Woodbine Diaries: Marvelous Mile

Woodbine Mile day is the pretty much the best way to send off the summer racing season: not only do fans get to enjoy the cooler weather in Toronto, but they’re treated to some of the best international-caliber horse racing that serves as an amazing preview of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships held in Los Angeles at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. 
I kicked off my Woodbine Mile day with a very special treat: the ABRV tour had arranged for a slew of bloggers from the Toronto area to have a tour of the backside that included hanging out with a longtime racehorse buddy of mine, Excaper. Naturally, I invited myself along since I both love going to the stable area in the morning and also will take any opportunity that comes along to snuggle a horse.
About 20 of us hopped onto a bus outside of the main building at Woodbine and headed to the barns. Once there, we disembarked at Barn 15 and out came Excaper and his main man Skippy Bowen. Excaper is not just an exceptionally beautiful Thoroughbred; he’s also insanely talented, so having him be the meet-and-greet horse for our group was very cool. Everyone oohed and ahhed as Skip led him out of the barn, and Excaper struck a pose to make sure that we got the best photos of him possible.

When Skippy asked if anyone wanted to take their photo with Excaper, I merrily volunteered. It was not at all selfish. At all. Sort of. OK, it totally was; but someone had to break the ice, and I was happy to be that girl! Excaper was his normal friendly self and nuzzled my face as I stood next to him. He’s such a cool horse!

 After that, the bloggers got their chance to pose with Excaper, and he was just as friendly and outgoing with everyone who stopped by to say ‘hi’.

After Excaper went back to his stall to grab some grub, Skip took a moment to try on our Ambassador Dan Tordjman’s bowtie. Lookin’ good, Skip!

After that, we headed to the track to check out both the main track as well as the turf course.

I also managed to get this photo of Dan taking a really, really close look at the grass on the turf course; I’m kind of dying to know what the outcome of his photo was!

After checking out the racetrack, we had one last stop to see a horse being shoed. It’s always fascinating to hear about the really specialized jobs that exist in the horse world, and our guests were riveted by the details of the life and work of a track blacksmith.

When I got back to the main area of the racetrack where the afternoon’s action would be taking place, Woodbine was already packed with fans out to have a Sunday Funday worth remembering. From the festival area filled with college students enjoying bands and food trucks to the packed Grandstand and everywhere in between, Woodbine was full to the brim with folks out to enjoy a picture-perfect afternoon of top-notch racing.0

The first major race of the afternoon was the Northern Dancer. A 1 ½ mile marathon on the grass for Thoroughbreds three years of age and older, this race had attracted nine talented runners to vie for the $300,000 in purse money. As the horses circled in the paddock before the race, I noticed that pretty much everyone there, from the owners to the racehorses’ caretakers, had huge smiles on their faces. Woodbine’s just that way – it’s a place that makes people happy.

Woodbine’s grass course is especially interesting because, unlike most other racecourses in North America, the grass is on the outside of the main track; because of this, the races that are 1 ½ miles long actually begin right in front of the Grandstand.
As the horses lined up to begin the race, the crowd pressed closer to get their best vantage point; and when the gates spring open and the horses catapulted onto the turf course a huge cheer went up from fans throughout the track.

In the end, it was Sheikhzayedroad’s day for victory. There was an inquiry into the finish of the race as it seemed that Sheikhzayedroad may have interfered with third-place finisher Reporting Star, but eventually he was cleared and his win stood up.

It was great to see Terrence Ross, who’s the guard for the Toronto Raptors, back at the races for the Woodbine Mile! He was the celebrity guest at the draw for the Woodbine Mile, and I guess he must have had a blast at the track since he was back to present the Northern Dancer trophy. Very cool!

He also stuck around to check out the rest of the races all afternoon. I think Woodbine just got itself a very cool new horse racing fan!

The next major race of the afternoon was also the first of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In races: the Canadian Stakes. This is a test for fillies and mares (female horses) three years old and up travelling a mile and an eighth over the lawn. The winner of the race would get a free trip to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
So naturally the horses running in the Canadian Stakes were dressed to the nines and in their party clothes for their big afternoon. Each and every Thoroughbred in the paddock looked amazing, and it was impossible to pick the best-looking horse going into the race.

But I know who the happiest jockey to win is, and that’s Eurico Da Silva; when he got Deceptive Vision home in front in the Canadian Stakes, he stood up in his stirrups and pointed at the filly as they crossed under the wire to give her credit for running such a huge race.

Seriously: you have to love jockeys who so clearly love their job! He was wreathed in smiles the entire way to the winner’s circle and beyond. It was an even sweeter victory because Deceptive Vision is owned by Sam-Son Farm, one of the most historic Thoroughbred farms in Canada. It was a great win for the home team, and the crowd was definitely happy to have their hometown heroes get their moment in the sun.

And Deceptive Vision also earned herself a brand-new blanket proclaiming her to be the newest Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf contender.

With that, it was time for the weekend’s main event: the Woodbine Mile. With eleven contenders ready to do battle over the turf course for a chance at the lion’s share of a million dollars in purse money and a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the stakes were high and tension was mounting in the moments leading up to the big race. As horses paraded around the Woodbine paddock, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds to cast an ethereal afternoon glow on the contenders.

As the horses made their way to the starting gate, there was a discernable buzz in the air. It made for an electric environment as the shadows grew longer on Woodbine Mile day.

And then it was Mile time. Unfortunately, I was so riveted by winner Trade Storm’s performance that my photo turned out a bit blurry – but he put in a truly tremendous race, and his trainer David Simcock confirmed that the six-year-old horse will in fact be travelling to Los Angeles to try his luck in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Saturday, November 1.

After the winner’s circle ceremony, Trade Storm took a very well-deserved drink of water and headed back to his barn for some food and a good night’s sleep. He was so valiant in his win, and I can’t wait to see him again in just a few weeks when he turns up to face the best grass milers in the world at the Breeders’ Cup.

With that, my Woodbine Mile weekend drew to a close. It’s always such an amazing time here at Canada’s premiere horse racing destination, and I encourage anyone who can get the chance to visit this beautiful place to come here as often as possible for an unforgettable experience.

That's a wrap for me from @WoodbineRacing. Thanks to everyone at this great track for a wonderful #WoMile weekend! pic.twitter.com/xVB50TGvmF
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) September 14, 2014

What was your favorite performance from Woodbine this weekend? Let me know in the comments, and thank you so much for experiencing #WoMile with me again this year!