WOODBINE KICKS-OFF 2012 RACING SEASON

1) Delightful Song 2) Entrants in first race of 2012 Woodbine Season 3) The Daily Racing Form's Bill Talon, Woodbine's VP, Corporate Affairs Stephen Koch & Blogger/Woodbine Media Wiz Keith McCalmont 4) Justin Stein 5) Holy Schneikes winning 6) Gypsy Ring 7) Emma-Jayne Wilson 8) Eurico Rosa Da Silva & Mr. Will-W.

Another year of excitement has commenced at Woodbine Racetrack with their 2012 Season kicking- off yesterday!  Many familiar faces were seen including top Jockeys Emma-Jayne Wilson, Patrick Husbands, just-crowned Sovereign Award Winner Luis Contreras and Eurico Rosa Da Silva making a welcomed return after his 2011 season was cut-short due to an injury.

Racing Fans came-out en masse to show their support, filling-up the Grandstand after a four-month-long Winter break.  To engage Racing Fans into this age of Social Media, an Incentive  was run giving them a chance to winner a Dinner for Four at the Racetrack simply by Emailing or Tweeting Photos from the Venue on Opening Day.

The Star of the Day was Gypsy Ring, a six-year-old Gelding who was a popular Competitor on the Circuit last year, winning his seventh Victory in the $100k Debut Stakes with Justin Stein aboard.  Another Fan Favourite last year, Holy Schneikes showed his true versatility winning a Sprint Race today; he showed his true mettle last year nabbing Races at Marathon distances.  Although still not ready, the Turf Course was looking impeccable today and it shouldn't be long before we start seeing some of our local Stars racing again on the grass.  Perhaps we'll even see last year's Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Inglorious make her debut on the Turf here after her younger Half-Sister Dixie Strike proved herself on the grass down in Florida over the Winter?

Click here to visit Woodbine Racetrack's Official Website.  Make a day of it this Spring/Summer with your Friends and maybe make some money too!  I know I sure did today, winning six out of seven races and a bit of Shopping Money!

Follow Woodbine Racing on Twitter here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

CANADA'S QUEEN OF HORSE RACING "INGLORIOUS"

Inglorious

Already considered one of the greatest Canadian Race Horses of all time, Inglorious couldn't have a name more unfitting. Not only did win she win North America's most historic race The Queen's Plate on June 26th at Woodbine in Toronto, she did it as the lone filly up against a field of male competitors under Jockey Luis Contreras. Inglorious became only the 34th filly in the Race's 152-year history to have won, pushing her earnings past the $1.2 million mark in only seven starts.  Her Trainer Josie Carroll also has the distinction of becoming the first-ever female in the country to have won the prestigious race back in 2006 with Edenwold. A victory twice-over for the Ladies if you will.

Some could say that greatness is written Inglorious' bloodlines.  Her Dam-Sire (Maternal Grandfather for ease of understanding) Smart Strike is a Half-Brother to Dance Smartly - regarded widely as the greatest Canadian filly of all time in sweeping the Canadian Triple Crown in 1991.  As is the case with kids nowadays, they just love to rebel and Inglorious decidedly won't be following in her Family footsteps.  Instead of continuing on the Triple Crown trail, she will be headed south to New York State on August 20, 2011 for the Alabama Stakes.  That race will pit her up against some of the best three year-old fillies in North America for a purse of $500k and above this, Carroll already has won that same race back in 2009 with highly-regarded Careless Jewel.

And could you hold it against Carroll?  Many feel that Inglorious already is a likely candidate for Canadian Horse of the Year having won two of the Country's most important races, the Woodbine Oaks and Queen's Plate back-to-back in June.  What else is there to prove locally?  Why not establish that she also is the best in North America? Of course, we north of the Border already know this is fact - not opinion.

"INGLORIOUS" WINS 2011 QUEEN'S PLATE

Inglorious wins 2011 Queen's Plate

Although I've never been to any  US casinos, I do on the odd occasion visit Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack & Casino, home of North America's most historic race the Queen's Plate, which was run this weekend. Unfortunately, no members of the Royal Family were able to make an appearance like last year's visit from HRH Queen Elizabeth II.  William & Kate originally had been hoped to make an appearance during their Canadian visit, although alas Toronto was left off their itinerary.

Yesterday Inglorious became only the fifth filly in Canadian history to win both the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen's Plate, both the country's most important races for three year-old horses. Sent-off as the third betting choice against her male opponents, clearly her abilities were underestimated by the betting public on the record-setting day of wagering.  The Purse for the Race was $1 million, of which the Winner receives 60%. Victorious 25 year-old Mexican Jockey Luis Contreras receives 10% of that total.  Betting reached a record high with $8.8 million being wagered yesterday at Woodbine.