In 2025, world class racing was, once again, front and centre in Ontario at Woodbine Racetrack. As in past years, we saw eventual Breeders' Cup champions grace us with our presence, illustrating the pivotal role Woodbine plays on the path to world domination. Are we beginning to see a pattern here, with the likes of MOIRA, CY FAIR, NOTABLE SPEECH, and SHE FEELS PRETTY asserting themselves alongside the world's best?
The 2025 meet began on a high note with Sofia Vives nabbing two wins on the card, including the Star Shoot Stakes with Irish-bred Kelsey Danner trainee BRINDI, who would return for the Ruling Angel Stakes a few weeks later, to double-up.
Sofia Vives and Brindi.
Heritage Series veteran LITTLE TEDDY is a true Ontario success story and is a model of consistency winning four of six starts in 2025, including the Zadracarta and Eternal Search Stakes for trainer Santino DiPaola and his family's York Tech Racing Stable. An $11,000 yearling purchase at the 2022 CTHS Premier Yearling Sale, she has gone on to bank a healthy $362,000 proving it really pays to bet Ontario.
Little Teddy under Austin Adams, with her connections.
The 2025 CTHS Premier Yearling Sale on Aug. 27, saw a gross of $3.6 million from 133 horses sold, with an average price of $27,300 and a median of $15,000. This shows a strong interest in owners to invest in Ontario stock. The sale's top seller was a colt by Speightstown (Hip #109) who sold for $400k to buyer Michael De Paulo. Meanwhile, a Silent Name–Platinum Steel (Hip #47) half-brother to King's Plate winner Paramount Prince, plus stakes winners Its Time to Shine, and Souper Supreme, sold for $112,000 for breeder Ericka Rusnak/Hill 'n' Dale.
Ericka Rusnack and Hip #47.
Robert Tiller and owner Frank Di Giulio Jr. continue to gift us with some of the grittiest athletes on the grounds. Four-year-old Souper Speedy filly MAXIMUM FIFTY would go on to have a career season, winning an incredible six races. She has the distinction of being the winningest horse this season at Woodbine, most of those victories under her regular pilot, Daisuke Fukumoto. The Ontario-bred's earnings got boosted to an incredible $365,404 in 2025.
MAXIMUM FIFTY with Fukumoto and connections.
We also take a moment to remember reigning Horse of the Year PATCHES O'HOULIHAN, who dominated the earlier part of the meet with back-to-back wins in the Thorncliffe and Highlander Stakes (Grade 2) for Di Giulio Jr. and Tiller, before his tragic passing this summer. Thank you, Patches for the thrills and memories. You are dearly loved and missed.
PATCHES O'HOULIHAN going wide with Sofia Vives to win the Highlander Stakes.
What a year it was for trainer Dale Desruisseaux. He had a career season with almost $1.1 million in earnings, and, more importantly, some looming stars in his barn including potential champions and King's Plate/Woodbine Oaks candidates DIXIE LAW (beating the boys in the Cup & Saucer) and PIPER'S GIFT. Above this, his charge CHURCH AND STATE took both the King Corrie and Toronto Cup on Tapeta and turf, before finding success at Aqueduct in the Hill Prince stakes with a solid third in graded company early November.
Team Dale Desruisseaux with DIXIE LAW and PIPER'S GIFT.
The older boys also continue to show great resiliency, though there was no definitive division leader. We recall a gutsy win by 7-year-old gelding CRUDEN BAY, scoring back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup in July for trainer Donald MacRae and owner Michael Lay, with Fraser Aebly up. Reigning champion DRESDEN ROW also would regain his championship form, taking the Autumn Stakes for True North Stables and trainer Lorne Richards, paired with his regular partner Ryan Munger. Earlier in the year, he ran gamely in the Highlander, Durham Cup and Seagram Cup Stakes as well, across multiple surfaces and distances, turning the tables on his repeat opponent SWIFT DELIVERY (co-owned by Travis Kelce), that one besting him in the latter stakes.
CRUDEN BAY (Fraser Aebly) and his connections.
DRESDEN ROW with husband and wife Ryan and Kelsey Munger, and groom Teejay Holder.
Girls continue to be a critical part of the conversation, and talented 2-year-old Ontario-bred filly CORSIA VELOCE brought home the glory in the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes for owners Glenn Sikura and Mario Serrani, and trainer Josie Carroll, who finished the year fourth in earnings with $2.1 million. Despite a thrilling win that gave jockey Aebly (ranked third overall in jockey earnings in 2025) his first Grade 1 score, the decision was made to give the Practical Joke filly some time off and we look forward to her return.
CORSIA VELOCE with Fraser Aebly and connections.
Reigning champion and 2024 King's Plate heroine CAITLINHERGRTNESS continues to show us her gumption. In 2025, she took a pair of Grade 3 fixtures, the Ontario Matron and Belle Mahone Stakes, while also placing in a pair of graded races, the Bessarabian and Dance Smartly Stakes, for owner WinStar Farm and Team Kevin Attard. We will miss seeing the brave filly as she heads to her next chapter soon as a broodmare soon after a final start this month at Turfway Park.
