Woodbine’s Turf Champions Day on Sept. 14, headlined by the grade 1 Woodbine Mile, saw a 9% increase in total wagering from 2023.
According to Woodbine, the all-sources handle for Saturday’s Turf Champions Day was CA$13,339,206, up from last year’s $12.1 million. The $13.3 million handle is the second-highest ever for a Woodbine Mile card.
Notably, wagering in the home market area of Ontario also saw an 8.9% increase from the previous year. A strong crowd on a warm mid-September afternoon helped push on-track wagering up 26%.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day to showcase racing at Woodbine,” said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. “A lot of factors played into a successful Turf Champions Day, including the world-class competition of our top stakes races, the influx of top jockeys and trainers from around the world, and outstanding weather, which we were certainly due to receive.”
With an average field size of 9.3, the average per-race handle was $1.1 million and $1.3 million on the stakes.
Turf Champions Day featured four grade 1 turf races, including three Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series events.
“We want to thank all the participants that ran their horses on Saturday’s Turf Champions Day, whether local or traveling from overseas,” said Copeland. “We’re always ready for these big moments and our racing team did a great job putting together a deep and competitive day of racing.”
The E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine will remain in the spotlight over the next several weeks. The Breeders’ Stakes, third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, will be run on the grass Sept. 29, while the grade 2 Nearctic and grade 2 Dance Smartly will also take to the famed E.P. Taylor Turf Oct. 5.
Live racing continues each Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack through Dec. 15.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
