Woodbine opens marathon meet with new surface, rolling doubles

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine’s 61st season of Thoroughbred racing begins with Saturday’s opening-day card, which features the first races run on Woodbine’s new Tapeta main track.

Woodbine removed its Polytrack surface at the conclusion of the 2015 meet and replaced it with more than 10,000 tons of Tapeta, a process overseen by Woodbine’s director of Thoroughbred surfaces, Irwin Driedger. Woodbine opened the Tapeta track for training March 18, and so far, it has been well received.

“Right now, the track is working well,” Driedger said. “I’ve had lots of compliments from jocks and trainers here, which is positive.”

Racing will start at 1 p.m. Eastern every Saturday and Sunday, with Friday cards beginning April 22. Holiday Monday cards, with a 1 p.m. start, are scheduled for May 23, Aug. 1, Sept. 5, and Oct. 10. Wednesday racing, with a 6:45 p.m. post time, will start May 18, with the final evening card scheduled for Nov. 30.

The highlight of the meet will be the 157th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate on July 3. That card also features a trio of graded turf stakes, the Grade 2 Highlander, Grade 2 Dance Smartly, and Grade 3 Singspiel.

The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, is scheduled for July 26 at Fort Erie, while the $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes concludes the series back at Woodbine on Aug. 21.

The Natalma Stakes has been elevated to Grade 1 status for the 2016 season and joins the Canadian International, Woodbine Mile, E.P. Taylor Stakes, and Northern Dancer Turf to give Woodbine five Grade 1 races this year.

The other major day of racing at Woodbine is June 12, featuring the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks and the $150,000 Plate Trial, both key local preps for the Queen’s Plate.

During the winter, Woodbine made several changes to the Ontario-sired racing program, which included a decrease to the 40 percent purse bonus offered to Ontario-sired horses who run in open races. Ontario-sired runners will now run for a 30 percent purse bonus in open allowance and maiden special weight races and a 20 percent bonus in all other eligible races.

Additionally, Woodbine will discontinue Ontario-sired maiden special weight races for 3-year-olds and up. However, Ontario-sired maiden special weight races for 3-year-olds will continue until at least midsummer, while Ontario-sired maiden special weight races for 2-year-olds will be run for the duration of the season.

Woodbine’s racing secretary, Stu Slagle, said the moves were made to enhance Woodbine’s overall racing product.

“All moves we make are done to try and offer a better racing product,” he said. “Some of it is for field size, some of it is for opportunities for non-Ontario-sired horses, but in general, we’re trying to look at things holistically and trying to improve the program as a whole.”

Slagle estimated that there are more than 1,700 horses on the grounds.

“That puts us a little ahead of schedule compared to where we were last year,” he said. “I’ve also been tracking the published workouts that we’ve had this year, and we’re also ahead of schedule from last year. I think a lot of that we can contribute to the severity of the winter in 2015 vs. 2016. I think it’s definitely beneficial that people have been able to move in and get prepared.”

Woodbine’s opening-day card attracted 83 horses for 10 races. Woodbine’s opening-day card in 2015 attracted just 66 horses for 10 races before scratches. Saturday’s card is highlighted by the $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes, which is headlined by likely 2015 Canadian champion male sprinter Stacked Deck and 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny.

New to Woodbine’s wagering menu are rolling doubles with a $1 minimum and a 15 percent takeout.