Queen's Plate Postponement Looms During COVID-19 Crisis

Officials at Woodbine are considering the postponement of the Queen's Plate, the Toronto track confirmed in a March 31 statement.

In the wake of a Tuesday announcement by the city of Toronto canceling all major city-led and permitted events through June 30 due to COVID-19—and with the start of the 2020 Thoroughbred season at Woodbine already suspended because of the global pandemic—the 160th edition of the oldest continuously run horse race in North America will likely be delayed.

"We are aware of the city of Toronto's announcement regarding the cancellation of all city-led major mass participation events," Woodbine said in a statement released to BloodHorse Tuesday. "Furthermore, due to the postponement of the start of the 2020 Thoroughbred season in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have already been discussing and evaluating the potential postponement of the Queen's Plate. 

"Those discussions will be accelerated in light of this news and we will provide an update in the coming days."

The Queen's Plate is currently slated to take place June 27 at Woodbine, but ticket sales have been halted as the coronavirus crisis rages on. 

The live meet, scheduled to open April 18, has been delayed since March 23, when the government of Ontario mandated a shutdown of all non-essential businesses. The Ontario government March 30 extended its state of emergency of another two weeks.

WOODBINE PRESS RELEASE: Woodbine Postpones Start of Thoroughbred Season

Also Tuesday, Woodbine announced it remains committed to stabling horses on its backstretch for the purpose of providing them with the essential care they require. Businesses that provide for the health and welfare of animals, including stabling, have been deemed essential workplaces by the province, and training is still underway at the Toronto track. 

"These horses need a home and our land and facilities were created exactly for the purpose of caring for these animals," said Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. "Furthermore, horse people have requested that we keep our backstretch open and we have only done so in accordance with the government deeming stabling an essential business. We have also followed strict government direction to minimize the risk in the spread of COVID-19."

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Woodbine has operated its backstretch under strict adherence to government and official health agency guidelines, implementing many health and safety protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19. These health and safety measures include:

• Limited access to the backstretch by essential employees and licensed personnel only;
• EMS personnel hired to verbally screen and take temperatures of the limited individuals that are permitted to access the backstretch;
• Physical distancing practices deployed by using 33 barns spread across 200 acres;
• All common areas are closed and have been since before the government closed non-essential businesses;
• Additional sanitation stations and signage to promote proper hygiene have been deployed throughout the entire backstretch;
• Hours of access to the backstretch have been reduced, including a mandatory closure to everyone during midday;
• Horse vans arriving with Canadian horses returning from the U.S. must unload outside the backstretch area and be met by Canadian based staff to walk horses to barn areas.

Starting Thursday, Woodbine is implementing additional measures to restrict access to the backstretch to designated personnel for each horse only.

To date, there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at Woodbine.

"The HBPA and horse people are very grateful to Woodbine for continuing to operate its backstretch during this time and for doing so with the health and safety of everyone at the forefront," said Sue Leslie, president of the Ontario Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. "We are very proud of our horse people currently located at Woodbine, who have been practicing important protocols outlined by health officials, and we want to remind everyone that it is of utmost importance we stay on guard so that we can continue to care for our horses."