 The racetrack in 1909 | |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°40′N79°18.7′W / 43.667°N 79.3117°W |
| Owned by | Ontario Jockey Club |
| Date opened | 1874 |
| Date closed | 1993 |
| Course type | Flat |
Greenwood Raceway (originally Woodbine Race Course) was a horse racing facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of Woodbine Avenue and Lake Ontario, it was owned and operated by Raymond Pardee and William J. "Jiggs" Howell. [1] The facility's land was mostly owned by Jesse Ashbridge and C.C. Small. Within a few years, financial problems resulted in the property reverting to Joseph Duggan, the original landowner and retired innkeeper. In 1881, Duggan helped found the Ontario Jockey Club (OJC). The facility hosted seasonal harness racing for Standardbred horses and flat racing events for Thoroughbreds.
Harness racing dates were transferred to the racetrack from Thorncliffe Park Raceway to fill the gap between the spring and fall thoroughbred meets, and the track was known as Greenwood Raceway during the harness meets. The track was at the junction of Kingston Road and Queen Street East, with only a narrow strip of land between it and Lake Ontario. Thoroughbred racing continued at the racetrack on a shortened six-furlong (1,207 m) track. Harness races were at first conducted on the Thoroughbred track, but serious problems with mud (including the starting gate being immobilized) led to the construction of a five-furlong (1006 m) stone dust harness track inside the Thoroughbred track. This track was known for its tight turns and long back and homestretches.
In the early 1950s, the Ontario Jockey Club, led by directors E. P. Taylor, George C. Hendrie and J. E. Frowde Seagram, undertook an acquisition and consolidation program for southern Ontario racing. The OJC bought and closed the Orpen-owned Dufferin Park and Long Branch race tracks. By 1956, the OJC operated just three facilities, consisting of the Fort Erie Racetrack in Fort Erie, Ontario, and two facilities in Toronto. A new facility for Thoroughbred horse races was constructed in Etobicoke and given the name Woodbine Racetrack.
The old facility was completely renovated and renamed Greenwood Raceway in 1963. It held both harness racing and Thoroughbred racing meets until its closure at the end of 1993. Steeplechase races were held at Woodbine/Greenwood for a few years, and there was a Thoroughbred race announcer by the name of Foster "Buck" Dryden for several years.
A horse by the name of Last Mark (owned by James G. Fair of Cainsville, Ontario) won the "Plate" in 1948, setting a new Plate record and only being equalled once before the track was decommissioned. R.J. Speers' horse, Lord Fairmond, came second in that Plate race. Fair had two horses in that Plate which never ran in the Plate Trials but worked out between the two divisions of the Trials. Their times were faster than the times of either of the trial divisions.
Greenwood Raceway was the site of the Canadian Pacing Derby, the North America Cup, the Fan Hanover Stakes, the Maple Leaf Trot, and the Canadian Trotting Classic.
In 1994, the Thoroughbred and harness operations were moved to Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke. The stadium was demolished and replaced by residential and commercial development, including a betting parlour.To commemorate the history of the site, two of the new residential roadways were given names that reflected horse racing themes: Northern Dancer Blvd. (in honour of the famous thoroughbred Northern Dancer) and Winners Circle. Joseph Duggan Road was named after the historical landowner.
The southern half of the property became Woodbine Park with a water fountain feature in a man-made pond. It is separated from Woodbine Beach by Lake Shore Boulevard.
In 2016, it was announced that Live Nation Entertainment had purchased the other half of the property (known as Greenwood Off Track Wagering or Champions Greenwood) with the intent of repurposing the site into a medium-sized entertainment venue with a capacity of 2,700 attendees. [2]
The King's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race and the oldest continuously run race in North America, having been founded in 1860. It is run at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles for a maximum of 17 three-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada.
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.
Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track was opened in 1956 with a one-mile oval dirt track, as well as a seven-eights turf course. It has been extensively remodeled since 1993, and since 1994 has had three racecourses.
Mohawk Racetrack is a harness racing track in Campbellville, Ontario. It is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group and is about 40 km southwest of the company's other racetrack, Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Woodbine Mohawk Park also has a large slot machine parlour with over 1,000 slot machines, which is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment; some of the revenue from this operation is used to increase the horseracing purses. Ken Middleton is the longtime track announcer.
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 1+3⁄16 miles. In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the second race in the Canadian Triple Crown series. It follows the August running of the King's Plate and precedes the Breeders' Stakes in October.
Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), known as the Ontario Jockey Club from 1881 to 2001, is the operator of two horse racing tracks, a casino and off-track betting stations in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It also owns and operates the Canadian digital television service HPItv and operates Canada's only online wagering platform for horse racing, HorsePlayer Interactive. WEG is responsible for operating Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, and it also runs Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ontario. It employs over 2,300 people in its operations. WEG also ran the Turf Lounge on Bay Street in Toronto from 2003 to 2015.
The Achievement Stakes was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. An allowance race restricted to three-year-old horses foaled in the province of Ontario, it was run on Tapeta synthetic dirt over a distance of six furlongs.
David Penna was an American jockey in thoroughbred horse racing who competed in the United States but had his greatest successes in Canada.
The Jacques Cartier Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually since 1954 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run near the beginning of the Woodbine spring meeting, the sprint race is open to horses aged four and older and is run over a distance of six furlongs on Tapeta synthetic dirt. In 2019, it became a Grade III stakes race and the purse has been subsequently increased to Can$150,000 with an additional $30,000 available for Ontario-bred horses.
The Marine Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Held in mid May, it is open to three-year-old horses and is contested over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt. It currently offers a purse of $150,000.
The Whimsical Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid April at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A Grade III race since 2006, it is open to fillies and mares aged four and older. It is raced over a distance of 6 furlongs on Tapeta synthetic dirt and currently carries a purse of $115,500.
The Connaught Cup Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Run in late May, the Grade II race is open to horses aged four and older. Raced over a distance of seven furlongs on turf, it currently offers a purse of $196,750.
Lloyd Duffy is a Canadian retired Champion jockey in Thoroughbred flat horse racing who uniquely is also a licensed driver of harness racing horses.
The Queenston Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Run in early May, the stakes race is open to three-year-old horses who were foaled in the Province of Ontario. Raced over a distance of seven furlongs on Polytrack synthetic dirt, it currently offers a purse of $150,000.
The Duchess Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is open to three-year-old fillies. Held during the first part of August, it is contested over a distance of 7 furlongs on Polytrack synthetic dirt. It currently offers a purse of $96,363 with an additional $50,000 for Ontario-bred horses. Previously a Grade III race, it lost its graded status in 2006.
The Shepperton Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early August at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. Raced on all-weather synthetic dirt over a distance of six and one-half furlongs, the Shepperton Stakes currently carries a purse of $100,000.
The Canadian Triple Crown is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada. Established in 1959, the series is unique in that it shares the same distances as its American counterpart but is contested on three different track surfaces.
The Jammed Lovely Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid November* at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Restricted to three-Year-Old fillies foaled in the Province of Ontario, it is contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt at a distance of seven furlongs.
John J. Mooney was a Canadian horse racing executive and breeder who served as president of the Ontario Jockey Club, Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, Laurel Park Racecourse, and Arlington Park.
The Maple Leaf Trot is a harness race for Standardbred trotters three years of age and older. It is run at a distance of one mile at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario.
