Ontario Racing is excited to announce that it is immediately contributing additional funding of more than $10 million to the Ontario Thoroughbred horse racing industry as part of the Ontario government’s plan to increase support to protect agriculture and rural jobs across the province.
The new money for the Thoroughbred industry is part of $35 million in additional funding for all three racing breeds, combined, for each of the next five years.
Ontario Racing’s industry representative board of directors voted to direct 83 per cent of the additional funds toward Ontario’s breeding sector and racing participants.
Thoroughbred racing is conducted at both Woodbine Racetrack and Fort Erie Race Track.
Highlights of how the additional funding will be allocated this year specific to the Thoroughbred industry include:
- An increase of $5 million for the Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP). The additional funds will be used to bolster Ontario Bred and Sired stakes races, increase breeders’ awards and incentivize the breeding, raising and racing of Thoroughbreds in the province.
- An additional $4.5 million will be directed through TIP to restricted opportunities for Ontario Bred and Sired horses at Woodbine Racetrack.
- At Fort Erie, the average per card purse level will rise 15 per cent from nearly $127,000 in 2025 to more than $146,000 in 2026.
Ontario Racing thanks the Ontario Government for investing in jobs in the province’s horse racing sector.
The funding increase will be used to create a more competitive horse racing industry, protect jobs and support the nearly 18,000 Ontarians who earn a living from the horse racing sector. The additional funds will also address inflation that has risen by approximately 25 per cent since the province signed an important long-term funding agreement with the industry eight years ago.
The horse racing industry in Ontario annually injects over $1.9 billion to the Ontario economy and provides approximately $330 million in provincial taxes. Horse racing drives economic activity in dozens of communities across the province, particularly in rural areas where economic opportunities may be limited.
The funding comes through the fifth amendment to the Amended and Restated Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing, signed in 2018. The additional funds will position the Ontario horse racing sector to better invest in breeding, capital infrastructure and purses.
It is important to note that since the fifth amendment was finalized in June 2026, purse levels through March 2027 will have some incremental funding not available at the start of the season blended into purses for the remainder of this season. Purse levels may fluctuate slightly in the remaining four years of the additional funding to reflect the overall increase being spread over a full year.
(Michael Burns photo)
More Top Racing Headlines