It decrease the brand new during the 1963
Woodbine Racetrack is actually a race track to have Thoroughbred horse race within the the latest Etobicoke section of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Amusement Category, Woodbine Racetrack protects and machines Canada’s most well-known race, the fresh King’s Dish. The fresh tune try exposed inside 1956 having a one-mile oval mud song, along with an excellent eight-eights turf path. [ one ] It’s been commonly refurbished as the 1993, and because 1994 has received three racecourses. [ 2 ]
History
The modern Woodbine offers the name in the first place utilized by an effective racetrack and therefore operate inside the southeast Toronto, at Queen Highway Eastern and you can Kingston Roadway, off 1874 owing to 1993. (Because Dated Woodbine Race course is at the fresh southern area end off Woodbine Opportunity, the present day Woodbine is no place near they.) During the 1951, it had been operate by the Ontario Jockey Bar (OJC) and held the new esteemed King’s Plate, it competed with quite a few almost every other racetracks within the Ontario and try needing modernization. [ 3 ]
P. Taylor, began an Toto application of racetrack purchases aimed at as the largest and most effective operator within the Ontario horse race, just like Taylor’s prior to acquisitions and you will consolidations from the Canadian brewing business. During the 1952, the new OJC bought and you may signed the bucks-shedding Thorncliffe Playground, [ 4 ] bought and you can signed the fresh new Hamilton Racetrack, and you can ordered the latest Fort Erie Racetrack for Ca$780,000 . [ four ] Renovations began immediately in the Fort Erie as well as Woodbine, financed by the a public offering regarding inventory to own California$2 million . [ 12 ]
Inside the 1953, the fresh OJC ordered Stamford Playground during the Stamford township (today element of Niagara Falls, Ontario). It absolutely was finalized and soon after redeveloped for the a residential subdivision. During the 1955, Taylor themselves bought the brand new contending Orpen-had Dufferin Park Racetrack and you will Enough time Part Racetracks having California$4 mil ($forty two.six million within the 2023 bucks) [ 5 ] . [ six ] The brand new Orpen tunes have been finalized and you will redeveloped, while the Orpen race charters moved to the latest OJC. The latest OJC continued the latest Canadian Worldwide and you may Cup and saucer limits races that were held during the Orpen tracks. [ seven ] The new race charters gotten from the other tunes permitted the latest OJC to run 196 days of race, more than twice its invited total regarding 84 months inside the 1952. [ twenty three ]
The efforts at the racetrack purchases and you will closures was designed to help with another type of “supertrack”. During the 1952, the newest OJC recognized the fresh new location of the racetrack during the Highway twenty seven eastern of one’s Toronto airport and you may bought over 400 acres (160 ha). The latest designer selected is actually Earle C. Morgan. Although Morgan had not customized a great racetrack, he invested next a couple of years developing the proper execution hand in hand that have Arthur Froelich, who had designed Hollywood Playground Racetrack and you can Garden County Park Racetrack in the usa. [ 8 ] The newest track was created to keep forty,000 spectators, features good vehicle parking, three battle programmes and two training tracks. It had stable room for just one,000 horses and bed room having 700 group. The newest grandstand, made to get as many people as close on the end line as you are able to, incorporated multiple food and you can cafeterias. [ 9 ] Construction for the the newest supertrack began for the 1955.
The brand new racetrack opened into the June 12, 1956, dependent at a high price from Ca$thirteen million ($143 billion within the 2023 bucks). [ 5 ] [ 10 ] It had been first referred to as The latest Woodbine Racetrack. The outdated song was changed into a blended thoroughbred and you can standardbred tune recognized thereafter since Old Woodbine or, for almost all of your remainder of their background, because Greenwood Raceway (throughout the standardbred suits) and you may Greenwood Race track (throughout the thoroughbred match). Both thoroughbred as well as 2 standardbred matches conducted from the Greenwood had been relocated to the brand new Woodbine during the 1994, that has been before this only dedicated to thoroughbred racing. For the June thirty, 1959, Queen Age II as well as the Duke regarding Edinburgh went to the fresh 100th powering of the Queen’s Dish, [ 11 ] and King E II again to your , attended the fresh new 151st powering of Queen’s Plate Bet and showed trophies.