Woodbine Park (October 19, 1875 - December 31, 1993), also known as Old Woodbine and Greenwood, was one of Canada’s oldest racetracks.[1] It was located between present day Woodbine and Coxwell Avenue, near Ashbridge’s Bay.[2] During its long history, it offered trotting and pacing races, flat races, and steeplechase races, some of which were open to all horses.[3] The idea of races being open to all horses is not normally seen at modern day tracks, who usually only have races for three breeds of horses: Standardbreds, Thoroughbreds, and Quarter Horses. Woodbine Park became a prominent track in North America, hosting the King or Queen’s Plate, which is the longest continuously ran horse race in North America, for more than seventy years.[4] In 1963, Northern Dancer, one of Canada’s greatest Thoroughbreds won the Carleton Stakes there.[5] The track closed because of development interests and decreased attendance in its final years.[6]
[1] Jane Fairburn,
Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto’s Waterfront Heritage (Toronto: ECW Press, 2013), 150; Beverley Smith, “A Way of Life fades Away,”
The Globe and Mail, December 27, 1993, page C1.
[3] “Woodbine Park Races: First Day.”
The Globe, October 20, 1875, page 4.
[5] Al Nickleson, “Small but Mighty: Northern Dancer Brilliant Hoofer in Carleton Win,”
The Globe and Mail, November 7, 1963, page 30.
[6] Beverley Smith, “A Way of Life fades Away,”
The Globe and Mail, December 27, 1993, page C1.
