Woodbine Racetrack & Woodbine Mohawk Profil

The date is June 12^th, 1956--the day many fans interested in racing history would acknowledge to be the date on which Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was founded. While that may be accurate of latter-day Woodbine, this statement is not completely accurate.

While its location within the province has changed several times, Woodbine Race Course actually was conceived in the 19^th Century, 1874 to be precise. The following year, the Woodbine Riding and Driving Club opened a four-day race meet featuring trotting, thoroughbred, and hurdle racing.

The present ownership, the Woodbine Entertainment Group, ultimately owes its status to the legendary figures of century’s past, courtesy of contributions made by Queen Mother Victoria of England and Canadian business titan Edward Plunket (E.P.)Taylor.

The Royals love their racing and when the Toronto Turf Club sent a petition to Queen Victoria soliciting prize money for a racing event, she responded with a purse of 50 guineas, and thus gave birth to the Queen’s Plate, Canada’s most celebrated race.

But the fable of Woodbine’s ultimate success is the story of Taylor, who was introduced to racing at the harness track, Blue Bonnets Raceway, while in college. After becoming an industry titan, Taylor devoted all his efforts to Thoroughbred racing.

"Our sport wasn't keeping up with the progress made in other areas," he said at the time. "We had too many tracks... our patronage was falling, we had low purses and many bad horses…” Competition between Thoroughbred tracks was very keen at that time.

Taylor, whose Windfields Farm homebred Northern Dancer later became one of the 20^th Century’s foundation sires, had both the vision and means to create a “super-track” in Toronto. Slowly he acquired 14 competing tracks, consolidated them, and his dream became reality.

The result was the construction of Woodbine Racetrack in 1956, which has grown and expanded since, figuratively, and literally. The Woodbine Turf Course is 1-1/2 miles in circumference, matched in width only by Belmont Park’s dirt track.

Inside the E.P. Taylor turf course is a one-mile synthetic oval, a Tapeta surface, and inside that was a seven-furlong dirt course made of crushed limestone which served as a trotting track. But it was reconverted back to a newer inner turf course. Harness racing shifted to present-day Woodbine Mohawk Park.

In 1973, Taylor convinced Penny Chenery to have Secretariat make his final career start at Woodbine, forever cementing the track’s reputation as one of North America’s major racing venues. Woodbine also houses a full-service casino and the Canada’s Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park offer many of the continent’s major racing events for both sports of either sex.

In addition to the world famous Queen’s Plate, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, Woodbine features the Breeders’ Stakes, the Canadian Triple’s third jewel, the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf, G1 Canadian International, highly prestigious G1 Woodbine Turf Mile and the G1 E.P. Taylor for fillies and mares.

Woodbine’s leading riders of 2020 have been dominant north of the border for years: Justin Stein, Rafael Manuel Hernandez, Kazushi Kimura, Luis Contreras, Patrick Husbands and Emma-Jayne Wilson have stood out, especially after the retirement of Eurico da Silva.

Among its horsemen, if there were a permanent trophy, it would be bolted onto Hall of Fame Mark Casse’s mantel place as Woodbine’s perennial leader. Kevin Attard, Josie Carroll, Robert Tiller, Michael De Paulo, and Roger Attfield are among notables that have distinguished themselves on both sides of the border.

Woodbine Mohawk Park offers outstanding harness fare with the Pepsi North America Cup, the Canadian Pacing Derby, Maple Leaf Trot, the American Trotting Championship, and a celebration of home-style Standardbreds in the Ontario Sires Super Finals.

Most recently, the same drivers have dominated the action over the seven-eighths mile oval: Sylvain Filion, Bob McClure, Doug McNair, Trevor Henry, and Jody Jamieson have earned their devoted followings among Ontario harness fans.

Brad Grant has been the dominant owner and in 2020 won his fifth consecutive Woodbine title. Also prominent on the Grand Circuit, Grant has been celebrated every year since Woodbine revived the ceremonial honor in 2016.  

The 2020 season ended with Richard Moreau wining his fifth consecutive Woodbine training title and ninth overall. After winning his first in 2010, he’s won it every year since, 2011 and 2014 notwithstanding. Carmen Auciello made him earn it last year, training 120 winners for the season, 36 fewer than Moreau.