The Ontario Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP) is proud to announce four new $150,000 stakes races restricted to Registered Ontario Breds that are 4-year-olds or older to be contested at Woodbine Racetrack. The entry box for the first of those races - the Caledon Stakes to be raced on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 1 1/16 miles on the tapeta track - closes on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The four races were created by Ontario Racing's TIP committee as part of its $5 million share of $35 million in additional funding, total, for all three of the province's racing breeds for each of the next five years.
The new 4-year-old and older stakes open to either males or females are:
* Caledon Stakes 1 1/16 mile on tapeta on Sunday, Aug. 30, closing Aug. 12
* Grand Valley Stakes, 1 1/8 mile on turf on Sunday, Sept. 27, closing Sept. 9
The new 4-year-old and older races for mares are:
* Belfountain Stakes 1 1/8 mile on turf on Sunday, Sept. 13, closing Aug. 26
* Silver Creek Stakes 1 1/16 mile on tapeta on Saturday, Oct. 10, closing Sept. 23
Hall of Fame breeder Glenn Sikura, the owner of Hill 'n' Dale Farms, said the new races will increase the opportunities for owners of Ontario Breds, which is especially important prior to the CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale set for Sept. 2 at the Woodbine Sale Pavilion.
"To have a couple of opportunities - particularly in my instance as a breeder that races some fillies - to run in a couple of black type races [at 4 or older] is huge," Sikura said. "It helps me as a breeder. It helps my broodmare band. The local market certainly appreciates the value of the Ontario Bred and just how hard it is to win one of these races."
The Caledon will be part of Sales Stakes Sunday on Aug. 30 at Woodbine, which also features the $300,000 Simcoe and Muskoka Stakes for 3-year-old graduates of the CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, and the $200,000 Elgin and Algoma Stakes for their 2-year-old counterparts. The addition of the four new races means there are now eight stakes under TIP's Registered Ontario Bred Racing Program in 2026. That's on top of 10 stakes restricted to Ontario Sired horses and eight more stakes in the Ontario Sired Heritage Series.
For more information about the Ontario Bred and Sired stakes program, please visit the TIP website or contact the Program Coordinator at tbprogram@ontarioracing.com.
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