Woodbine Mile back to $1 million for upcoming meet

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine has unveiled an impressive 2019 stakes schedule, headed by the 160th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate on June 29. A total of 95 stakes, worth more than $16 million collectively, will be run at the 133-day meet, which goes from April 20-Dec. 15.

The Grade 1 Woodbine Mile got a purse boost from $800,000 to $1 million, which was what it was originally worth. A Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event, the Woodbine Mile heads the Sept. 14 program, which also includes the Grade 1, $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf.

The Grade 1, $800,000 Canadian International is slated for Oct. 12. The supporting feature on that card, the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor, has been increased in value by $100,000 to $600,000. It will anchor Woodbine’s new Ladies of the Lawn Series, which will offer $75,000 in bonuses to the top performers in the four-race series of graded stakes. The series also includes the Nassau, Dance Smartly, and Canadian, all Grade 2 stakes.

The June 8 card features two important preps for the Queen’s Plate, the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks and the $125,000 Plate Trial Stakes.

Three stakes were dropped for this year – the Sky Classic, the New Providence, and the Eternal Search. The Victoriana was renamed the Eternal Search, who was a Canadian champion owned by Jim Dandy Stable.

Two new five-furlong $100,000 stakes for 2-year-olds will be run over the new inner turf course, the Ontario Racing and the Woodbine Cares for fillies. They are supporting features on the Sept. 15 card, which is headed by two Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifiers for juveniles, the $250,000 Summer and the $250,000 Natalma.

The stakes that will be shifted to the inner turf course are the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen, the Charlie Barley, the Vice Regent, the Ontario Damsel, and the Eternal Search.

Canadian Millions Night will showcase Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society yearling sale graduates on Aug. 28, when six restricted stakes for them will be contested as a prelude to the yearling sale.

The Achievement has been renamed the Greenwood to celebrate the second annual trackside social affair hosted by The Social Concierge.

There are 10 races on the overnight stakes schedule, including the William D. Graham Memorial, named after the prominent Canadian breeder who died in January. It was previously known as the Alywow.

The entire stakes schedule can be viewed online at Woodbine.com