Woodbine and Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario Reach Settlement Regarding Track Safety

[Wandering Eyes]

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with Woodbine after it conducted an investigation into a rash of equine fatalities in the fall of 2024. Woodbine did not contest the AGCO findings.

Between Oct. 28 and Dec. 15, 19 horses sustained injuries while racing and training over Woodbine's synthetic surface. Ten of those horses had to be euthanized. Two horses died on Nov. 9 and the remainder of that day's card was cancelled.

The breakdowns were not expected as Woodbine's Tapeta surface had enjoyed a reputation as one of the safest racing surfaces in North America.

The AGCO investigation concluded that Woodbine's track maintenance practices were inadequate and inconsistent with manufacture guidelines. The AGCO investigation also concluded that there were substandard grooming practices and irregular surface depth measurements and that Woodbine was using undertrained ad inexperienced personnel. It also discovered that there was an absence of standard maintenance protocols and improperly maintained track equipment.

As part of the settlement Woodbine has agreed to adopt some new measures, including independent oversight. They will be required to retain two internationally recognized track safely experts for two years to conduct quarterly safety assessments of the Tapeta surface. They will also form a Track Surfaces Committee to monitor track safety and make recommendations for improvement throughout the racing season.

Failure to comply with these measures by Woodbine will result in regulatory measures, including a $200,000 fine. As part of the agreement, Woodbine Entertainment will also make a $200,000 donation to support equine aftercare and welfare in Ontario, with equal contributions to the LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Prior to reaching the agreement with the AGCO, Woodbine had already taken several steps on their own to enhance track safety. The list includes recruitment of a full-time track maintenance specialist and renovation of the track near the five-and-a-half furlong pole to improve consistency and drainage.

The AGCO will take measures of its own, including strengthen veterinary oversight, increased scrutiny of horses returning from the vet's list and new guidelines around racing frequency and the use of certain therapeutic treatments.

In December, it was announced by Woodbine that horses which raced in the previous 14 days are no longer eligible, nor are those who had an intra-articular fetlock injection, during that same time frame.

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