{
    "title": "Woodbine to launch 2026 Thoroughbred Season Saturday ",
    "modified_at": "2026-04-17 18:59:53",
    "published_at": "2026-04-17 18:59:00",
    "url": "http://newsroom.woodbine.com/woodbine-to-launch-2026-thoroughbred-season-saturday",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/7CCd",
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    "slug": "woodbine-to-launch-2026-thoroughbred-season-saturday",
    "body": "<p>TORONTO, April 17, 2026 &ndash; Woodbine Entertainment is set to begin its 71<sup>st</sup> Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, tomorrow (Saturday, April 18).</p><p>The 2026 season will run from this Saturday (April 18) through December 13 with a total of 128 race dates scheduled. Saturday&rsquo;s opening day card will feature seven races. </p><p>&ldquo;Each new season is an opportunity to build on our momentum and reaffirm our commitment to excellence in racing,&rdquo; said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re proud to welcome back our fans, horsepeople, and partners for another year of racing. There&rsquo;s a real sense of anticipation as we get underway, and we&rsquo;re looking forward to a strong and exciting season ahead.&rdquo;</p><p>The crown jewel of each racing season at Woodbine is the prestigious King&rsquo;s Plate, which is set for its 167<sup>th</sup> running on Saturday, August 15. The $1 million King&rsquo;s Plate is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, which is completed by the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on September 7 and the Breeders&rsquo; Stakes back at Woodbine on September 27.</p><p>Tickets are on sale now for The King&rsquo;s Plate, Toronto biggest social event of the summer, at <a href=\"https://woodbine.com/kingsplate/\">KingsPlate.com</a>.</p><p>A different look for the 2026 is the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course will not open until September. Renovations on the E.P. Taylor began following King&rsquo;s Plate Day last August and the project remains on track to be completed by early-September, which will set the stage for Woodbine&rsquo;s Turf Champions Day on September 12. </p><p>A total of four Grade 1 Breeders&rsquo; Cup &ldquo;Win and You&rsquo;re In&rdquo; Challenge Series races will be held on Turf Champions Day, featuring the Woodbine Mile, E.P. Taylor Stakes, Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes and bet365 Summer Stakes.</p><p>This will mark the first time Woodbine has held four Breeders&rsquo; Cup Challenge Series races on the same card.</p><p>To view the full stakes schedule for 2026, <a href=\"https://woodbine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026-Thoroughbred-Stakes-Schedule-Woodbine-Racetrack.pdf\">click here.</a></p><p>Racing fans will be able to see the return of many familiar stars to the Toronto racetrack in 2026.</p><p>Veteran jockey Rafael Hernandez returns to defend his riding title in 2026. A native of Puerto Rico, Hernandez captured his second Woodbine title in 2025 with 148 victories and led all jockeys in earnings with $6.4 million (USD) and stakes wins with 23. \u200b </p><p>Young star Pietro Moran will look to follow up a memorable 2025 campaign that saw him capture the King&rsquo;s Plate with Mansetti and finish second among jockeys with 139 wins. </p><p>Hernandez and Moran are two of three finalists for Outstanding Jockey at the 2025 Sovereign Awards on April 23. </p><p>On the training side, Hall of Famer Mark Casse will be in search of his 18<sup>th</sup> Woodbine training title after a 97-win season last year earned him his latest honour. Sovereign Award-winning trainer Kevin Attard is again set to figure prominently in all areas, while Dale Desruisseaux will look to build off a career-best season in 2025 that saw him campaign multiple Sovereign Award finalists.</p><p>With morning activity continuing to pick up, the Woodbine racing calendar will start with live racing offered on Saturdays and Sundays for the first three-weeks of the meet. Fridays will be added to the schedule on May 8 and Thursdays on June 11.</p><p>Post time for the start of the meet is 1:20 p.m.</p><p>To make dining reservations for opening day and all-season at Woodbine, <a href=\"https://woodbine.com/dining-at-woodbine/\">click here</a>.</p><p>Horseplayers in Canada can watch and wager on the entire racing season at Woodbine through <a href=\"https://www.hpibet.com/\">HPIbet.com</a> and bet365.</p><p>For the latest racing schedule, live video, wagering tools and news, visit <a href=\"https://woodbine.com/\">Woodbine.com</a> or follow <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WoodbineTB\">@WoodbineTB</a> and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/WoodbineComms\">@WoodbineComms</a> on social media. </p><p>-30-</p><div\n    id='gallery-6e96c4f5-6202-46fc-be65-62eb53312e46'\n    class='release-content-gallery release-content-gallery--layout-contained'\n    data-component='chromatic-gallery,image-zoom-popup'\n    data-chromatic-gallery-padding='S'\n    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class=\"release-content-contact__avatar-image\" /></div>\n    <div class=\"release-content-contact__details\">\n        <strong class=\"release-content-contact__name\">Mark McKelvie</strong>\n        <em class=\"release-content-contact__description\">Sr. Manager Communications, Woodbine Entertainment</em>\n        <ul class=\"release-content-contact__details-list\"><li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"mailto:mmckelvie@woodbine.com\"  class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"mmckelvie@woodbine.com\"><svg class=\"icon icon-paper-plane release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-paper-plane\"></use>\n            </svg>mmckelvie@woodbine.com</a></li>\n<li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"tel:905-864-9110\"  class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"905-864-9110\"><svg class=\"icon icon-mobile release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-mobile\"></use>\n            </svg>905-864-9110</a></li>\n<li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"https://twitter.com/@WoodbineMark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"@WoodbineMark\"><svg class=\"icon icon-twitter release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-twitter\"></use>\n            </svg>@WoodbineMark</a></li>\n<li class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item\"><a href=\"http://www.woodbine.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"release-content-contact__details-list-item-link\" title=\"woodbine.com\"><svg class=\"icon icon-browser release-content-contact__details-list-item-icon\">\n                <use xlink:href=\"#icon-browser\"></use>\n            </svg>woodbine.com</a></li></ul>\n    </div>\n</div><p>&nbsp;</p>",
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