Woodbine Racetrack in the northwestern suburb of Rexdale in Toronto, Ontario is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day. It is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Rexdale is a community in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed in 18th century England when English mares were bred with imported Arabian stallions to create a distance racer. ... Standardbred harness racing horses are so called because in the early years of the Trotting Registry, the standardbred stud book established in the United States in 1879 by the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, only horses who could race a mile in a standard time or better, or whose... Horse-racing is an equestrian sporting activity which has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot races of Roman times were an early example, as was the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology. ... Woodbine Entertainment Group is responsible for operations of the casino and race track at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto. ... Woodbine Entertainment Group is responsible for operations of the casino and race track at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto. ...

The track was opened in 1956. It has been extensively remodelled since 1993, and in 2004 has three racecourses:

History

The current Woodbine carries the name originally used by a racetrack which operated in east Toronto, at Queen Street East and Kingston Road, from 1874 through 1993. (While the old racetrack was at the south end of Woodbine Avenue, the current Woodbine is nowhere near it.) On June 12, 1956 the name was transferred to the new racetrack; the old track was converted to a combined thoroughbred and standardbred track known thereafter as Old Woodbine or, for most of the rest of its history, as Greenwood Raceway (during standardbred meets) and Greenwood Race Track (during thoroughbred meets). The two thoroughbred and two standardbred meets conducted there were transferred to the new Woodbine in 1994; it had been exclusively devoted to thoroughbred racing before then. York Regional Road 8 or Woodbine Avenue is a north-south route originating in Toronto, Canada, and serves as a major arterial route in York Region, Ontario. ... is the 163rd day of the year (164th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Greenwood Raceway was a harness racing track in Toronto. ... Greenwood Racetrack was a thoroughbred horseracing track in Toronto, Canada. ...

The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championship was held at Woodbine in 1996. The Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships is an annual series of thoroughbred horse races sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Woodbine facility is also home to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1978 located at the Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario to honor those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. ...

Physical Attributes

The outermost, the E. P. Taylor turf course for thoroughbreds, is one and a half miles (2414 m) long with a chute allowing races of a mile and an eighth (1811 m) to be run around one turn. It is irregularly shaped, the clubhouse turn departing from the traditional North American oval, and the backstretch is from 2 ft 6 in to 3 ft (80 cm to 90 cm) higher than the homestretch. The Taylor turf course and the main dirt course at Belmont Park on New York's Long Island are the only mile-and-a-half layouts in North American thoroughbred racing. Edward Plunket Taylor, (January 29, 1901 - May 14, 1989) was a Canadian business tycoon and famous breeder of thoroughbred race horses. ... Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in the hamlet of Elmont, New York in Nassau County on Long Island (just outside of New York City). ...

Inside the Taylor course is the main Polytrack course for thoroughbreds, a left-handed one-mile oval with chutes facilitating races at seven furlongs (1408 m) and at a mile and a quarter (2011 m). The Polytrack all-weather track is a patented synthetic surface for racetracks. ...

Inside the dirt course is an oval standardbred racecourse seven-eighths (1408 m) of a mile in circumference, made of crushed limestone.-1...

The ground floor of the stands houses a slot machine parlour. Some of the income from the slot machines is used to increase the horserace purses. Slot machines in the Trump Taj Mahal A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English), or poker machine (Australian English) is a certain type of casino game. ...

Races

Important races run at Woodbine include:

• the Queen's Plate, a grade 1-C stakes for three-year-old Canadian-bred thoroughbreds, first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown
• the Breeders' Stakes, a grade 1-C stakes for three-year-old Canadian-bred thoroughbreds, third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown
• the Woodbine Mile, a grade I thoroughbred turf stakes
• the Canadian International, a grade 1 thoroughbred turf stakes
• the E. P. Taylor Stakes, a grade 1 Thoroughbred race for fillies and mares
• Woodbine also hosts the Breeders Crown for 2-year olds and 3-year olds of both sexes and gaits (pacing/trotting) every other year. When the track doesn't host the Breeders Crown, it hosts the "Fall Final Four" consisting of the Goldsmith Maid for 2-year old filly trotters; the Valley Victory for 2-year old colt and gelding trotters; the Three Diamonds for 2-year old filly pacers, and the Governors Cup for 2-year old colt and gelding pacers.

Woodbine was also the host of the C$1,500,000 North America Cup for 3-year old pacing colts and geldings from 1994-2006. That race along with the Elegantimage Stakes for 3-year old filly trotters and the Goodtimes Stakes for 3-year old colt and gelding trotters, have been moved to Woodbine's sister track, Mohawk Raceway. The Queens Plate is North Americas oldest thoroughbred horse race, run at a distance of 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-old thoroughbed horses, foaled in Canada, run annually in July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke (Toronto), Ontario. ... The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (Triple Crown for short, but the term is also used in other sports, and thus the full name should be used when it could cause confusion) consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. ... The Breeders Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses first run in 1889. ... The Woodbine Mile is a Grade I stakes race on turf for Thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up held annually in September at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada. ... The Canadian International Stakes is a $2 million Grade I Canadian stakes race on Turf for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. ... The E. P. Taylor Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares held annually since 1956 in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada run on grass at a distance of 1 ¼ miles. ... The Breeders Crown is an annual series of Harness races covering each of the sports twelve traditional categories of age, gait and gender. ... The North America Cup is an annual harness racing event held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for 3-year-old standardbred pacing horses. ... Mohawk Raceway is a harness racing track in Campbellville, Ontario. ...

see also: Category:Canadian horse races