Woodbine Entertainment Adjusts Mohawk Million Conditions

Ontario’s horse racing leader, Woodbine Entertainment has some important news in store for its Mohawk Million race. Last week, the group revealed some changes to the event. Now, prices have been reduced for purchasing a slot in the race for two-year-old trotters from CA$100,000 to CA$50,000 and all 10 slots will be available for purchase.

Under its previous format, the Mohawk Million had the same number of slots, but nine of those were purchasable with cash. The last remaining slot was awarded to the winner of the William Wellwood Memorial. However, this will no longer be the case. This year’s edition of the event will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Pleased to Enhance the Race

Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine, said the race has quickly gained popularity in its four editions and that the operator is delighted to continue to invest and improve the event. He added that as a similar race to Pegasus at Gulfstream, it was pivotal for the group to adjust the conditions and keep the race fresh while also driving interest.

As mentioned, the winner of the William Wellwood Memorial will no longer gain entry to the race. Also, the event will keep its CA$1 million in purses, with CA$500,000 in added money. Now, the deadline to acquire a slot for the event is set on February 15, 2024, with CA$25,000 required to be paid before the deadline. The remaining must be transferred by June 3, 2024.

If more than 10 parties file to purchase a slot, then a draw would be organized to select the 10 slot owners. Also, the horse racing operator reminded that each slot is an entity can may be sold. traded, or leased. In addition to that, those parties who manage to acquire one of the slots must declare a horse for their slot by Monday, September 19, 2024, at noon.

Despite, the William Wellwood Memorial now not being directly connected to the Mohawk Million, the two are part of a buffet of stakes offerings for two-year-old trotters. In the meantime, Woodbine Mohawk Park provides late-closing series and Grand Circuit stakes throughout August and September for all two-year-old divisions.

Recapping Impressive 2023

In December 2023, Woodbine reported that the year has been a successful one for its Thoroughbred business, as it generated an all-source wagering handle of CA$613,125,180. This is the second-biggest single-season handle in its history. It had an average field size for those races of 8.2, while the average handle per race this past season was a record-setting CA$519,597.

Last year, the operator also saw its long-term President and CEO, Jim Lawson, step down from the roles. However, a successor was quickly found, as Mr. Copeland was promoted from Chief Commercial Officer to CEO. He took over the position effective from October 1, 2023. Mr. Lawson stayed with the company and became Executive Chair of the Board of Directors.

Source: “Woodbine announces changes to Mohawk Million” US Trotting News, January 12, 2024