It fell the brand new during the 1963
Woodbine Racetrack was a race track having Thoroughbred pony racing within the the newest Etobicoke section of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Belonging to Woodbine Activities Classification, Woodbine Racetrack manages and computers Canada’s most well regent play casino -known battle, the fresh new King’s Plate. The fresh track try unsealed within the 1956 with a one-mile egg-shaped dirt song, plus an excellent eight-eights grass movement. [ 1 ] It has been widely renovated since the 1993, and because 1994 has received around three racecourses. [ 2 ]
Records
The current Woodbine carries title in the first place used by a good racetrack and this operated inside the the southern part of Toronto, from the Queen Street Eastern and you can Kingston Highway, out of 1874 as a consequence of 1993. (Since the Dated Woodbine Race course was at the fresh new southern stop from Woodbine Method, the current Woodbine try no place near it.) For the 1951, it had been work by the Ontario Jockey Bar (OJC) and you can stored the fresh new esteemed King’s Dish, but it competed with many different almost every other racetracks inside Ontario and try in need of adaptation. [ 12 ]
P. Taylor, began an application from racetrack purchases aimed at is the largest and more than winning user for the Ontario horse race, the same as Taylor’s before acquisitions and consolidations from the Canadian preparing community. For the 1952, the brand new OJC bought and signed the cash-losing Thorncliffe Playground, [ 4 ] purchased and finalized the new Hamilton Racetrack, and you can ordered the newest Fort Erie Racetrack having Ca$780,000 . [ 4 ] Home improvements began instantly during the Fort Erie as well as Woodbine, funded by a public giving off stock getting California$2 million . [ twenty three ]
Inside 1953, the fresh OJC ordered Stamford Park during the Stamford township (now section of Niagara Falls, Ontario). It absolutely was closed and soon after redeveloped to the a residential subdivision. For the 1955, Taylor himself purchased the fresh contending Orpen-had Dufferin Playground Racetrack and you may A lot of time Part Racetracks getting California$4 mil ($forty two.six million inside 2023 cash) [ 5 ] . [ six ] The latest Orpen music have been signed and you may redeveloped, and Orpen battle charters gone to live in the latest OJC. The newest OJC went on the latest Canadian International and you will Cup and saucer bet races that were stored during the Orpen songs. [ 7 ] The latest race charters obtained on most other music let the new OJC to operate 196 times of racing, more than twice their desired overall regarding 84 months during the 1952. [ 3 ]
All operate during the racetrack acquisitions and closures were customized to support another type of “supertrack”. Inside the 1952, the new OJC known the fresh located area of the racetrack from the Highway twenty seven eastern of the Toronto airport and you will bought more 400 acres (160 ha). The fresh new architect chose are Earle C. Morgan. Although Morgan had not customized good racetrack, the guy invested the second couple of years development the form hand in hand that have Arthur Froelich, who’d customized Hollywood Park Racetrack and Lawn County Park Racetrack in the united states. [ 8 ] The new tune was created to keep 40,000 spectators, enjoys ample parking, about three battle programs as well as 2 degree songs. They had stable space for just one,000 ponies and you may rooms to possess 700 group. The fresh grandstand, built to rating as many individuals as close towards wind up range to, provided multiple dinner and you may cafeterias. [ nine ] Construction for the the brand new supertrack began for the 1955.
The newest racetrack launched into the June 12, 1956, dependent at a price off California$thirteen million ($143 billion inside 2023 cash). [ 5 ] [ 10 ] It absolutely was initial known as the The fresh Woodbine Racetrack. The old tune try transformed into a blended thoroughbred and you can standardbred track known after that since the Dated Woodbine or, for the majority of of remainder of the record, since Greenwood Raceway (throughout standardbred meets) and you will Greenwood Race-track (during the thoroughbred fits). The two thoroughbred and two standardbred fits conducted from the Greenwood have been relocated to the latest Woodbine during the 1994, that has been before this only centered on thoroughbred racing. For the Summer thirty, 1959, Queen E II and the Duke regarding Edinburgh attended the fresh 100th running of your own Queen’s Dish, [ eleven ] and King Elizabeth II again on the , attended the brand new 151st powering of your Queen’s Plate Limits and you may showed trophies.