Woodbine Entertainment, New York Racing Association Inc. stage Empire Trillium Series

TORONTO - Woodbine Racetrack will stage six races in 2027 as part of the new Empire Trillium Series.

Woodbine Entertaining and the New York Racing Association, Inc., unveiled the $3.2 million, 14-race program that will be restricted to hoses foaled in New York and Canada. Racing will begin at Belmont Park with eight stakes starting in December.

Belmont Park is scheduled to reopen Sept. 18 following the completion of a US$455-million transformation. 

A new grandstand will accommodate up to 9,000 spectators while four new tracks are being constructed: a traditional 1 1/2-mile dirt main track, two turf courses, and a one-mile Tapeta oval that will serve as the surface for winter racing.

$400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes race to be run Sept. 7 at Fort Erie Racetrack

FORT ERIE - The $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes will be held Sept. 7, Fort Erie Racetrack announced Monday.

The 1 3/16-mile dirt race is the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown. It will follow the $1-million King's Plate, which will be run Aug. 15 at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack.

This year's Prince of Wales will mark the 91st running of the race.

Woodbine hasn't yet divulged a date for the $400,000 Breeders Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown.

367 horses nominated to compete in Triple Crown series, with trainer Todd Pletcher having 31

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A total of 367 3-year-olds have been made eligible to compete in this year’s Triple Crown series during the early nomination period.

Each of the horses was nominated through a $600 payment to compete in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, Preakness at Laurel Park on May 16 and Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 6.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has nominated 31 horses, followed by two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert (23), Chad Brown (22), Brad Cox (21) and Japan's Daisuke Takayanagi (14).

Among the international nominees are 37 horses from Japan. Eleven fillies were nominated as well.

Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Classic because of a fever

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty has been scratched and will not run in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday after catching a fever this week, taking the favorite out of the $7 million world championship race.

The Breeders' Cup announced the scratch of the country's top 3-year-old horse on Wednesday after trainer Bill Mott told the Daily Racing Form about the decision he and his camp made. Mott had previously said Sovereignty not racing was a possibility.

“It’s not good for the race; it’s not good for racing,” said Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who won the Classic five times. “Any time you have a great horse that doesn’t run when planned, it’s disappointing. But the horse is going to be fine. It was a fever. Just the timing is terrible.”

Sovereignty opened as a heavy 6-5 morning line favorite in the field of 10, which also includes Derby and Belmont runner-up and Preakness winner Journalism. The Breeders' Cup Classic was expected to determine the horse of the year.

Assiniboia Downs bettors put their money where their mount is

You could tell Assiniboia Downs was having a great season by the size of the wagering pools and the constantly growing crowds, but we certainly didn’t expect them to shatter their previous wagering record by a whopping $12 million.

Fans wagered an unprecedented total of $75.2 million on the live racing this season, which ended Wednesday, bettering the previous mark of $63.2 million set in 2020. Average wagering per card was $1.5 million, and wagering was up 21.16 per cent over the previous season.

One of the major reasons for the increase in wagering was the track’s strategic move over the past few years to reduce all takeouts on wagers to below 20 per cent, something that is very rare at North American tracks for obvious reasons, but it results in higher payoffs and puts more money back in the pockets of bettors.

The reduced takeout was a long-term play, and it absolutely worked. Kudos to Assiniboia Downs CEO Darren Dunn, VP of Finance and Gaming Sharon Gulyas and their management team for thinking well ahead of the curve. All the staff deserve a pat on the back this year for their excellent customer service, both on the betting side and in the food and beverage area. The nightly prime rib buffet was almost always sold out, and the newly minted Girls Night Out on Wednesday evenings turned out to be a huge hit among the ladies, with fancy hats and outfits everywhere.

Kindness the key to Danelson’s decades of Assiniboia Downs success

We thought last year was trainer Gary Danelson’s swan song at Assiniboia Downs. We were wrong.

