February 3, 2026

For the 1950s, the newest OJC, in leaders away from Canadian industrialist and horse breeder Elizabeth

It dropped the newest in the 1963

Woodbine Racetrack is a race-track to have Thoroughbred pony racing for the the newest Etobicoke part of https://zcasino.org/pt/ Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Belonging to Woodbine Activity Group, Woodbine Racetrack handles and machines Canada’s most well-known race, the latest King’s Plate. The fresh new track are open during the 1956 with a single-mile egg-shaped dirt track, together with a good 7-eights grass course. [ one ] This has been generally refurbished as the 1993, and since 1994 has experienced around three racecourses. [ 2 ]

Records

The present day Woodbine carries title in the first place used by an effective racetrack hence work for the southeast Toronto, at Queen Highway East and you will Kingston Road, out of 1874 owing to 1993. (Since the Old Woodbine Race course was at the fresh southern area stop away from Woodbine Path, the present day Woodbine try nowhere near they.) Within the 1951, it had been work by the Ontario Jockey Club (OJC) and held the latest prestigious King’s Plate, however it competed with many different most other racetracks in the Ontario and you can was looking for modernization. [ twenty three ]

P. Taylor, first started a program away from racetrack purchases intended for is the biggest and more than effective user inside the Ontario horse rushing, like Taylor’s prior to acquisitions and you will consolidations regarding the Canadian making community. In the 1952, the new OJC purchased and you can signed the cash-losing Thorncliffe Park, [ 4 ] purchased and signed the brand new Hamilton Racetrack, and you can purchased the fresh Fort Erie Racetrack having Ca$780,000 . [ 4 ] Home improvements first started quickly from the Fort Erie as well as Woodbine, financed because of the a community giving of inventory having California$2 mil . [ twenty-three ]

For the 1953, the brand new OJC purchased Stamford Park inside Stamford township (today section of Niagara Falls, Ontario). It was signed and soon after redeveloped for the a domestic subdivision. Inside the 1955, Taylor themselves ordered the newest fighting Orpen-owned Dufferin Park Racetrack and you can Enough time Part Racetracks having Ca$four billion ($forty-two.six million during the 2023 dollars) [ 5 ] . [ 6 ] The newest Orpen songs were signed and you will redeveloped, while the Orpen battle charters moved to the fresh new OJC. The fresh new OJC went on the latest Canadian Worldwide and you will Cup and saucer stakes races that were held in the Orpen tunes. [ eight ] The fresh new rushing charters received on almost every other music allowed the fresh new OJC to run 196 days of rushing, over twice its allowed total out of 84 days inside the 1952. [ twenty three ]

The perform from the racetrack purchases and you will closures was tailored to support an alternative “supertrack”. Inside 1952, the latest OJC recognized the fresh precise location of the racetrack during the Highway twenty seven east of your Toronto airport and you will ordered more 400 miles (160 ha). The fresh architect chose is Earle C. Morgan. Even though Morgan hadn’t designed an effective racetrack, the guy spent the following 2 yrs development the form together which have Arthur Froelich, who had designed Hollywood Park Racetrack and you may Backyard Condition Playground Racetrack in america. [ 8 ] The new track was designed to hold 40,000 spectators, features large vehicle parking, about three competition programs and two education music. It had secure room for just one,000 horses and you may rooms getting 700 teams. The brand new grandstand, made to rating as many people as close to your find yourself line you could, incorporated multiple food and you can cafeterias. [ nine ] Construction towards the newest supertrack first started in the 1955.

The new racetrack launched towards June several, 1956, founded at a price away from California$13 million ($143 billion in the 2023 cash). [ 5 ] [ 10 ] It actually was very first referred to as The newest Woodbine Racetrack. The existing tune are converted to a combined thoroughbred and you may standardbred song identified afterwards because Old Woodbine otherwise, for the majority of one’s remainder of the history, because the Greenwood Raceway (during the standardbred meets) and you can Greenwood Race-track (during the thoroughbred suits). The 2 thoroughbred and two standardbred meets held within Greenwood had been relocated to the fresh Woodbine in the 1994, which had been before this only dedicated to thoroughbred rushing. For the Summer thirty, 1959, King Elizabeth II and Duke from Edinburgh went to the newest 100th powering of one’s Queen’s Dish, [ 11 ] and you will Queen Age II once again towards , attended the brand new 151st powering of the Queen’s Dish Limits and you may presented trophies.