Francine Villeneuve
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Francine Villeneuve
Francine Alicia Villeneuve (born July 22, 1964) is a Canadian retired thoroughbred jockey and racing pioneer. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "The Queen of Fort Erie" because of a long affiliation with the border oval. With 1,001 victories and 3,065 combined wins, places and shows, she retired "for good" in April 2012 as the winningest female Canadian jockey of all time and was the first Canadian woman to achieve the 1,000 wins milestone. Early life The only child of Ron and Eleanor (née Broderick) Villeneuve, Francine grew up around horses on the family farm in Winchester Springs, Ontario and went to North Dundas District High School in the village of Chesterville. While attending Humber College for equine studies, she took a summer job at Woodbine Racetrack as a hot walker in 1984, and by 1987 she was a licensed racing jockey. Career Within four years, in June 1991, Villeneuve crossed the finish line second in the Queen's Plate, riding Wilderness Song, makin ...
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Jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual who rode horses in racing. They must be light, typically around a weight of 100-120 lb., and physically fit. They are typically self-employed and are paid a small fee from the horse trainer and a percentage of the horse's winnings. Jockeys are mainly male, though there are some well-known female jockeys too. The job has a very high risk of debilitating or life-threatening injuries. Etymology The word is by origin a diminutive of ''jock'', the Northern English or Scots colloquial equivalent of the first name '' John'', which is also used generically for "boy" or "fellow" (compare '' Jack'', ''Dick''), at least since 1529. A familiar instance of the use of the word as a name is in "Jockey of Norfolk" in Shakespeare's ''Richard III''. v. 3 ...
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Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered " hot-blooded" horses that are known for their agility, speed, and spirit. The Thoroughbred, as it is known today, was developed in 17th- and 18th-century England, when native mares were crossbred with imported Oriental stallions of Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman breeding. All modern Thoroughbreds can trace their pedigrees to three stallions originally imported into England in the 17th and 18th centuries, and to a larger number of foundation mares of mostly English breeding. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Thoroughbred breed spread throughout the world; they were imported into North America starting in 1730 and into Australia, Europe, Japan and South America during the 19th century. Millions of Thoroughbreds exist today ...
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Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. All sites have been in the United States, except in 1996, when the races were at the Woodbine Racetrack in Canada. The attendance at the Breeders' Cup varies, depending mainly on the capacity of the host track. Santa Anita Park set the highest two-day attendance figure of 118,484 in 2016. The lowest two-day attendance was 69,584 in 2007 at Monmouth Park. The attendance typically only trails the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Kentucky Oaks (and in some years, the Belmont Stakes); for more information see American Thoroughbred racing top attended events. With the addition of three races for 2008, a total of $25.5 million was awarded over the two days, up from $23 million in 2007. With the subsequen ...
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Breeders' Cup Distaff
The Breeders' Cup Distaff is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. Known as the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic between 2008 and 2012, it is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. It is the top ranked race for fillies and mares in North America, and often decides the title for champion three-year-old and / or champion older filly or mare. Starting with the 2008 Breeders' Cup, the Distaff was the final race on the first day (Friday) of the two-day event. In 2018, it was returned to the Saturday card. Distance : 1 miles (1984–1987); 1 miles (1988 to present). Automatic berths In 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the Breeders' Cup Challenge, a series of races in each division that allots automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has multiple qualifying races. Note though that one horse may win multiple challenge ...
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Breeders' Stakes
The Breeders' Stakes is a stakes race for Thoroughbred race horses foaled in Canada, first run in 1889. Since 1959, it has been the third race in the Canadian Triple Crown for three-year-olds. Held annually in August at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, the Breeders' Stakes follows the June running of the King's Plate and the July running of the Prince of Wales Stakes. At a distance of one-and-a-half miles, the Breeders' Stakes is the longest of the three Triple Crown races and is the only jewel raced on turf (the King's Plate is raced on Tapeta synthetic dirt and the Prince of Wales on a traditional dirt track). History In 1959, the Canadian Triple Crown was created and then won by New Providence. Six more three-year-olds, including the filly Dance Smartly, have since equalled the feat, with four of them doing so in a five-year period from 1989 to 1993. Six horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown but lost on the grass in the Breeders' Stakes. They are: ...
