The Jockey Club of Canada

Congratulations to CTHSOntario on a great event last night, and to the outstanding horses and individuals celebrated!

We are saddened to share news of the passing of Jockey Club of Canada member, Howard Walton, and express our sincere condolences to his friends and family.

Woodbine extends its sympathies to the family and friends of Howard Walton, a longtime owner, breeder and supporter of Ontario horse racing, who passed away on May 29 at the age of 81.

The 2026 stakes season gets underway this Saturday evening at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino with two exciting $50,000 stakes races on the card!

Race 6 is the $50,000 RedTail Landing Handicap, a six furlong black type event for fillies and mares three year olds and up with a post time of 7:15 PM. Seven talented runners have been entered including Kentucky breds WIRLY GIRLY and Alberta Champion Three-Year-Old Filly GEE I’M FOXY; Ontario breds WHO’S THAT BABY and SILKSTONE; Texas bred BLING DANCER; BC bred AVANA; and Alberta bred DARE TO COMPARE.

DARE TO COMPARE is a five-year-old Alberta bred mare by Gormley, bred by Stone Ranches and Boe & Janet Stone out of the Lawyer Ron mare Ron Rhonda. The CTHS Alberta Sale graduate is owned by Red and Linda Smith.

The $50,000 Journal Handicap will run as Race 9 with an 8:45 PM post time. The six furlong handicap stakes for three year olds and up attracted a strong field of eleven including BC breds BOLD ARCH, DIOCLES, ROCKCLIFFE, STORMY BLUE, and LUCKY FORCE; Saskatchewan bred AL REICHERT; Ontario breds GOTME GOOD and THATSWHATIMHEREFOR; Florida bred RAINBOW’S PRIDE; and Kentucky breds ABELIEFINTHISLIVIN and STONEVICIOUS.

Best of luck to all the entries and their connections this weekend at Century Mile Racetrack and Casino!

https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/RaceCardIndexCTM053026CAN-EQB.html

Photo Credit: Kady Dane Photography

Our condolences to the family of Gil Rowntree on his recent passing; Mr. Rowntree was one of the first ever recipients of a Sovereign Award.

CHRHF 1997 Thoroughbred Trainer Inductee Gil Rowntree Passes

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame extends condolences to the family, friends and associates of Gil Rowntree, 1997 Thoroughbred Trainer Inductee, who passed away May 24, 2026, at the age of 92.

Rowntree’s training achievements include a Sovereign Award as Canada’s Outstanding Trainer in 1975. That same year his client, Stafford Farm received the Sovereign for Outstanding owner, the inaugural year the Sovereign Award for either trainer or owner was presented.

Rowntree and Stafford Farm were victorious three times in the Queen’s Plate with Royal Chocolate (1973), Amber Herod (1974) and Sound Reason (1977), all with Rowntree’s close friend and future fellow Hall of Fame member, jockey Robin Platts, in the irons.

In 1984 Rowntree captured the 125th running of Canada’s glamor event with Key to the Moon for Bahnam Yousif’s BKY Stables.

While Overskate, the horse often considered the best ever trained by Rowntree, missed out on winning the Plate by a short neck, he went on to a brilliant career, twice being named Horse of the Year and accumulating a record nine Sovereign Awards.

Rowntree also developed Canadian champions Ten Gold Pots, Deceit Dancer, Allan Blue, Key to the Moon and Sound Reason. One of his best fillies was Tudor Queen, a stakes winner in the U.S., and the c**t Ambassador B. In 1973 his Stafford Farms’ entry of Tara Road, Good Port and Royal Chocolate swept the board in finishing one-two-three in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, the second jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown.

The native of Toronto had a brief career as a jockey, working for trainer Art Halliwell, initially as a hot walker and groom. When he became too big for the saddle he became a jockey’s valet. He honed his training skills while working as an assistant to another future fellow Hall of Fame trainer Lou Cavalaris Jr., and went to work for Stafford Farms in 1967. Rowntree’s career, which concluded in 2012, included 1,036 wins and $17,574,804 US in purse earnings.

Horse Racing Women’s Association Expands to Canada Horse Racing Women’s Association expands its "Day at the Races" series to Canada at Century Mile.

Retiring a Thoroughbred takes more than simply moving the horse to a new home. One important step helps protect the horse’s future: completing the Transferred as Retired from Racing process through The Jockey Club Registry.

When this process is completed, the Thoroughbred’s certificate is marked inactive, helping ensure the horse cannot race again.

More than 7,200 Thoroughbreds have already been recorded as retired from racing. If you’ve recently sold, adopted out, or rehomed a Thoroughbred—or have one nearing retirement—consider completing the process.

Learn more or complete the form at registry.jockeyclub.com.

Congratulations to Alberta’s 2025 champions!

Champions Crowned: Big Hug Repeats, Itsallgoodman Breaks Through Current-Year Thoroughbred Rulings in Alberta

Congratulations to all 2025 Sovereign Awards winners and finalists, and best of luck for continued success in 2026!

Mansetti is Canada's Horse of the Year, Chiefswood Owner, Breeder King's Plate winner wins the big prize at the 51st Sovereign Awards and Chiefswood takes its first Outstanding Breeder trophy.

Catch the livestream of the 2025 Sovereign Awards here:

Woodbine Racetrack Live 8 likes. "51st Annual Sovereign Awards"

We share the obituary for our Chief Steward, Doug Anderson. Our thoughts are with his family:

Douglas Anderson Obituary - Toronto, ON Celebrate the life of Douglas Anderson, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Jerrett Funeral Homes - St. Clair Chapel.