Woodbine Weekend Preview: Three Grade 3 Stakes Headline Saturday, Harness Rolls at Mohawk Park (July 25 to 26)
Woodbine Entertainment runs the only property in North America where thoroughbred racing and standardbred racing share the same ownership umbrella just up the road from each other, and this weekend both ovals are working overtime. Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto puts together a stacked Saturday of three Grade 3 stakes worth a combined $450,000 before backing it up with an Ontario Sired Heritage Series doubleheader on Sunday. Twenty five minutes northwest, Woodbine Mohawk Park keeps its five nights a week summer grind going with live cards Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We are breaking down both venues so you know exactly what you are betting on when the gates open.
Saturday's Loaded Stakes Card At Woodbine Racetrack
Three Grade 3 stakes worth $150,000 apiece go on Saturday's card, all restricted to fillies and mares except for the Ontario Colleen, which is open to three-year-old fillies only. Between them they cover turf, tapeta and the main track, so there is a genuine test of speed, stamina and versatility across the afternoon.
| Race | Purse | Distance | 2025 Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Colleen Stakes (Gr.III) | $150,000 | 1 mile, inner turf | Candy Quest |
| Hendrie Stakes (Gr.III) | $150,000 | 6.5 furlongs | Creed's Gold |
| Trillium Stakes (Gr.III) | $150,000 | 1 1/8 miles | Literate |
Ontario Colleen Stakes (Grade 3)
The Ontario Colleen has been run since 1979 and is now a fixture of Woodbine's summer turf calendar for three-year-old fillies going one mile over the inner turf course. Mark Casse has dominated this race in the modern era, with eight wins including three of the last four runnings. Last year's edition went to Candy Quest under Sahin Civaci for Casse and owner Glassman Racing LLC, who got up by three quarters of a length in 1:33.51, part of a big Saturday for Civaci that also included the Trillium. The purse is $150,000 guaranteed, with up to $30,000 more available for Ontario bred runners.
Hendrie Stakes (Grade 3)
The Hendrie dates back to 1975 and tests fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up, over six and a half furlongs. It has swapped surfaces over the years but the challenge stays the same, a straight speed test where the pace horses tend to hold on. Casse won it four times across the 2010s and 2020s with the likes of Play the Music, who took it back to back in 2023 and 2024 before Creed's Gold broke through for her own first stakes win last July, sitting a perfect pace trip under Rafael Hernandez to score at 9-2 for trainer Casse and owner Kristin Meldahl. The purse is $150,000 guaranteed.
Trillium Stakes Presented By Don Julio (Grade 3)
The longest of Saturday's three stakes, the Trillium goes one and one eighth miles for fillies and mares three and up. Last year's renewal produced one of the best finishes of the Woodbine summer, with Literate, the 7-2 second choice for trainer Marty Drexler, closing from last of six to run down King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness by half a length under Sahin Civaci. Drexler also won the 2023 edition with Il Malocchio, so his barn is one to watch again. The purse is $150,000 guaranteed.
Sunday's Ontario Sired Heritage Series Doubleheader
Sunday shifts focus to homebreds. The Thunder Bay Stakes for three-year-old fillies and the Lake Superior Stakes for three-year-old colts and geldings are both legs of the Ontario Sired Heritage Series, an eight-leg program launched in 2021 that runs across the Woodbine inner turf, the E.P. Taylor turf, the main track and Fort Erie's dirt track before crowning a final. Both legs go six furlongs. Ontario's breeders just secured a purse increase across the remaining Heritage Series legs, taking the Thunder Bay and Lake Superior from $100,000 to $150,000, effective from the July 19 card onward, so Sunday's renewals are being run for the new, richer figure.
Last year's Thunder Bay went to Sweet Passions, who was away a step slow under Ryan Munger before finding a seam in the final fifty yards to get up late, a script that fits a race where traffic in the stretch has decided the finish in recent runnings. The Lake Superior went to first time stakes winner Dark Screen for trainer Bev Chubb, who tracked the pace along the rail before collaring Go Kart Mozart in deep stretch. Both winners were confirmed by their trainers as candidates to return, so it is worth checking Sunday's fields for familiar names.
Mohawk Park's Weekend Harness Cards
There is no marquee stakes date at Woodbine Mohawk Park this particular weekend, but the Campbellville oval is in the thick of its busiest stretch of the year. Live racing now runs five nights a week, Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a 6:30pm post time, and stays that way through October 12. The Ontario Sires Stakes season is in full swing for two-year-olds, with Gold and Grassroots legs rolling out through the summer, and the Grand Circuit's Tompkins-Geers kicked off in mid-July. Mohawk's next signature stakes date is the Wellwood Memorial and Peaceful Way card on August 29, so this weekend is really about tracking which two-year-old pacers and trotters are putting up the fastest qualifying and early leg times before that card arrives.
Because Woodbine and Mohawk Park share an operator, a punter working both cards this weekend can move seamlessly between a Grade 3 turf marathon in Toronto on Saturday afternoon and a full harness card in Campbellville that same evening, all through the one MyWinners account.
Betting The Weekend On MyWinners
| Race | Day | Purse | Distance / Surface | 2025 Winner (Trainer / Jockey) | Entries / Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario Colleen Stakes (Gr.III) | Saturday | $150,000 | 1 mile, inner turf | Candy Quest (Mark Casse / Sahin Civaci) | TBD |
| Hendrie Stakes (Gr.III) | Saturday | $150,000 | 6.5 furlongs, main track | Creed's Gold (Mark Casse / Rafael Hernandez) | TBD |
| Trillium Stakes (Gr.III) | Saturday | $150,000 | 1 1/8 miles, main track | Literate (Marty Drexler / Sahin Civaci) | TBD |
| Thunder Bay Stakes | Sunday | $150,000 (up from $100,000) | 6 furlongs, E.P. Taylor turf | Sweet Passions (Ryan Munger, jockey) | TBD |
| Lake Superior Stakes | Sunday | $150,000 (up from $100,000) | 6 furlongs, E.P. Taylor turf | Dark Screen (Bev Chubb / Juan Crawford) | TBD |
Until the fields drop, the safest angle across all five Woodbine stakes is trainer form. Mark Casse's barn has combined for wins in the Ontario Colleen and Hendrie in three of the last four years between them, so any Casse runner across Saturday's card deserves a second look regardless of the morning line.
Ready To Bet Woodbine And Mohawk Park?
Three Grade 3 stakes on Saturday, a $150,000 Ontario Sired doubleheader on Sunday, and a full harness card at Mohawk Park both nights, all from two tracks under one roof.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Woodbine's regular Friday, Saturday and Sunday post time is 1pm, with the three Grade 3 stakes spread through the middle of the card.
The Thunder Bay and Lake Superior Stakes were increased from $100,000 to $150,000 each as part of a wider Ontario breeders' purse enhancement, effective from the July 19, 2026 card.
No. Mohawk Park runs its regular five night a week schedule with a 6:30pm post time, with the next signature stakes date being the Wellwood Memorial and Peaceful Way card on August 29.
Literate, trained by Marty Drexler and ridden by Sahin Civaci, ran down King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness for a half length victory in the 2025 renewal.
Yes. Both tracks fall under the same operator, and both are available to bet on MyWinners at app.mywinners.com, with the app available for iOS and Android.
Image by Tudor Costache - CC BY-SA 3.0,
