Woodbine asks for three extra days

Woodbine has applied to the Ontario Racing Commission to conduct racing on three Thursdays in August that were not part of its original dates request for 2007.

The Thursdays are Aug. 9, 16, and 23. The other Thursdays during the month fall in the weeks preceding holiday Monday cards at Woodbine and will remain dark.

Steve Mitchell, senior vice president and chief financial officer for the Woodbine Entertainment Group, said the application has the full support of both track management and the local division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

"In the past, August was typically pretty dead, and we struggled in terms of filling the cards," said Mitchell. "But so far this year, the results are proving quite different."

Statistics through July 7 show an average field size of 9.1 at the meeting, up from 8.1 over the corresponding period last year.