CAITLINHERGRTNESS with leading rider Rafael Hernandez and her connections.
CAITLINHERGRTNESS would pass on the torch to her stablemate this August. Reigning champion trainer Kevin Attard would finish the year second with 65 wins and $4.2 million in earnings. Once again, had the crowning honour of taking the 167th edition of Canada's marquee race, the King's Plate, with MANSETTI. The Collected colt is known affectionately as "Pizza Boy" around his barn, him being a namesake for owners The Ulwellings' favourite Minnesota chain of pizzerias. The score made jockey Pietro Moran the youngest jockey since 1976 (won by Jeffrey Fell) to win the prestigious $1 million affair.
MANSETTI with connections, and Pietro Moran.
Finishing ahead of Attard in year-end trainer standings was 16-time Sovereign Award-winning trainer MARK CASSE, who once again found himself atop Woodbine's standings in 2025 with 97 wins and $5.7 million in earnings with some of his biggest earners locally including MY BOY PRINCE, PARAMOUNT PRINCE, SWIFT DELIVERY, and Woodbine Oaks victress NO TIME.
NO TIME with John Velazquez and connections.
TOM'S MAGIC cast a spell on us with some dazzling performances locally, including a runner-up finish in the King's Plate to MANSETTI, followed by a hard-fought win under Rafael Hernandez in the third jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes for owners CJ Thoroughbreds and Mo Speed Racing, and Team Michael Stidham. He would cap off the season late November, with a stellar second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar, just missing narrowly. Not having raced the requisite three times required in Canada this season, he won't be eligible for a Sovereign Award next April sadly but hopefully he’ll be back next season.
TOM'S MAGIC, Rafael Hernandez, and connections.
As mentioned earlier, 2-year-old filly PIPER'S GIFT stamped herself a name to watch in 2026 for owner Chiefswood Stable, but she is just one of several stars to shine for the iconic Canadian racing outfit. Among their standouts this season were BOREALIS TRAIL (Quality Road), who came off his maiden win for trainer Rachel Halden to run second in the Breeders' Stakes to TOM'S MAGIC. He then followed that up with a score in the Ontario Derby. His elder half-brother SIMCOE (Uncle Mo), trained by Katerina Vassilieva, also shone bright in 2025, winning a pair of Grade 3 stakes, the Vigil Stakes and Bold Venture Stakes. This makes him, along with his half-brother, a serious contender for champion honours at the Sovereign Awards. These two are a true testament to the deep bloodlines at Chiefswood Stable, with their star broodmare, a talented racehorse in her own right, AURORA LIGHTS, front and centre in their story.
BOREALIS TRAIL with Jose Luis Campos and connections.
SIMCOE, Rafael Hernandez and groom "Fly".
Halden also had a hand in conditioning Charles Fipke's READY FOR SHIRL with Hall of Famer Roger Attfield. The offspring of Breeders' Cup-winning PERFECT SHIRL won the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes under Emma-Jayne Wilson, along with close-up finishes in the Dance Smartly, Nassau, and the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor, all in tough competition.
READY FOR SHIRL with Emma-Jayne Wilson, Roger Attfield and Rachel Halden.
Turf Champions Day gave us the great pleasure of seeing some of racing's best in Toronto. Godolphin's 4-year-old Dubawi colt NOTABLE SPEECH would use the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile as a final springboard to taking the Breeders' Cup Turf Mile at Del Mar, en route to $1.8 million in earnings in 2025 for Trainer Charles Appleby, under the great William Buick.
NOTABLE SPEECH with William Buick and connections.
Also on the card, 2023 Natalma Stakes winner SHE FEELS PRETTY got a warm welcome back at Woodbine, taking the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor under John Velazquez for Lael Stables and red-hot U.S.-based trainer Cherie DeVaux. She would finish a valiant second in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar, propelling her lifetime earnings to $2.5 million.
SHE FEELS PRETTY with John Velazquez and connections.
SILAWI would take the Grade 1 Canadian International in an upset back in October, denying a repeat for Godolphin-owned 2023 winner, NATIONS PRIDE. The well-travelled 5-year-old Dubawi gelding got it done for Wathnan Racing and H.A. Al Jehani, under Faleh Bughenaim - a winning debut at Woodbine for the connections and rider.
SILAWI with Faleh Bughenaim and connections.
The ultra-consistent RAFAEL HERNANDEZ piloted many greats this season but his greatest story was finding his championship form. He took 2025 top riding honours both in wins (148) and earnings ($6.4 million), just edging-out Pietro Moran on both fronts. The latter, at just 20 years of age, ended the season with an impressive 139 wins and $5.9 million in earnings. Hernandez previously held the country's riding title in 2020.
Rafael Hernandez with Joshua Attard (left) and Tyler Gaskin (right).
Success and form might come in waves, but resilience always prevails and 2025 was the year of grit. We are stoked for what lies ahead for us in 2026 for racing in Ontario. Happy Holidays!
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