The $6 million Breeders Crown, harness racing’s richest and most
prestigious year-end divisional championship series, is set to return in October 2019 to the newly renovated Woodbine Mohawk Park
in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada.
“Woodbine has hosted many Breeders Crown events, however, we are
thrilled to welcome the championship series back 35 years later to the new
Woodbine Mohawk Park,” said Jessica Buckley, President, Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“We look forward to having our fans and community experience this world class
event with all the top horses in North America.”
Woodbine Entertainment has played host to more Breeders Crown events than any other racetrack, with the events contested in the past at Woodbine, Mohawk and Greenwood. Woodbine has held all 12 Breeders Crown events three times in the past seven
years, most recently in in 2015, setting a
Canadian harness racing handle record of $5.7 million.
Mohawk Racetrack was in the
initial rotation of host tracks in 1984, and was granted the $539,825
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot won by the late Hall of Famer George Sholty driving
Castleton, Dawson and Simon’s Conifer.
The seven-eighths mile oval last staged the four Open divisions in 2008,
capped by an epic rematch between open pacers Mr Big and Artistic Fella, with
Mr Big emerging the winner.
In 2017, Woodbine Entertainment announced a $10 million
renovation and rebranding of Mohawk Racetrack to Woodbine Mohawk Park, to create a year-round showcase for Standardbred racing. Woodbine’s continued support of championship events resulted
in a commitment to host the Breeders Crown as soon as there was an opening.
“Woodbine Entertainment has been an exemplary partner of the Breeders Crown
series since our inaugural year in 1984,” said John Campbell, president &
CEO of the Hambletonian Society, which owns and administers the
races. “We look forward to bringing the Crown back to a familiar but
also brand new setting of Woodbine Mohawk Park.”
The Breeders Crown series has typically crowned champions in every
division for trotters and pacers and been the deciding factor in Horse of the
Year honors. A Breeders Crown title is one of the most coveted honors in
harness racing.
The Hambletonian Society is a non-profit organization formed in 1924 to
sponsor the race for which it was named, the Hambletonian Stake. The Society’s
mission is to encourage and support the breeding of Standardbred horses through
the development, administration and promotion of harness racing stakes,
early-closing races and other special events. For more information,
visit www.hambletonian.com.
Woodbine
Entertainment is the largest horse racing operator in Canada offering
world-class horse racing at Woodbine Racetrack (Toronto) and Woodbine Mohawk
Park (Milton) as well as operating off-track wagering (Champions teletheatre
network) and remote wagering (HPIbet). Woodbine gives back to the communities
in which it operates through the Woodbine Cares program. Woodbine Mohawk
Park is home to year-round Standardbred Racing and North America’s richest
pacing event, the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup. The privately owned
434-acre site has seen recent renovations and upgrades to host year-round
racing. Future plans for Woodbine Mohawk Park’s property include transformation
into a mixed-use entertainment destination in support of Standardbred racing in
Ontario. www.woodbinemohawkpark.com
@WoodbineSB
