationally prominent classic preps.

Post time for the first race during the 15-day season will be 1:05 p.m. ET. Keeneland will be closed Easter Sunday, April 4.

“Keeneland is excited to welcome racing back to the Bluegrass in April,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “With the cancellation of last year's Spring Meet because of the pandemic, it is critical to the Thoroughbred industry that we are able to offer our full slate of April stakes on their traditional dates. These races are key fixtures on the international racing calendar.

“For this year's Spring Meet,” Arvin added, “Keeneland is working on plans for ticketing options under our COVID-19 safety protocols and we plan to make an announcement in the next few weeks.”

Keeneland will conduct a total of 10 stakes on grass and eight stakes on dirt while offering multiple stakes on four days during the Spring Meet.

Opening day, Friday, April 2, features three stakes: $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds; $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select, at 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on dirt for 3-year-old fillies; and $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint, for 3-year-olds going 5½ furlongs on the grass. The Beaumont is worth 17 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, with the winner collecting 10 points.

The Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland will be contested the following day, Saturday, April 3, as part of a blockbuster card of six stakes. The Toyota Blue Grass, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, and the Central Bank Ashland, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, both are worth 180 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks, respectively. The winners of each stakes will earn 100 qualifying points to the respective races.

The early nomination deadline for the Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland is Feb. 13. Late nominations are due March 17.

Joining the Toyota Blue Grass and Central Bank Ashland on April 3 are the $300,000 Madison (G1), for older fillies and mares at 7 furlongs; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at 1 mile on the grass; $200,000 Shakertown (G2), for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3), for older horses at 7 furlongs.

For the remainder of the Spring Meet, racing will be held Wednesday through Sunday.

Stakes action resumes Friday, April 9, with the $300,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1), for 4-year-olds and up at 1 mile on turf, and the $100,000 TVG Limestone Turf Sprint for 3-year-old fillies going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

Saturday, April 10, will present four stakes on a day highlighting the $300,000 Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares and the $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3), for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. One of the final preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Stonestreet Lexington awards 34 Derby qualifying points. The winner will earn 20 points.

The day's other stakes are the $150,000 Ben Ali (G3), for older horses racing 1 1/8 miles, and the $100,000 Giant's Causeway (L) a 5½-furlong turf race for fillies and mares.

Older horses will be showcased in three graded stakes during the final days of the season. The $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles is set for Friday, April 16. The $200,000 Elkhorn (G2), for older males at 1½ miles on the turf, is the following day.

The April 23 closing-day feature is the $150,000 Bewitch (G3), for fillies and mares racing 1½ miles on the turf.

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Woodbine Bringing Back Canadian International In 2021, Boosts All Grade 3 Purses 20 Percent

Woodbine Entertainment unveiled its stakes schedule today for the 2021 Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, set to open April 17 (subject to the latest Ontario Government COVID-19 protocols).

The lucrative 2021 Thoroughbred stakes program will offer more than $16.5 million in purses across 87 stakes and feature a pair of $1 million classics, including the iconic Queen's Plate (Sunday, August 22), as well as the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Saturday, September 18), a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” race. The G1 $600,000 Pattison Canadian International returns after a year hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and will be featured on the Woodbine Mile card along with the G2 $250,000 Canadian Stakes. The G1 Natalma and G1 Summer, both designated as Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” races, have each received notable purse increases to $400,000 from $250,000. The G1 Highlander Stakes, with an increased purse of $350,000 (up from $300,000), also returns after a year hiatus due to the pandemic and will be featured on The Queen's Plate card on Aug. 22. Purses for all Grade 3 Stakes races at Woodbine Racetrack are also receiving a 20 percent increase to $150,000.

“We are excited to bring back the Pattison Canadian International as part of our world-class stakes schedule for the 2021 Thoroughbred meet at Woodbine Racetrack,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “The 2021 stakes schedule includes several significant purse increases, including the Grade 1 Natalma and Grade 1 Summer, as well as all Grade 3 stakes. These increases, along with a strong complement of stakes races for all ages, and robust Ontario Bred stakes offerings, will deliver exciting racing, competitive fields, and an abundance of wagering options available on Woodbine's outstanding live racing product.”

