Woodbine

Bullet To Pass On Royal Ascot

Though she won the May 11 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies S. at Gulfstream, which qualifies the winner for a trip to the Royal Ascot meeting, Bullet (War Front) will be staying in North America, reports D J Stable's General Manager Jon Green. Horses that win the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies or the Royal Palm Juvenile S. are offered an automatic berth into a 2-year-old stakes at Royal Ascot plus a $25,000 travel allowance. Gabaldon (Gone Astray), the winner of the Royal Palm division for colts, will make his next start...

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Four Grade Threes Feature On Foster Preview Day

Godolphin's progressive homebred Highland Falls (Curlin) has been made the 5-2 favorite in a field of 11 for Saturday's GIII Blame S. at Churchill Downs, one of four graded stakes that serve as an appetizer to corresponding races on Stephen Foster Saturday in a month's time beneath the Twin Spires. The chestnut son of Round Pond (Awesome Again), upset winner of the 2006 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at the Louisville oval, makes his third consecutive appearance in graded company, having run on to be a good fourth to Newgate (Into...

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Cairo Prince's My Boy Prince Romps in Woodbine Return

My Boy Prince, Canada's champion 2-year-old colt of 2023 and a leading King's Plate fancy, returned to the winner's circle with an authoritative victory in the King Corrie S. at Woodbine Sunday. Second in last year's GI Summer S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the heavy favorite was returning to the synthetic surface for the first time since dominating in the Simcoe S. at Woodbine last August. He attended the pace of Maximus Magic (Maximus Mischief) through fractions of :24.38 and :47.82, took charge approaching the...

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Bill Ford Elected President of Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Bill Ford has been elected president of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame for 2024. Ford has been an executive with Woodbine Entertainment since 2011 and is currently its Chief Racing Officer and General Counsel. He has been a Director of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame for the past two years representing Racetracks Canada. Ford succeeds Darryl Kaplan, who held the role of CHRHF president from 2018-2024. Kaplan, currently the President and CEO of Standardbred Canada, maintains his position as a CHRHF Director and is now the...

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Saturday Insights: Action Kicks Off Early On Derby Saturday

3rd-CD, $127K, OC, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 11:31 a.m. Revelers under the Twin Spires won't have to wait long Saturday for something to sink their teeth (and their wallets) into. Only an hour into the card, a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars', each making their second starts, face off. CARTUCHO (Gun Runner) impressed on debut at Tampa for Chad Brown in his first start since selling for $1.2m as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2022. To stay perfect, he'll have to conquer the equally impressive Mindframe (Constitution) who posted a...

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Making Waves: Lammas Takes San Fran Mile

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Lammas at graded level at Golden Gate Fields. Golden Gate Veteran Earns Career High In San Fran Ronald Charles and Samuel Gordon's Lammas (GB) (Heeraat {Ire}), a regular for many years at Golden Gate, earned another graded win when taking Saturday's GIII San Francisco Mile S. (video). Trained by Manuel Badilla, the Peter Onslow-bred 7-year-old gelding was an 10,000gns buy-back as a weanling...

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Derby Day at Woodbine Tickets On Sale

Woodbine's 5th annual Derby Day Party will take place Saturday, May 4 and tickets are now on sale, the track announced via release Monday. The event will feature a livestream from Churchill Downs, food, fashion, and live racing on site highlighted by the GIII Whimsical S. Included with a ticket purchase are complimentary food and dessert stations as well as a mint julep in a solid copper cup. Derby-style attire is highly encouraged and there will be a "best dressed' contest, photo booth, and various other activities on the day....

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Sunday's Racing Insights: Homebreds Debut At Gulfstream, Reigning King's Plate Winner Returns

2nd-GP, $89K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1mT, 12:39 p.m. ET. SF Racing's MONT SAINT MICHEL (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) makes her inaugural voyage for Brendan Walsh after she started her work regimen at Turfway in early December and then moved to Palm Meadows. The homebred is out of SP Black Dahlia (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who is also responsible for third place GI Breeders' Cup Mile runner Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Also making the post is Alpha Delta homebred Highland Light (Uncle Mo) for trainer Chad Brown. The...

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King's Plate Highlights Woodbine's 2024 Stakes Schedule

Anchored by the 165th running of the King's Plate, Woodbine's 2024 stakes schedule features 38 graded races, four of them Grade I events. The track's stakes schedule this year is missing the GI Canadian International, which was put on hiatus, "after review and consideration of industry and logistical challenges," according to a Woobine press release. In another change to the track's traditional line-up of stakes, the $750,000 GI E. P. Taylor S. will be moved up three weeks and will be run on a Sept. 14 card which also includes...

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Ontario Mare Purchase Program 2024 Funds Fully Dispersed

The $800,000 allocated to the Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program's Mare Purchase and Recruitment Programs has been exhausted for the year. The program provides Ontario residents with 50% of the purchase price--up to a maximum of C$25,000--per in-foal mares purchased either online or in person at a recognized public auction outside of Ontario, with progeny of 2024 to foal in the province. "It's a good incentive," David Clancy, a long-time owner and breeder, and owner of Toronto-based accounting firm Clancy CPA & Co, said of the Mare Purchase Program. "Some of...

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Dubai World Cup Runner-Up Algiers Retired

After what his connections described in a tweet on X as 'works not showing the same sparkle' as in years prior, the 2023 G1 Dubai World Cup runner-up Algiers (Ire) (Shamardal) has been retired from racing. A multiple Group winner in Meydan in addition to his second-place finish to multiple Group 1 winner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}), he'd last been seen in Canada on Oct. 7, missing victory in Woodbine's GIII Durham Cup S. by half-a-length. A horse for Dubai's dirt courses, his first Group triumph came in 2022...

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King's Plate 2024 Date Set for Aug. 17; E.P. Taylor Turf Course Renovation Plans Unveiled

The King's Plate will be held in August for the third straight year in 2024 when it will be run Aug. 17 at Woodbine Racetrack. "This year's King's Plate was a big success, delivering a record handle, sold-out crowd and really exciting racing," said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. "The third weekend in August has been a good spot for attracting a quality field on the track and an energetic crowd off the track. Building on our momentum created at this year's Plate, we are excited to make the event...

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