Woodbine

Canadian Hall Of Fame Jockey Gary Boulanger Announces Retirement

Edited Press Release Jockey Gary Boulanger, whose numerous career highlights include a Queen's Plate victory, has decided to call it a career. "It's the right time," Boulanger, 55, told Woodbine Communications. "I don't feel I have anything left to prove. I am so grateful to all the trainers, owners and my fellow riders for their support. Just like anyone who rides horses, there are many ups and downs, but you always find a way to persevere." A 2020 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee, the native of Alberta enjoyed...

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Master of The Seas Another Godolphin Romper In the Woodbine Mile

Twelve months after Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) made light work of the race, Godolphin's Master of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) proved an equally decisive winner of the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick. With the victory, the homebred has earned a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita in early November, a race won last year by Modern Games. Drawn the inside gate in a field of just six horses, the 2-5 jolly wasn't the best away and...

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Lael, DeVaux Sittin' 'Pretty' For Breeders' Cup Following Natalma

Lael Stables' She Feels Pretty (Karakontie {Jpn}) came with a stinging rally down the center of the E. P. Taylor turf course to punch her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with an impressive victory in Saturday's GI Johnnie Walker Natalma S. at Woodbine. It marks the first elite-level scorer for the barn of Cherie DeVaux. Sent off at odds of 8-1 while stretching out to the mile off a first-up graduation sprinting over the Ellis Park turf course July 16, the $240,000 Keeneland September acquisition was...

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Heartwarming Journey for Carson's Run's Connections Continues in Woodbine's WAYI Summer

Breeders' Cup winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) may be the sport's poster boy for feel-good racing stories, but there's another waiting in the wings as West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey's own touching story about Carson's Run (c, 2, Cupid-Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes) keeps improving. The 2-year-old colt may be headed to the Breeders' Cup himself after capturing Saturday's GI Bet365 Summer S. at Woodbine, a "Win and You're In" event offering the winner a free berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Nov. 3....

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Paramount Prince Shoots For Second Leg Of Canadian Triple Crown

On paper, it looks like 8-5 morning line favorite Paramount Prince (Society's Chairman) is the horse to beat in Tuesday's $400,000 Prince of Wales S. at Fort Erie, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. He's perfect around two turns and is coming off a front-running victory in the first leg of the series, the King's Plate. And once again, there doesn't appear to be another horse in the field who can keep this front-runner honest early. But this race always comes with a handicapping conundrum. How do you...

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Woodbine Cancels Due To Heat

Due to extreme high temperatures forecast for the greater Toronto metropolitan area, the live racing program scheduled for Monday at Woodbine has been cancelled. The decision was made in consultation with the local HBPA and the commissioned veterinarian. According to a release, the track will endeavor to make up for the lost races over the next few live racing days. Live racing is scheduled to return on Thursday, September 7, with first post scheduled for 4:50 p.m. ET.

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Letter To The Editor: It All Begins With Churchill Downs

Horse racing is at an existential moment. Just weeks after a series of breakdowns at Churchill Downs cast a shadow over the Kentucky Derby, a wave of horrifying horse deaths at Saratoga Race Course has once again brought questions about safety to the forefront of public consciousness. This is a tragedy, as every horse that breaks down also breaks our hearts. However, I believe our sport has reached a tipping point, and I predict there will be a Silver Lining emerging from all these tragedies. In the past week, I...

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The Dirt-Versus-Synthetic Debate: Gold Cup Starter Tyson Could Provide Some Answers

Does dirt form transfer over to synthetic tracks and vice versa? And do the progeny of traditional Kentucky-based dirt stallions run, for the most part, just as well on synthetic as they do on dirt? These are some of the many questions being asked after a rash of breakdowns over the last few months has led some to call for synthetic tracks, which, statistics show, are safer than dirt and turf courses, to replace dirt tracks. While one horse and one race is not much of a sample size, the...

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Classy, Durable Channel Maker Ready For Sixth Sword Dancer

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--On the subject of the resilience of 9-year-old Channel Maker (English Channel) approaching his sixth-consecutive start in the GI Sword Dancer S. Saturday, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott made his point in a few words. "I can't say enough," he said. Mott was smiling, but he wasn't joking. "What can you say?" Mott said. "He sort of seems like an oddity in this day and age that he's able to stay around and still be in somewhat close to top form." Channel Maker has stood the tests...

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Return of King's Plate Generates Largest Handle in Woodbine History

The 164th King's Plate generated the largest single-card handle in Woodbine Racetrack history on Sunday afternoon. A total of $18,127,049.67 was wagered on Sunday's 13-race King's Plate card, eclipsing the previous record of $18,005,973.60 from the 2019 Queen's Plate. The record handle is also a significant increase from last year's Queen's Plate handle of $13.6 million. "It's exciting to have ushered in a new era for the Plate in record-breaking fashion," said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. "We felt good about the buzz surrounding the first King's Plate in...

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Lanni Continues to Build on Canadian Roots with Canuck Racing Club

The name Canuck Racing Club might not be a familiar one to most folks in the horse racing industry, however at least one of the personalities behind it most certainly is. Less than two weeks ago in Saratoga Springs, New York, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made his presence felt when signing the tickets on five yearlings--led by a pair of sales-topping colts--totaling over $9 million in gross expenditures. Already well established south of the border, the Montreal-raised Lanni decided to forge a deeper stake into the Canadian industry over the...

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Full Field of 17 Slated for Historic King's Plate

A total of 17 sophomores--including Woodbine Oaks heroine Elysian Field (Hard Spun) and U.S.-based Kalik (Collected)-have signed on to contest Sunday's King's Plate, the initial jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. Held at Woodbine's Trackside Clubhouse, Wednesday's King's Plate breakfast was highlighted by the post-position draw, which was co-hosted by Woodbine TV personality Jeff Bratt and Woodbine track announcer Robert Geller. Being run for the 164th time, making it North America's oldest continually run race, the 1 1/4-mile test will be contested as the King's Plate for the first...

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