Woodbine May Open June 6; Queen’s Plate Likely to Be Run in September

[Wandering Eyes]

During an online Q & A session held Tuesday, Woodbine CEO Jim Lawson said that June 6 is the “targeted date” for Woodbine’s reopening and that an alternate date is the following Saturday, June 13.

Lawson said a condition book and stakes schedule could be out before the end of the week.

Woodbine plans to reopen without fans being allowed in the stands.

“We have been working with the provincial government to have them understand we are a business that can safely succeed with physical distancing guidelines,” he said. “We are planning on those June dates. We will proceed with the big caveat that the virus has to cooperate and go in the right direction.”

When asked about when fans could start attending the Woodbine races, Lawson said, “We are looking at a real resumption sometime in the fall. We are hoping there is the potential to bring back spectators on a very limited basis over the course of the summer.”

However, Lawson held out hope that owners might be allowed to watch their horses run in person by September and said that was among the reasons Woodbine was planning on holding the Queen’s Plate in September.

“We’d like very much for owners of Queen’s Plate horses to be able to watch the race in person and that might be possible by September,” he said. “I believe you will see the Queen’s Plate on a September date. That will give us time to get through some of the traditional preps first.”

Woodbine’s safety protocols will require that anyone entering the backstretch wear a mask.

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