International purse boosted

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The 2020 stakes schedule at Woodbine will include 87 stakes worth more than $16.5 million in purses.

The schedule, released Thursday, is highlighted by three $1 million stakes, the Queen’s Plate on June 27, the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile on Sept. 19, and the Grade 1 Canadian International on Oct. 18. The purse of the Canadian International was $800,000 this year.

The three $1 million races will be supported by stakesfilled undercards. Queen’s Plate Day features four turf stakes – the Grade 1 Highlander, Grade 2 Dance Smartly, Grade 2 King Edward, and Toronto Cup.

The Woodbine Mile card includes three other graded stakes – the Grade 1 Northern

Dancer Turf, Grade 2 Canadian, and Grade 3 Bold Venture.

The Canadian International will be supported by the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor, Grade 2 Nearctic, and Display Stakes for 2-yearolds.

Woodbine also will hold three Win and You’re In races for the Breeders’ Cup. Those races are the Woodbine Mile, and Grade 1 Summer Stakes and Grade 1 Natalma Stakes on Sept. 20.

Woodbine also has increased purses for a number of Canadian-foaled and Ontario-bred races. Eight Ontario-bred stakes had their purses increased from $125,000 to $150,000. The Plate Trial Stakes was one of six Canadian-foaled races to also receive a purse boost. The Plate Trial will be run for $150,000 next season, while the other Canadian-foaled events, like the Coronation Futurity and Princess

Elizabeth Stakes, saw their purses bumped from $225,000 to $250,000.

“The expansion of the Ontario-bred program is important in strengthening our racing by making it more appealing to Ontario horses to run at Woodbine, while our Ontario-sired program continues to be an important aspect of our overall program,” said Jonathan Zammit, Woodbine’s vice president of Thoroughbred racing operations.

Woodbine also has made an adjustment to the Canadian yearling sales stakes card, which will be run Sept. 2. The number of yearling sales stakes has been decreased from six this season to four next year with the removal of the Halton and Kenora stakes. The Muskoka Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and the Simcoe Stakes for 2-yearold colts and geldings saw their purses increased to $250,000, while the Elgin and Algoma stakes will now be restricted to 3-year-old sales graduates with purses of $135,000 each.

Woodbine and Turfway Park have partnered to offer an All-Weather Winners Challenge series, with winners of designated stakes at each track earning automatic entry and nomination fees paid to the other track. The winners of Turfway’s Bourbonette Oaks and Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks in March will earn spots in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes and Grade 3 Marine Stakes, respectively, at Woodbine in May. Later in the meet, winners of Woodbine’s Grade 3 Grey Stakes and Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes for 2-year-olds will earn spots in the 2021 Jeff Ruby Steaks and Bourbonette Oaks.