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Prince Of Wales Stakes
The Prince of Wales Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. Restricted to only three-year-old horses bred in Canada, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (1.9 km; furlongs). In 1959, the Prince of Wales Stakes became the second race in the Canadian Triple Crown series. It follows the June running of the King's Plate and precedes the Breeders' Stakes in August. The race was inaugurated in 1929 at the now defunct Thorncliffe Park Raceway in today's Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood of central east Toronto. Historical notes In 1959, the E.P. Taylor colt New Providence emerged as a Triple Crown champion in its first year of existence. In the ensuing years, six more three-year-olds have equaled the feat. In 2014, it was decided to grandfather the five horses who had won the series prior to 1959 as well. According to the racetrack's website, for fans, the most popular winner of the race was the Can ...
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Canadian Triple Crown Of Thoroughbred Racing
The Canadian Triple Crown (branded as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, OLG Canadian Triple Crown for sponsorship reasons) is a series of three Thoroughbred horse races run annually in Canada which is open to three-year-old horses foaled in Canada. Established in 1959, the series is unique in that it shares the same distances as its Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American counterpart but is contested on three different track surfaces. The first leg, the King's Plate in August, is contested at 1¼ miles on Tapeta (track surface), Tapeta at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, whereas the Prince of Wales Stakes in September is a 1³/16 mile event run on dirt at Fort Erie Race Track in Fort Erie, Ontario. The final leg is the 1½ mile Breeders' Stakes in October, which is run on turf over one full lap of the E. P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine. The Canadian Triple Crown shares another characteristic with its American counterpart – all of ...
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Queen's Plate
The King's Plate (known as the Queen's Plate between 1860 to 1901 and 1952 to 2022) is Canada's oldest Thoroughbred horse race, having been founded in 1860. It is also the oldest continuously run race in North America. It is run at a distance of for a maximum of 17 three-year-old Thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario. It is the first race in the Canadian Triple Crown. The King's Plate has typically been held in June or July, but in 2020 the race was postponed to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Woodbine then elected to run the 2021 and 2022 editions of the race in August. Historically, the race has been named in honour of the reigning monarch. The Woodbine Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the event, announced in December 2022 the race will again be renamed the King's Plate as a result of the September 2022 accession of King Charles III. History In 1859, when Canada West ...
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Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track was opened in 1956 with a one-mile oval dirt track, as well as a seven-eights turf course. It has been extensively remodeled since 1993, and since 1994 has had three racecourses. History The current Woodbine carries the name originally used by a racetrack which operated in southeast Toronto, at Queen Street East and Kingston Road, from 1874 through 1993. (While the Old Woodbine Race Course was at the south end of Woodbine Avenue, the current Woodbine is nowhere near it.) In 1951, it was operated by the Ontario Jockey Club (OJC) and held the prestigious King's Plate, but it competed with several other racetracks in Ontario and was in need of modernization. During the 1950s, the OJC, under the leadership of Canadian industrialist and ...
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Humber College
The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North campus and the Lakeshore campus. Programs Humber offers more than 150 programs, including bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber also provides academic advisors and resources, such as a career finder. Beyond this, Humber College also provides Bridging (or Bridge Training) Programs for internationally trained professionals in the fields of engineering and information technology. Humber serves 25,000 full-time and 57,000 part-time learners. History Humber was established in 1967 under its founding President, Gordon Wragg. The first new section of Humber College opened on Monday September 11, 1967 at James S. Bell Elementary School, a public school ...
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North Dundas, Ontario
North Dundas is a township in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. North Dundas is located approximately south of downtown Ottawa, midway between Ottawa and Morrisburg. It is primarily rural with a few small villages. It is spread across the South Nation River and the East Castor River watersheds. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the former townships of Mountain and Winchester with the independent villages of Chesterville and Winchester. The village of Winchester is the township's primary administrative centre. Communities The township of North Dundas comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: *In the former Mountain Township: Hallville, Harmony, Inkerman, Mountain, South Mountain; ''Belmeade'', ''Inkerman Station'', ''North Mountain'', ''Reid's Mills'', ''Rosehaven'', ''Van Camps''; ''Baldwins Bridge'', ''Cloverdale'', ''Mulloys'', '' Oak Valley'', ''Vine ...
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North Dundas District High School
North Dundas District High School (NDDHS) is a high school located in Chesterville, Ontario, Canada. It features grades 7 through 12 and has approximately 500 students. Notable alumni * Warren Meredith, The Ginger Fox Band lead singer * Francine Villeneuve, retired thoroughbred jockey and racing pioneer See also *List of high schools in Ontario The following is a list of secondary schools in Ontario. Secondary education policy in the Canadian province of Ontario is governed by the Ministry of Education. Secondary education in Ontario includes Grades 9 to 12. The following list includ ... High schools in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1963 1963 establishments in Ontario {{Ontario-school-stub ...
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