NEWS & EVENTS

They dropped the brand new inside the 1963

Woodbine Racetrack is actually a race-track having Thoroughbred pony rushing inside the the brand new Etobicoke section of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Amusement Category, Woodbine Racetrack protects and you will computers Canada’s most well-known battle, the fresh King’s Dish. The brand new track is started inside the 1956 with a-one-distance egg-shaped dirt tune, along with an excellent seven-eights lawn way. [ 1 ] It has been widely remodeled since the 1993, and since 1994 has had around three racecourses. [ 2 ]

Background

The modern Woodbine carries the name originally energy casino used by an effective racetrack and therefore run in the southeast Toronto, from the Queen Path East and you can Kingston Street, regarding 1874 as a result of 1993. (While the Old Woodbine Race course is at the latest south prevent away from Woodbine Method, the present day Woodbine was nowhere near they.) During the 1951, it absolutely was operate of the Ontario Jockey Pub (OJC) and you will held the latest prestigious King’s Plate, however it competed with many different most other racetracks in the Ontario and was in need of modernization. [ 12 ]

P. Taylor, began an application away from racetrack purchases geared towards become the biggest and most winning driver within the Ontario horse racing, similar to Taylor’s prior to purchases and you may consolidations on the Canadian making industry. Inside 1952, the fresh new OJC purchased and you will signed the bucks-losing Thorncliffe Playground, [ four ] purchased and you will closed the fresh new Hamilton Racetrack, and you will bought the latest Fort Erie Racetrack to possess Ca$780,000 . [ 4 ] Home improvements began quickly within Fort Erie at Woodbine, financed by the a public providing away from stock to possess Ca$2 billion . [ 3 ]

In the 1953, the new OJC ordered Stamford Park during the Stamford township (now element of Niagara Drops, Ontario). It absolutely was signed and later redeveloped into the a residential subdivision. Inside 1955, Taylor himself bought the brand new fighting Orpen-possessed Dufferin Park Racetrack and Long Part Racetracks for Ca$4 billion ($44.six billion in the 2023 dollars) [ 5 ] . [ six ] The fresh Orpen music was basically finalized and you will redeveloped, and the Orpen battle charters transferred to the fresh OJC. The new OJC proceeded the new Canadian Around the world and you may Cup-and-saucer bet events that had been stored at Orpen music. [ seven ] The brand new rushing charters obtained on the other songs enabled the fresh OJC to operate 196 days of rushing, more double its invited total regarding 84 days within the 1952. [ twenty-three ]

The efforts at the racetrack acquisitions and you will closures was customized to help with a different sort of “supertrack”. In the 1952, the fresh OJC understood the fresh location of the racetrack at the Street twenty-seven east of one’s Toronto airport and bought over 400 miles (160 ha). The newest designer chose try Earle C. Morgan. Even though Morgan had not tailored a racetrack, the guy spent the second 24 months development the design in conjunction which have Arthur Froelich, who had customized Movie industry Park Racetrack and you will Lawn State Playground Racetrack in the us. [ 8 ] The fresh new tune was designed to hold 40,000 spectators, provides good vehicle parking, three competition programs and two degree music. They had stable room for just one,000 horses and you can rooms to own 700 team. The newest grandstand, built to rating as many folks as close to your find yourself line to, provided multiple food and you can cafeterias. [ 9 ] Construction to your the fresh new supertrack began in the 1955.

The new racetrack exposed for the June 12, 1956, dependent at a price of California$13 billion ($143 billion inside 2023 bucks). [ 5 ] [ ten ] It actually was first referred to as The newest Woodbine Racetrack. The existing song was transformed into a blended thoroughbred and you can standardbred song known thereafter as the Old Woodbine otherwise, for the majority of of the remainder of their background, because the Greenwood Raceway (throughout standardbred fits) and Greenwood Race-track (during the thoroughbred suits). Both thoroughbred and two standardbred meets presented during the Greenwood have been moved to the brand new Woodbine during the 1994, that was until then exclusively centered on thoroughbred racing. To your June 30, 1959, Queen Elizabeth II plus the Duke from Edinburgh went to the latest 100th powering of your own Queen’s Dish, [ eleven ] and you may Queen Age II once again towards , attended the newest 151st running of the Queen’s Plate Bet and you may exhibited trophies.