Woodbine Entertainment has some exciting news in store for horsepeople and fans of harness racing. Ontario’s leading operator for horse racing has announced a new Claiming Pop-Up Series for harness pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Campbellville. The four-week CA$8,000 series will kick off at the Standardbred track on Monday, March 4, 2024.
Woodbine Mohawk Park is one of North America’s leading harness racing tracks. It was launched by the then Ontario Jockey Club as Mohawk Racetrack. Nowadays, it also offers a slot machine parlour with over 1,000 slots, operated by Great Canadian Entertainment. A percentage of the revenue is used to boost horse racing purses at the track.
Starting in Early March
As mentioned, the CA$8,000 Claiming Pop-Up Series designed for harness pacers will kick off on March 4, 2024. The series will include three preliminary legs, with purses rising each week, and a thrilling CA$18,000 final, which will be hosted on Monday, April 1, 2024. Meanwhile, a consolation will be provided if enough horses have entered the series.
The first leg of the event will start with a purse of CA$8,000 and will be contested on March 4, 2024, the second one will be a week later on March 11, 2024, with a purse of CA$9,000. Similarly, leg three will be another seven days from the previous one, on March 18 but with a purse of CA$10,000. The final is set for April 1 with a purse of CA$18,000.
In addition to that, in its statement, the operator also revealed that if enough horses a registered there will be consolation on Monday, April 1, 2024, with CA$120,000 in purses. For those who wish to sign up for the event, the entry box for Monday, March 4, 2024, will close on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at exactly 10:30 a.m. local time.
This week, Woodbine and Standardbred Canada also reminded that they will be transitioning to Electronic Fund Transfer deposits as of April 1, 2024. This was first announced in October 2023 and all owners, trainers, and drivers must keep in mind that the deadline to finalize their EFT application is drawing near, as it was set by the operator for March 1, 2024.
EFTs, or also known around the world as direct deposit, is the globally accepted best practice for payroll and other forms of payments. It is used by security-conscious industries, including banking and insurance. Horses who are owned or leased by more than one individual, the first owner of record will get the EFT payment, but all owners must fill the EFT submission form.
Revamping Portions of Woodbine Racetrack
In the fall of 2023, Woodbine also shared plans to make some renovations at its Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, and more specifically the E.P. Taylor Turf Course. The initiative will feature the installation of a new drainage system, allowing the operator to host extended turf seasons in the future. However, work on the course will not start until 2025.
Source: “New Claiming Pop-Up Series starts March 4” Woodbine Entertainment, February 21, 2024
