Woodbine Racecourse, formerly known as ‘New’ Woodbine Racecourse, is set in 650 acres on the outskirts of Toronto, the largest city in Canada. The racecourse originally opened in 1956, but under the auspices of the Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club, has undergone major redevelopment in recent years. Woodbine is famous as the home of the Canadian International Stakes, run over a mile and a half in October each year.
Course Characteristics
Since 1994 Woodbine has consisted of three racecourses, arranged concentrically. The outer turf course, known as the E.P. Taylor Course, is 1½ miles circumference with 4% banking on the bends and a home straight approximately two furlongs in length. Inside the turf course, the synthetic Polytrack course is one mile in circumference with 6% banking on the bends and a home straight of less than 1½ furlongs. Inside the Polytrack course lies the so-called Standardbred course, which is used for harness racing, is 8¾ furlongs in circumference and consists of fine-grained rock surface, known as traprock, on a crushed limestone base.
Track Facts
U.S. Triple Crown winner Secretariat ran his last race in the Canadian International Stakes in 1973. His winning margin of 6½ lengths remains the widest in the history of the race.
In 1988, the Arlington Million was run at Woodbine while Arlington Park was being rebuilt.
Harness racing was introduced to Woodbine racecourse in 1994.
In 1996, Woodbine became the first racecourse outside the United States to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.