Mohawk Racetrack

Woodbine Mohawk Park is a harness racing track in Milton, Ontario.[1] It is owned by the Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club, and is about 30 km west of the company's other racetrack, Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Woodbine Mohawk Park also has more than 1000 slot machines, affordable 1 cent slots, and higher stakes room, operated by Elements Casino Woodbine; some of the revenue from this operation is used to increase the horseracing purses.

Woodbine Mohawk Park
Location9430 Guelph Line
Campbellville, Ontario
L0P 1B0
Canada
Owned byWoodbine Entertainment Group
Date openedApril 26, 1963
Course typeFlat Harness Racing
Notable racesSpring: SBOA Stakes, Miss Versatility, Graduate Series.

Summer: Armbro Flight, Goodtimes, Pepsi North America Cup, Fan Hanover, Roses Are Red, Mohawk Gold Cup, Canadian Pacing Derby, Maple Leaf Trot Casual Breeze, Eternal Camnation, Nassagaweya, Champlain Stakes, Simcoe Stakes.

Fall: Canadian Trotting Classic, Elegantimage, Peaceful Way, William Wellwood Memorial, Metro Pace, Shes A Great Lady, Milton, Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals.

Winter: Blizzard series, Snowshoe series.

Year-round: Ontario Sires Stakes Gold and Grassroots series.
Official website

The track was opened on April 26, 1963 by the then Ontario Jockey Club as Mohawk Racetrack[2] and 4,338 people attended. The 400-acre site was constructed at a cost of $3.5 million with could house 828 horses in the barns and had enough parking for 3,000 cars. The very first Canadian Standardbred Horse Society Yearling Sale took place at the Woodbine Sales Arena with 30 yearlings cataloged.[3]

On April 18, 1970, there was a record crowd of 11,470 in attendance for the International Drivers Competition that featured drivers from 8 different countries.

In October 1999, Mohawk Raceway hosted eight Breeders Crown races for the first time and is considered the richest event in Canadian harness racing history.

Track specifications

The track is ⅞ mile (1.4 km) in circumference (originally ⅝ mile or 1 km), and is made of crushed limestone. It can accommodate ten starters behind the gate, but began placing the tenth horse in the second tier in 2020.[4] The homestretch is 1,095 feet long (334 m), and the far turn has a larger radius than the clubhouse turn to encourage acceleration into the homestretch. There is no hubrail. Racing is usually on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tuesday racing is held from June to early October. Post time is usually 7:10 PM. Some days have special post times.

Races

Most of the major harness racing stakes events were moved from Woodbine to Mohawk in 2007. These races include:

  • Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old pacers, which carries a purse of CA$1,000,000 and is Canada's richest race for pacers. Mohawk hosted the event for the first time in 2007 when it was won by Tell All.[5]
  • Metro Pace is a one-mile race for 2-year-old pacers. It is the richest harness race for 2-year-olds with an estimated purse of $800,000. Known as a launching ground to greatness for horses such as Artsplace, Rocknroll Hanover, and Somebeachsomewhere. There is currently a tied race record of 1:49.2 for Captaintreacherous (2012) and Sportswriter (2009).[6]
  • Canadian Trotting Classic is a one-mile race for 3-year-old trotters and is Canada's richest race for trotters with a purse of $605,000. It has been won by many of the sport's greatest trotters such as Father Patrick, Muscle Hill, Deweycheatumnhowe, and Kadabra. The race record is currently held by What The Hill at 1:51.4[7]
  • She's A Great Lady Stakes for 2-year-old pacing fillies
  • Maple Leaf Trot is a one mile trotting event for horses of all-ages launched in 1950[8]
  • Canadian Pacing Derby for Free For All pacers with an estimated purse of $600,000 and was first held in 1936.[9]
  • Fan Hanover Stakes for 3-year-old filly pacers
  • Elegantimage Stakes for 3-year-old filly trotters
  • Oakville Stakes for 2-year-old filly trotters
  • William Wellwood Memorial Trot for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters

Mohawk has hosted the Breeders Crown several times in the past with the most recent edition being the 2008 older division events. The Breeders Crown will return in 2019 on October 25 & 26.

The long-time announcer is Ken Middleton.

References
  1. "Breeder's crown: 1984-2009" (PDF). Hambletonian.org. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  2. "Mohawk Horse Racing Information". horseracing.info. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  3. "Our History". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  4. "Woodbine Mohawk Park to launch 2020 season Saturday". Woodbine Mohawk Park. 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  5. "Pepsi North America Cup". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  6. "Metro Pace". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  7. "Canadian Trotting Classic". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  8. "Canadian Pacing Derby and Maple Leaf Trot". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  9. "Canadian Pacing Derby and Maple Leaf Trot". Woodbine Mohawk Park. Retrieved 2019-11-26.

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