Ontario racing

Ontario breeders were celebrated Wednesday night at the Royal Woodbine Golf Club in Toronto for the 42nd annual Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) awards. Nearly four dozen Ontario breeders produced 51 horses who won a combined 67 stakes races in 2025. Dom Romeo of Terra Racing Stables was honored as the Mint Julep Cup recipient for his lifetime contribution and dedication to the breeding industry, prompting a standing ovation. "I started racing in the '70s," said Romeo. "We claimed a horse [Two Times Henry] from Conn Smythe. So, you know...

The 2026 race dates for four Ontario racetracks--Woodbine Racetrack, Woodbine Mohawk Park, Fort Erie Race Track and Ajax Downs--have been approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), it was announced Wednesday. The number of racing days per track:   Woodbine Racetrack (Thoroughbred) - 128   Woodbine Mohawk Park (Standardbred) - 222 (for all of 2026 counting dates already allocated from Jan. 1 through Mar. 31, 2026.   Fort Erie Race Track (Thoroughbred) - 34   Ajax Downs (Quarter Horse)...

The Ontario division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS-Ontario) has been approved as a member of Ontario Racing, effective immediately. The CTHS-Ontario will represent the province's Thoroughbred breeders at Ontario Racing, a not-for-profit group that serves as the voice of the province's horse racing industry. "We are pleased the CTHS will represent Ontario's Thoroughbred horse breeders at the Ontario Racing table," said Andrew Gaughan, the Ontario Racing Independent Chair. "Thoroughbred breeders not only have a substantial investment in the province's world-class horse racing industry, they also play a critical...

Horse racing is an honourable sport that is steeped in tradition; built by generations of hardworking and passionate individuals and families. It's an industry that brings people together from all walks of life, and is critically dependent on everyone's contribution to its stability and success. While this diversity of roles and shared passion is racing's greatest strength, it exists within a very complex and challenging business environment that results in constant pressure to plan, adapt, and aggressively fight to secure our future. At Woodbine Entertainment, we own and operate two...

Edited Press Release Purchasing two in-foal broodmares at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale doubled the size of Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds' broodmare band. The mares Tiptoe and Turning Point were the latest step in Colin Davis's methodical entrance into the racing game. Davis, a resident of Cobourg, Ont., is new to racehorse breeding and ownership, but familiar with the equine stars of the sport. Growing up, he attended races at Kawartha Downs and in the last decade has owned multiple off-track Thoroughbreds. As Davis went looking for more information...

Ontario Racing's Thoroughbred Improvement Program's (TIP) Mare Purchase Program (MPP) is back in time for the upcoming breeding stock sales, with a total budget of $800,000. The MPP provides Ontario residents, who purchase an in-foal mare at a recognized public auction outside of Ontario, a rebate of 50% of the purchase price up to $25,000 CAD. There is a maximum distribution of $75,000 CAD for any one individual, partnership, corporation or other ownership group. The MPP is operated on a first come, first served basis, and in order to qualify...

Thoroughbred owners with Ontario-breds competing in the claiming ranks at Woodbine or Fort Erie can check the Thoroughbred Improvement Program website for a list of sales credits eligible to be used on a yearling at the Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, Wednesday, Aug. 31. The sales credits currently on the website include those earned through Aug. 23 and the list will be updated Aug. 29 to include the results from Woodbine through Sunday, Aug. 28. The sales credits will be posted on each sales barn during yearling previews. On sale day,...

Ontario Racing (OR) confirmed that John Hayes will step down as its Independent Chair, after leading the organization since March of 2018. "Horse racing is a unique partnership between all participants including owners, breeders, horsepeople and racetracks," said Hayes. "If one of the cogs is experiencing an issue, the other gears will not work as well. Building strong relationships with these partners and trusting those relationships allowed us to achieve our goals and overcome challenges in these past four years." The Long-Term Funding was among initiatives established under Hayes. Katherine...

Trainer Robert Gerl has been suspended 20 years and fined $100,000 after two horses under his care tested positive for ostarine, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced Tuesday. The drug acts much like anabolic steroids in that it is used to create anabolic activity and enhance muscle growth by directly stimulating androgen receptors. A non-therapeutic substance, it has not been approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country. The AGCO alleges that two horses trained by Gerl, Arafat (War On Gaza)...

Edited Ontario Racing press release Susan Foreman got outbid in a hot market at the Keeneland January sale earlier this year, but found a mare to bring home to her Ontario farm from among the sale's RNAs, purchasing Unostrike (Macho Uno) privately for $25,000 after the 12-year-old failed to meet her reserve in the sales ring the previous day. While half of the mare's purchase price was paid for by Ontario Racing's Mare Purchase Program, the acquisition was made even better when Unostrike's half-brother Rich Strike (Keen Ice) upset the...

A total of C$1 million will be distributed to Ontario breeders in 2022, owing to enhancements made by Ontario Racing's Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) Committee in its Mare Purchase and Recruitment Programs for the 2021-2022 sales season. Focusing on the Mare Purchase Program (MPP), the TIP Committee increased the maximum credit available to C$75,000 from C$50,000, lowered the minimum purchase price from US$15,000 to US$10,000 and removed the $100,000 maximum purchase price restriction. We made changes to the Mare Programs to make them less restrictive, but never in our wildest...

Ontario purse funds from races already canceled or expected to be canceled in April and May because of COVID-19 restrictions will be redistributed to the owners of Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Quarter Horses in the form of a monthly stipend that requires an application process, the Ontario Racing task force announced late Thursday. "These funds were already committed to the industry through the funding agreement for live horse racing between Ontario Racing and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG)," an Ontario Racing press release stated. "In order to be eligible...