The Toronto racetrack will host the first and third legs of the Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, starting with the 162nd running of the historic Queen's Plate and concluding with the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes on Sunday, Oct. 3. The second leg, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, will be run at Fort Erie Race Track on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

On Sept. 19, a pair of juvenile Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” races take the spotlight, the G1 Natalma for 2-year-old fillies and G1 Summer for 2-year-olds. The Woodbine Cares and Ontario Racing Stakes, juvenile Inner Turf stakes introduced in 2019, will be contested on the same Sunday with purses of $125,000 each.

On Sunday, Oct. 17, the $600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1) headlines the day and serves as the final leg of Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series, which offers $75,000 in bonuses to the top performers based on points accumulated in the designated graded turf routes for fillies and mares. The series also includes $175,000 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2) and $250,000 Canadian Stakes (G2). The winner of the Ladies of the Lawn Series in 2020 was Elizabeth Way.

The $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser, first leg of the prestigious Canadian Triple Tiara, headlines another major race card on Sunday, July 25, which includes the $150,000 Plate Trial, a key prep on the road to The Queen's Plate.

A strong Ontario Bred stakes offering includes the reinstatement of the Sir Barton Stakes, Shady Well Stakes, and Clarendon, each carrying a $150,000 purse.

“Our Ontario Bred and Ontario Sired stakes calendar and strong overnight opportunities remain an integral part of our racing program at Woodbine,” Lawson said. “We have very attractive opportunities for Ontario horses to stay and race at home and are excited about the return of the stakes races we were not able to run last year.”

The other classics for horses foaled in Canada are the Bison City (Sunday, Aug. 15), Wonder Where (Saturday, Oct. 2), Cup & Saucer (Sunday, Oct. 10), Princess Elizabeth (Saturday, Oct. 23) and Coronation Futurity (Saturday, Oct. 30). Each race carries a purse of $250,000.

Woodbine will celebrate Canada Day with a special Thursday afternoon program on July 1 highlighted by the G3 Dominion Day.

This year's Yearling Sales Stakes day, slated for Sunday, Aug. 29, will feature four stakes, including a pair of 2-year-old events (Simcoe and Muskoka) and a pair of 3-year-old events (Elgin and Algoma).

Also of note for 2021, Listed races have increased purses to $125,000, boosted from $100,000.

“Last year was obviously a challenging year for the industry due to COVID-19,” remarked Lawson. “While Woodbine Entertainment and the horse racing industry continue to be impacted, we are hopeful that the pandemic in Ontario improves in the coming months, allowing businesses and industries to safely re-open, including our ability to start our 2021 meet as planned on Saturday, April 17.”

Woodbine's 2021 stakes schedule is subject to approval by the Graded Stakes Committee.

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Charles Town Classic, Oaks Will Again Be Held On Same Program In 2021

Following up on its successful August card which saw the Charles Town Classic (G2) and Charles Town Oaks (G3) run on the same day for the first time, Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races will once again showcase its two graded stakes on the same program in 2021, following approval by the West Virginia Racing Commission at its Tuesday morning meeting.

The $800,000 Charles Town Classic and $400,000 Charles Town Oaks will headline the action on an Aug. 27 card that will include 9 stakes races totaling $1,850,000 in purse money. The Friday night card on Aug. 27 will get underway at a special first post of 5:00 P.M. EST.

Run for $600,000 in 2020, the Classic received a purse bump of $200,000 for 2021 while the Oaks received the same increase up to the $400,000 level for next year. The three unrestricted stakes on the Classic night undercard – the Russell Road, Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon and Robert Hilton Memorial – also received $50,000 hikes to $150,000. Four West Virginia-bred stakes, each worth $50,000, round out the stakes lineup.

The four West Virginia bred stakes on Aug. 27 will be just four of 16 state bred stakes worth $50,000 each at Charles Town in 2021 with the first coming on April 17 when older fillies and mares take the track for the Original Gold Stakes run over Charles Town's two-turn seven furlong distance.

The signature event for West Virginia-breds will take place on Oct. 9 as the West Virginia Breeders' Classics take center stage for its 35th renewal. The purses for the races comprising West Virginia Breeders' Classics XXXV will be announced at a later date.

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