NEWS & EVENTS

It decrease the newest during the 1963

Woodbine Racetrack is actually a race track to own Thoroughbred pony racing for the the brand new Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Belonging to Woodbine Amusement Category, Woodbine Racetrack protects and you will hosts Canada’s most well-known battle, the newest King’s Plate. The latest song try open for the 1956 with a single-kilometer egg-shaped dirt song, plus a good seven-eights turf course. [ 1 ] It has been generally renovated since the 1993, and because 1994 has received around three racecourses. [ 2 ]

Background

The current Woodbine carries the name in the first place utilized by a great racetrack and that manage for the the southern part of Toronto, at the Queen Path Eastern and Kingston Road, of 1874 owing to 1993. (Since the Old Woodbine Race course was at the latest southern area avoid off Woodbine Avenue, the current Woodbine is actually nowhere close they.) In the 1951, it actually was run of the Ontario Jockey Bar (OJC) and you can stored the newest prestigious King’s Plate, but it competed with lots of other racetracks inside Ontario and is searching for modernization. [ twenty three ]

P. Taylor, began a program of racetrack acquisitions aimed at become the rich ride casino largest and most effective operator inside the Ontario horse rushing, the same as Taylor’s earlier acquisitions and you will consolidations from the Canadian brewing business. Inside the 1952, the brand new OJC ordered and finalized the cash-dropping Thorncliffe Park, [ 4 ] bought and finalized the brand new Hamilton Racetrack, and you will ordered the newest Fort Erie Racetrack to possess Ca$780,000 . [ four ] Home improvements began instantaneously at Fort Erie and at Woodbine, funded by a general public offering regarding stock to own Ca$2 mil . [ twenty three ]

During the 1953, the fresh OJC bought Stamford Playground within the Stamford township (now part of Niagara Falls, Ontario). It had been finalized and later redeveloped to your a residential subdivision. In the 1955, Taylor himself ordered the fresh new contending Orpen-possessed Dufferin Playground Racetrack and you can Long Department Racetracks to have California$4 billion ($forty-two.six mil within the 2023 dollars) [ 5 ] . [ 6 ] The new Orpen tunes was closed and redeveloped, as well as the Orpen race charters moved to the latest OJC. The brand new OJC proceeded the latest Canadian Worldwide and you may Cup-and-saucer stakes racing that were kept during the Orpen tracks. [ seven ] The new racing charters received in the most other tracks allowed the newest OJC to operate 196 times of race, more than twice their desired full out of 84 weeks for the 1952. [ 12 ]

All the perform during the racetrack acquisitions and you will closures have been customized to help with an alternative “supertrack”. Within the 1952, the brand new OJC understood the new precise location of the racetrack during the Path twenty-seven eastern of one’s Toronto airport and you can bought more than 400 acres (160 ha). The new designer selected is actually Earle C. Morgan. Even though Morgan hadn’t designed an effective racetrack, the guy spent the next couple of years developing the proper execution hand-in-hand with Arthur Froelich, who had customized Movie industry Park Racetrack and you will Lawn State Park Racetrack in the us. [ 8 ] The fresh track was created to hold forty,000 visitors, have large parking, about three battle programmes as well as 2 education music. They had stable place for 1,000 horses and bedroom having 700 personnel. The brand new grandstand, designed to get as many folks as near to the wind up line you could, integrated several dining and you can cafeterias. [ 9 ] Framework on the the fresh new supertrack first started inside the 1955.

The new racetrack unsealed on the Summer 12, 1956, dependent at a cost off California$13 mil ($143 mil inside 2023 cash). [ 5 ] [ ten ] It had been initial referred to as The newest Woodbine Racetrack. The old track try converted to a mixed thoroughbred and you will standardbred tune identified thereafter as the Old Woodbine or, for some of the remainder of their history, because Greenwood Raceway (while in the standardbred match) and Greenwood Race-track (throughout the thoroughbred meets). The 2 thoroughbred as well as 2 standardbred fits held from the Greenwood was in fact transferred to the fresh new Woodbine inside 1994, that was until then entirely based on thoroughbred rushing. For the June thirty, 1959, King E II and Duke regarding Edinburgh attended the newest 100th powering of your own Queen’s Plate, [ 11 ] and you may Queen Age II once again on the , went to the fresh 151st powering of one’s Queen’s Plate Bet and you will displayed trophies.