Woodbine will offer 122 stakes races worth nearly $22 million

Woodbine will offer 122 stakes races worth nearly $22

million

One hundred and two stakes races, worth nearly $22-million in purses, will

highlight Woodbine's 167-day Thoroughbred meet in 2011.

The Woodbine stakes schedule, unveiled Tuesday by the Woodbine Entertainment

Group, is highlighted by the 152nd running of the Queen's Plate. The 1 1/4-mile

classic, which carries a C$1 million purse, is set for June 26.

The Plate, North America's oldest continuously-run stakes event and first

jewel in Canada's Triple Crown of Racing, will be complemented by two turf

stakes events, the $200,000 Highlander S. (Can-G2) and the $150,000 Singspiel S.

(Can-G3).

Woodbine's richest race, the C$1.5 million Canadian International (Can-G1),

will be held on October 16. The 1 1/2-mile grass event headlines an outstanding

card in which the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course is spotlighted. The C$1

million E.P. Taylor S. (Can-G1), for fillies and mares, and the C$500,000

Nearctic S. (Can-G1), a six-furlong turf sprint, are also slated for

International day.

All three added-money events continue to be key events in the Breeders' Cup

Challenge Series which features a lucrative "Win and You're In" incentive. A

score in the International, the E.P. Taylor or the Nearctic guarantees the

victor a berth in the corresponding championship event, three weeks later, at

the Breeders' Cup (November 4 & 5) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. 

"Last year was our strongest one to date in terms of European and American

horses competing at Woodbine," said Steve Lym, Woodbine's Director of Racing and

Racing Secretary. "Their presence at Woodbine and their results on our

highly-regarded turf course further reiterate how our races are regarded by the

worldwide racing community."

The Woodbine stakes calendar also features three other "Win and You're In"

events, all turf contests carded on the same September weekend.

On September 17, the spotlight shines on the sport's freshmen turf talents,

with the running of the C$250,000 Summer S. (Can-G3) for males and the C$200,000

Natalma S. (Can-G3) for fillies.

The weekend's third Breeders' Cup Challenge race is the C$1 million Woodbine

Mile (Can-G1), the highlight of a lucrative $2 million-plus day of racing on

September 18. The C$500,000 Northern Dancer Turf (Can-G1) and the C$300,000

Canadian S. (Can-G2), for turf fillies and mares, will also be contested on Mile

day.

June 5 will be another big day at the Toronto oval. The C$500,000 Woodbine

Oaks, the first leg in Canada's Triple Tiara of Racing, is scheduled for that

day. Also slated is the C$150,000 Plate Trial, the country's top prep race for

the Queen's Plate.

"We have moved the Queen's Plate back to its' traditional June date after it

was run in July in 2010," Lym said. "Once again, we have placed the Oaks three

weeks prior to the Plate. The decision to do so was extremely well-received last

year. It also enables the connections of a filly that runs in the Oaks more time

to prepare for the Plate, should they wish to compete in both events."

The Breeders' Stakes, third and turf gem of racing's Triple Crown, is set for

August 7 at Woodbine. The 1 1/2-mile turf race carries a purse of C$500,000.

Purses were cut on two stakes. The Canadian International was reduced

C$500,000 from its $2 million purse in 2010, while the Northern Dancer goes from

C$750,000 to $500,000.

The Woodbine meet begins April 2.