The 88-year-old all-time leading trainer at Assiniboia Downs was in the winner’s circle Tuesday night as an owner after winning the 96th running of the $50,000 Winnipeg Futurity with Omaha Warrior, trained by Jared Brown.

“It felt pretty good,” said Danelson. “I’d never won the Futurity. And I’ve never won the Manitoba Derby.”

Danelson left training last year when his grey speedball Kate’s Princess bumped him into the wall of her stall and broke his hip. That and facing two forms of cancer, one in remission, ended his training days, but he couldn’t stay away from his home away from home. He was back this year with a horse Brown purchased for him in the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale for $20,000.

Nations Pride, trainer Charlie Appleby back to defend Canadian International title

TORONTO - It's taken two years, but Nations Pride and trainer Charlie Appleby can finally defend their $750,000 Canadian International crown.

The Irish-bred horse won the 2023 International at Woodbine Racetrack. But last year's race wasn't held due to "logistical challenges" associated with cargo flights required to transport European horses to North America.

Nations Pride will top the 10-horse field Saturday in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 1 race that will be run on Woodbine's inner turf course.

The six-year-old comes in following a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Dancer Stakes turf event Aug. 9 at Saratoga. Nations Pride has 11 wins from 23 career starts and posted 17 top-three finishes (second twice, third twice) for over $3.7 million in earnings.

Trainer puts his money where his horses are — and a couple of longshots

If you bet $56 to win $4,502, what were the odds on your wager? Mike Pierce knows.

Hall of Fame trainer Attfield chases 10th career Breeders’ Stakes win with Ciunas

TORONTO - It might not be as prestigious as the Triple Crown but trainer Roger Attfield will look to achieve yet another career milestone Sunday in the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes.

Attfield, a Hall of Fame conditioner in Canada and the U.S., will chase a 10th Breeders Stakes crown at Woodbine Racetrack. Attfield has already won this event more than any other trainer but will look to reach double digits with Ciunas, who'll be ridden by Sahin Civaci and break from the No. 4 post in the nine-horse race.

Ciunas heads into his first stakes race off two solid wins — one on Woodbine's main track, the other on its inner turf circuit. Ciunas, sent off as the 5-2 choice in a 6 1/2-furlong event July 6, rallied from last to top the 11-horse field by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:17.65.

"He has a powerful late kick," said Attfield. "That’s the way we kind of want him to run."

The ‘Queen,’ ‘Kings’ and ‘Prince’ rule the Downs

The “Queen” is back, the “Kings” aren’t far behind, and the “Prince” is running away with the Gold.

Susie does her duty at Downs

Manitoba-bred stars highlighted two of the three stakes this week at Assiniboia Downs, and a bargain invader from south of the border took the other.

The winners of all three stakes were so good it’s difficult to decide who to mention first, so we’ll go with ladies first.

Mechanic Susie won the $40,000 Distaff Stakes on Tuesday for trainer Elton Dickey, his ownership partners Tom Payne and breeder Larry Falloon, and groom Kenroy (Cuba) Rowe, and she was doing it for the second year in a row.

Last year, the five-year-old Manitoba-bred mare by Nonios out of Quantum Mechanics by Einstein won six races in a row, including the Distaff, on her way to being named champion older mare. Ahe looks like she’s going to do similar this year.

It’s been quite the ride for horse-loving Waywayseecappo chief

Six decades ago Murray Clearsky ran away from a residential school in Brandon, not knowing where his life would take him.

On Thursday night at Assiniboia Downs, he was honoured by Indigenous leaders from across the country for his lifetime of accomplishments, including the past 40 years as chief of Waywayseecappo First Nation.

It’s been quite a ride, and always connected to horses.

Indigenous leaders and dignitaries at the ceremony included Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, Peguis First Nation Chief Dr. Stan Bird, Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, AFN Regional Chief Willie Moore, Brokenhead Ojibway First Nation Chief Gordon Bluesky, Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean, and Allen Sutherland, elder and knowledge keeper, who delivered the opening prayer.