Woodbine Racetrack opened in 1956 with a one-mile oval dirt track and a seven-eighths turf course. The track was extensively remodeled in 1993 and since 1994, it has had three racecourses. The name Woodbine comes from the Old Woodbine Race Course that operated at in East Toronto. In 1951, the track hosted the King's Plate, but was in need of a facelift.
In 1952, the Ontario Jockey Club identified a new location for its new "supertrack" The track was designed by Earle C. Morgan, the same architect as Hollywood Park and Garden State Park in the United States. The new racetrack held 40,000 spectators, three racecourses and two training tracks. The stable had space for 1000 horses and rooms for 700 employees.
One June 30, 1959, the track hosted the 100th running of the Queen's Plate, at which Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh attended. She returned in 2010 during part of her visit to Canada for the 151st running of The Queen's Plate Stakes, taking part in the presentation of trophies.
The track hosted the 1976 Summer Paralympics, the Breeders' Cup in 1996 and the Arlington Million in 1988. The track is also home to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fam. In 2018, the track enacted a GPS-based timing system.
The tracks at Woodbine are unique with the outer turf course being 1.5 miles with a chute allowing 1.125-mile races. The track is irregularly shaped with the clubhouse turn departing from the typical North American oval shape. The backstretch is 2.5 feet to 3 feet higher than the homestretch. The inside course is a 1-mile synthetic course. The innermost oval was originally 7/8-mile and was converted to a crushed limestone dirt course for harness racing from 1994 to April 2018. The oval was then converted back to a second turf course for 2019.
Woodbine is also home to a casino with 100+ table games, over 3500 slot machines, 220+ electronic table games and 100+ assist stadium gaming. The casino is open 24 hours a day with valet parking and a complimentary shuttle bus from the Toronto Pearson International Airport and surrounding hotels.
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