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2021 Woodbine Stakes Schedule Released

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

“Last year was obviously a challenging year for the industry due to COVID-19,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “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, Apr. 17.”

The 2021 Thoroughbred stakes program will offer more than $16.5 million in purses across 87 stakes and feature a pair of $1 million events, including the Aug. 22 Queen's Plate, as well as the Sept. 18 GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile, a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” race. The GI Pattison Canadian International, cancelled in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, will be featured on the Woodbine Mile card along with the GII Canadian S. The GI Natalma S. and GI Summer S., both designated as Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” races, have each received a purse hike in 2021 to $400,000 from $250,000. 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.

The GI Highlander S., 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 undercard. The GI E.P. Taylor S. headlines the Oct. 17 card, serving 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.

Purses for all Grade III Stakes races at Woodbine Racetrack will receive a 20% increase to $150,000 this season. Also of note for 2021, Listed races have increased purses to $125,000, boosted from $100,000.

“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 Lawson. “The 2021 stakes schedule includes several significant purse increases, including the G I Natalma S. and GI Summer S., as well as all Grade III 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.”

For the complete stakes schedule, visit www.woodbine.com.

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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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Ontario Racing: Purse Funds From Cancelled Races Will Continue To Support Horsemen

Ontario Racing is pleased to notify industry participants that Thoroughbred horsepeople will have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) as a result of the suspension of live racing in the Toronto Region due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These funds were already committed to the industry through the Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing between Ontario Racing and OLG. To enable this access, Ontario Racing, OLG and the other parties to the Funding Agreement have entered into an amendment to the Funding Agreement, a copy of which will be posted on the Ontario Racing website.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Racing created a task force, as it did during the spring lockdown, to address the financial impacts to Thoroughbred horse racing in Ontario.

Eligibility Requirements

Due to the Toronto lockdown coming at the end of the Thoroughbred racing season in Ontario, Ontario Racing Management Inc. (ORM) will work closely with WEG and HBPA to obtain the list of active horses who either raced since Nov. 1 and/or were stabled at Woodbine Racetrack. The distribution of these funds will not require an application.

Subject to being deemed eligible based on the above criteria, racehorse owners will receive a one-time payment of $1,500 for each eligible Thoroughbred horse, which is estimated to cover half of the monthly costs associated with boarding, feed and training fees (veterinary, blacksmith, shipping, and other fees are not included in this estimate).

Ontario Racing will continue to pay the 1.5 percent of purses to the horseperson's associations so they can continue to offer benefits, benevolence activities and additional assistance to those in need.

In addition, Ontario Racing has arranged for increased flexibility when dealing with potential future lockdowns in the province by sharing the details of a streamlined support payment process with OLG.

Upon OLG's approval, Ontario Racing will be in a position to apply a consistent approach to reallocating undistributed purse funds in the event of a lockdown, similar to other support programs offered to the industry in the past year. This increased flexibility and consistent approach will allow Ontario Racing to provide industry support in a timely manner should other racetracks in Ontario be impacted by future pandemic control measures.

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Book Review: Eurico Rosa Da Silva–Riding for Freedom

To the outside world, Eurico Rosa Da Silva came off as a good-natured, level-headed jockey whose natural talent led him to the top of the standings at Woodbine Racetrack and to seven Sovereign Awards as Canada's champion rider. But underneath that veneer was a person whose anger and troubled past had consumed him, nearly leading him down a path to total destruction.

Da Silva rose from the poverty of a small town in Brazil to become the dominant rider in Canada before retiring in 2019. But that's not what his autobiography, “Riding For Freedom,” is about. Instead, it is an honest and thought-provoking look at one's demons, how and why a life can unravel and what it takes to put it back together again. A horse racing story this is not.

In time, Da Silva would come to understand just how toxic and damaging his relationship with his father had been. His father was so verbally abusive that Da Silva describes his actions as “emotional warfare.” He writes that his father tormented him, made fun of his size, challenged his sexuality and did whatever he could to diminish him.

His father was also a womanizer who, Da Silva writes, raped his babysitter when she was just 13.

Da Silva found his escape. As a young child he started off riding donkeys at an uncle's farm before he graduated to galloping quarter horses for a local trainer. His big break came when he was accepted to the Brazilian jockeys' academy. After graduating, he became the top apprentice in his native country.

But he could not find happiness.

“It consumed me, the negativity and its energies,” he writes of his anger. “I was miserable and I couldn't shake it.”

Da Silva convinced himself that he was worthless. “I never felt that I had anything to offer,” he writes.

Certain that he was not worthy of being loved, he didn't seek out a traditional relationship with a woman. Rather, he went for one tryst after another with prostitutes, something he continued to do well into his many years riding in Canada. To compound his problems, Da Silva developed an addiction to gambling.

Yet, he remained generous and kind. He befriended a child with cerebral palsy and learning difficulties who would often come to the track with his parents. So concerned about the welfare of the horses he rode, Da Silva, after learning that an owner wanted to have a horse put down, paid for its surgery and arranged for it to be retired at the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society.

Da Silva would leave Brazil to start riding in Macau, where he rode for four years. It was there that he met his first wife, Claudia. In 2004, he came to Woodbine.

Amid all his troubles, Da Silva never let up when it came to his burning desire to succeed. He had pursued the dream of becoming a champion rider since his childhood and nothing was going to stop him. Starting off as an unknown at Woodbine, he struggled his first few years there, but gradually worked his way into the top barns on the grounds and, in 2010, won his first Sovereign Award.

But nothing that Da Silva did on the track provided any relief for his inner turmoil. He won his first Queen's Plate in 2009 aboard Eye of the Leopard (A.P. Indy) but would find no solace in the accomplishment.

“I thought if I won the Queen's Plate I'd be OK,” he writes. But he said he then started hearing voices afterward, voices that said, “You've won the Queen's Plate. Now is the time to kill yourself.”

He had been working with a sports psychologist to try to deal with his problems, but found that it wasn't getting him anywhere. He moved on and found a new therapist, one who specialized in sex addiction. He also entered into a divorce with his first wife and entered into a relationship and eventually married an equine surgeon named Orlaith Cleary.

His release from his demons came all at once, when he realized he did not want to kill himself but wanted to kill the father that was within him. He was able to put aside painful memories of his childhood and replace them with pleasant ones, playing with toys and happy to be alive.

“I might have won the Queen's Plate twice and been the best jockey in the country for years, but that was nothing compared to winning my freedom,” he writes. “It was the greatest achievement of my life.”

After the 2019 racing season, another in which he led all jockeys at Woodbine with 182 wins, Da Silva retired. He was just 44 and still at the top of his game, but he wanted to step away to do something else with his life. He became a certified life coach and his clients include other professional athletes. He hopes to impart on them the wisdom he gained through his personal struggles. Which are, he says, a thing of the past.

He is, as he writes, a “free and happy man.”

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