Woodbine begins first full meet since 2019; Queen's Plate set for Aug. 21

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Both the 2020 and 2021 Woodbine meets were shortened due to government mandated COVID-19 related lockdowns, but what is expected to be a full 133-day meet begins Saturday and runs through Dec. 11.

Racing will be conducted on weekends until May 6, when Friday twilight cards are added. Thursday racing commences May 12. Post time for weekend racing is 1:10 p.m.

“Everyone in the industry is excited that we’ll hopefully get in a full season and see the whole program unfold as it should,” said Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson. “We put a lot of thought into the sequencing of events. The program comes as an entire package. In the last couple of years, we had to piecemeal it with late starts.”

The 2022 stakes schedule includes the usual major races with the exception of the Grade 1 Canadian International, which was scrapped in 2020 due to the pandemic. It returned last year while moved up to the Woodbine Mile undercard, but has gone on hiatus again.

“For the time being, it is not a viable option logistically for the European horses to conveniently get to Toronto,” said Tim Lawson, Woodbine’s director of racing. “We are fully prepared to bring back the race when we can ensure a smooth flow of horses making the trip to Woodbine.”

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The stakes program is worth nearly $17 million, including 37 graded stakes and two $1 million fixtures, the Queen’s Plate and Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.

The 163rd running of the Queen’s Plate is slated for Sunday, Aug. 21, joined on that date by the Grade 2 Canadian and Grade 2 King Edward.

The Queen’s Plate kicks off the Canadian Triple Crown for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. It will be followed by the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on Sept. 13 at Fort Erie and the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes on Oct. 2.

The Canadian Triple Tiara for 3-year-old fillies begins with the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks on July 24. The series also consists of the $250,000 Bison City Stakes on Aug. 14 and $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes on Sept. 11.

The Woodbine Mile is once again part of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Win and You’re In program. The marquee turf event of the season is joined by the Grade 1 Summer and Grade 1 Natalma for 2-year-olds on Sept. 17. The Summer and Natalma remain Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifiers, and both have received a purse increase from $400,000 to $500,000.

The Grade 1 E.P. Taylor has received a purse increase as well, from $600,000 to $750,000. It will be contested on Oct. 8, along with the Grade 2 Nearctic and Grade 3 Durham Cup.

The E.P. Taylor is the final leg of the returning Ladies of the Lawn Series. The three-race series also consists of the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on July 24 and the Canadian.

Another highlight is a group of five graded stakes to be run over the Canada Day weekend. The Grade 3 Dominion Day holds its traditional slot on July 1. It will be followed by the Grade 2 Highlander, Grade 2 Nassau, Grade 3 Selene, and Grade 3 Marine on July 2.

Jim Lawson believes the later date for the Queen’s Plate and the other major Canadian-bred 3-year-old events should benefit horsemen who did not winter in the United States.

“It gives the opportunity for more horses to get ready for not just the Queen’s Plate but the rest of our Triple Crown races and the Oaks,” Lawson said. “We were successful last year in terms of wagering and field size. We had more horses ready to go a mile and a half in the Breeders’ Stakes at that time of year than when it was run in August.”

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The popular third-floor Champions patio is being expanded with the hope of luring new fans.

“We want to take advantage of all the customers coming to the casino and try to woo them over for the racing experience on what’s a great outdoor patio,” Jim Lawson said. “Hopefully, that will attract new ownership because this sport is in trouble without new owners and breeders. It’s a problem pretty much everywhere. There’s a horse supply shortage. There’s lots of wealthy people getting into the game, but they want high-end horses, and that’s not what makes racing go round. What makes racing go round is large field sizes with lots of owners.

“We’ve increased our purses at the lower claiming levels, which was a conscious effort to try and get better investment for the owners and trainers involved. If we can help people stay in the game or be interested in getting in the game with better purses at those levels, that’s what we need to do. We need a lot more owners. They’re not necessarily going to get interested by betting over the internet. We want people to experience and like racing.”