One hundred and two stakes races, worth more than $20-million in purses, will highlight Woodbine’s 133-day Thoroughbred meet in 2015.
The Woodbine stakes schedule, unveiled today by the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), is highlighted by the 156th running of The Queen’s Plate. The 1 1/4-mile classic, which carries a $1 million purse, is set for Sunday, July 5.
The Plate, North America’s oldest continuously-run stakes event and first jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown of Racing, will be complemented by three turf stakes events, the Grade 2, $200,000 Highlander Stakes, the Grade 2 $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes and the Grade 3, $150,000 Singspiel Stakes.
The lucrative Ricoh Woodbine Mile is slated for Sunday, September 13. The $1 million event won last year by European invader Trade Storm, caps a rich weekend on the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course, which kicks off on Saturday, September 12 with the Grade 2, $200,000 Natalma Stakes, for juvenile fillies and the Grade 2, $200,000 Summer Stakes, for two-year-olds.
In addition to the Woodbine Mile, the September 13 card features the Grade 1, $300,000 Northern Dancer Stakes, for three-year-olds and upwards, the Grade 2, $300,000 Canadian Stakes, for fillies and mares three-year-olds and upwards, and the Grade 3, 150,000 Bold Venture Stakes, for three-year-olds and upwards.
The iconic Grade 1, $1 million Pattison Canadian International, won last year by Hillstar following the dramatic late scratch of Brown Panther, is set for Sunday, October 18. The 1 1/2-mile grass event headlines an outstanding card that includes the Grade 1, $500,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, for fillies and mares, the Grade 2, $300,000 Nearctic Stakes, a six-furlong turf sprint, and the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes, a six-furlong ‘Poly’ sprint for fillies and mares.
Woodbine will again be a part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series which features a lucrative “Win and You’re In” incentive. A score in the Natalma, Summer, Ricoh Woodbine Mile or Canadian Stakes guarantees the victor a berth in the corresponding championship event at the Breeders’ Cup (October 30 / 31) at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky.
“We’re very proud to present a strong stakes schedule for 2015 which features 40 graded stakes, highlighted by a quartet of Grade One events – – the Ricoh Woodbine Mile, Northern Dancer, Pattison Canadian International and E.P. Taylor Stakes – – which continue to draw some of the biggest names in racing, from across North America and Europe, to Toronto,” said Steve Lym, Woodbine’s Director of Racing.
Sunday, June 14 will mark another big day at the Toronto oval buoyed by the running of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, the first leg in Canada’s Triple Tiara of Racing. Also slated for June 14 is the $150,000 Plate Trial, the country’s top prep race for The Queen’s Plate.
The victor of the Plate Trial, and the Oaks if an exceptional filly once again steps forward, will have three weeks to prepare for the Plate. Last year, filly Lexie Lou, trained by Mark Casse for owner Gary Barber, captured the Oaks en route to a thrilling score in the Plate. Lexie Lou went on to complete a unique Classic triple by winning the Wonder Where Stakes, third leg of the filly treble.
The Breeders’ Stakes, third and turf gem of racing’s Triple Crown, is set for Sunday, August 16 at Woodbine. The 1 1/2-mile turf race carries a purse of $500,000.
The Woodbine meet launches Saturday, April 11, with a first-race post of 1:00 p.m. and concludes on Sunday, December 6.
A full list of the 2015 thoroughbred stakes schedule is available by clicking here.
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