Greenwood Raceway (originally Woodbine Race Course) was a horse racing facility in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada.

History

Woodbine Race Course

Inaugurated in 1874 as Woodbine Race Course at the foot of

Woodbine Avenue Woodbine Avenue consists of three north–south road sections in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada: # The southern section in Toronto begins near Ashbridges Bay on the shore of Lake Ontario, at Lake Shore Boulevard.The southern terminus ...

and

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

, it was owned and operated by Raymond Pardee and William J. "Jiggs" Howell. The facility's land was mostly owned by Jesse Ashbridge and C.C. Small. Within a few years, financial problems resulted in the property reverting to Joseph Duggan, the original landowner and retired innkeeper. In 1881, Duggan helped found the

Ontario Jockey Club Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), known as the Ontario Jockey Club from 1881 to 2001, is the operator of two horse racing tracks, a casino and off-track betting stations in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It also owns and operates ...

(OJC). The facility hosted seasonal harness racing for

Standardbred horse The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

s and

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

events for

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 ...

s. Harness racing dates were transferred to the racetrack from

Thorncliffe Park Raceway Thorncliffe Park Raceway was a Toronto-area racetrack that operated from 1917 until 1952. It was located east of Millwood Road, south of Eglinton Avenue East and the CPR's railroad tracks. It was the first home of the Prince of Wales Stakes. The na ...

to fill the gap between the spring and fall thoroughbred meets, and the track was known as Greenwood Raceway during the harness meets. The track was at the junction of Kingston Road and Queen Street East, with only a narrow strip of land between it and

. Thoroughbred racing continued at the racetrack on a shortened six-

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

(1,207 m) track. Harness races were at first conducted on the Thoroughbred track, but serious problems with mud (including the starting gate being immobilized) led to the construction of a five-

(1006 m) stone dust harness track inside the Thoroughbred track. This track was known for its tight turns and long back and homestretches. In the early 1950s, the Ontario Jockey Club, led by directors

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadians, Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing, race ...

, George C. Hendrie and J. E. Frowde Seagram, undertook an acquisition and consolidation program for southern Ontario racing. The OJC bought and closed the Orpen-owned Dufferin Park and Long Branch race tracks. By 1956, the OJC operated just three facilities, consisting of the

Fort Erie Racetrack Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, that opened on June 16, 1897. The racetrack is often referred to as "the border oval" because of the track's proximity (barely a mile as the crow flies) to the U.S. bo ...

in Fort Erie, Ontario, and two facilities in Toronto. A new facility for

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

s was constructed in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

and given the name

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 tra ...

Greenwood Raceway

The old facility was completely renovated and renamed Greenwood Raceway in 1963. It held both harness racing and Thoroughbred racing meets until its closure at the end of 1993. Steeplechase races were held at Woodbine/Greenwood for a few years, and there was a Thoroughbred race announcer by the name of Foster "Buck" Dryden for several years. A horse by the name of Last Mark (owned by James G. Fair of Cainsville, Ontario) won the "Plate" in 1948, setting a new Plate record and only being equalled once before the track was decommissioned. R.J. Speers' horse, Lord Fairmond, came second in that Plate race. Fair had two horses in that Plate which never ran in the Plate Trials but worked out between the two divisions of the Trials. Their times were faster than the times of either of the trial divisions. Greenwood Raceway was the site of the

Canadian Pacing Derby The Canadian Pacing Derby is a race for three-year-old Standardbred Free For All pacers run at a distance of one mile at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario. Historical race events The Canadian Pacing Derby was first run on August 12, 1 ...

, the

North America Cup The North America Cup is an annual harness racing event for 3-year-old standardbred pacing horses which is held at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada. The race replaced the Queen City Pace run from 1964 to 1983. From 1984 to ...

, the

Fan Hanover Stakes Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

, the

Maple Leaf Trot The Maple Leaf Trot is a harness race for Standardbred trotters three years of age and older. It is run at a distance of one mile at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario. Locations *Thorncliffe Park Raceway : (1950-1953) * Old Woodbine / ...

, and the

Canadian Trotting Classic The Canadian Trotting Classic is a harness race for three-year-old Standardbred trotters run at a distance of one mile at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario. The event was first run on October 22, 1976 at the now defunct Greenwood Racew ...

In 1994, the Thoroughbred and harness operations were moved to

in Etobicoke. The stadium was demolished and replaced by residential and commercial development, including a betting parlour.To commemorate the history of the site, two of the new residential roadways were given names that reflected horse racing themes: Northern Dancer Blvd. (in honour of the famous thoroughbred

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

) and Winners Circle. Joseph Duggan Road was named after the historical landowner.

Woodbine Park

The southern half of the property became Woodbine Park with a water fountain feature in a man-made pond. It is separated from Woodbine Beach by Lake Shore Boulevard.

Greenwood Off Track Wagering

In 2016, it was announced that Live Nation Entertainment had purchased the other half of the property (known as Greenwood Off Track Wagering or Champions Greenwood) with the intent of repurposing the site into a medium-sized entertainment venue with a capacity of 2,700 attendees.

References

External links

History of the Ontario Jockey Club at Woodbine Entertainment Group

{{Horse racing venues in Canada Defunct horse racing venues in Canada Defunct sports venues in Toronto 1874 establishments in Ontario 1994 disestablishments in Ontario Sports venues completed in 1874 Sports venues demolished in 1994 Horse racing venues in Ontario

History

Woodbine Race Course

Greenwood Raceway

Woodbine Park

Greenwood Off Track Wagering

See also

References

External links