Early baby races will be just two furlongs

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - There are several noteworthy changes in the types of races being carded at Woodbine this year, including the scheduling of the first two-furlong maiden 2-year-old races in the track's 50-year history.

Two-furlong sprints for 2-year-olds have not been run at Toronto area tracks since the mid-1970's, when they were contested at Greenwood.

According to Chris Evans, Woodbine's vice president of Thoroughbred racing, 4 1/2-furlong maiden sprints for 2-year-olds will commence in mid-May and will alternate with the abbreviated dashes until the end of June, at which point the quarter-milers will be discontinued.

Whips will not be allowed in the two-furlong races, which will be limited to 10 starters. The first one is scheduled for April 16, a maiden special with a $60,000 purse.

The so-called "A" and "B" allowance and maiden special weight events will remain the status quo, but Evans said he would like to modify the "B" races in the near future.

"I'm waiting for a list of directives from the Ontario Racing Commission," Evans said. "If they change the rules to allow us to put restrictions on those races, we will."

An "A" allowance is for nonwinners of a race other than maiden or claiming, or nonwinners of two, while a "B" allowance is a more restricted entry-level event, with a smaller purse.

The "B" allowances in the first condition book are limited to nonwinners of two or nonwinners of $36,000 in their last two starts. Evans said he would like to modify them to preclude runners who placed in an "A" allowance or tougher in their previous couple of starts.

"That way, a [good] horse would be less likely to drop into those races," Evans said. "It should help make for more competitive fields."

Last August, English invader Saint Etienne finished a fast-closing second after a sluggish start here in the Grade 3 Royal North Handicap. She won a "B" allowance in her next start as the 2-5 favorite, a race for which she would have been ineligible under the changes proposed by Evans.

Evans said the traditional maiden events combining 3- and 4-year-olds have been discontinued this spring. They have been replaced by separate races, for 3-year-olds only and 4-year-olds and up.

"With the earlier beginning to the season, some people think it's unfair to run 3-year-olds against 4-year-olds early in the season," Evans said. "I don't know if there will be enough 4-year-olds to fill those races, but we're going to try it and see what happens. If we can't fill them come May or June, then we're going to have to revert to maiden 3-and-up."

Evans said the $400 purse payment for runners finishing sixth or worse, implemented last year, will continue this year.

"It didn't spike our field size the way we had hoped, but I think everybody appreciates the fact that there is a cost to running a horse," Evans said. "If you're not sure about your chances, it basically covers your costs."

Win Four now a 20-cent bet

The only change in the betting profile for live racing is a 20-cent base for the Win Four, which was previously a $1 wager. Woodbine implemented a 20-cent superfecta last spring, and the success of that wager led to this experiment with the Win Four, according to Sean Pinsonneault, Woodbine's vice president of wagering services.

"We've had great success with what we've done with the superfecta," Pinsonneault said. "The superfecta pools have increased 25 to 30 percent."

2006 stakes schedule

*Foaled in Canada; **Foaled in Ontario; *Ontario-sired