Blog Post
Mohawk Protocols For Racing
May 26, 2020
Woodbine Entertainment today released its Phase One protocols applicable for all racing operations at Woodbine Mohawk Park, including race nights, qualifiers and training.
All racing participants and staff are required to familiarize with and practice the protocols.
Mohawk opens for training tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27. The first qualifying day is Thursday, May 28. Live racing resumes on Friday, June 5. All live racing, qualifiers and training will be held without spectators.
Woodbine Mohawk Park – Protocols
Applicable to all operations including Race Nights, Qualifiers and Training Mornings - Phase 1
Effective May 27, 2020
We are working hard to keep our racing participants safe and healthy. Please help us all keep racing operations going safely by following the protocols set out in this document. Every essential staff person and racing participant must follow the safest practices on-site and off-site: please try to limit exposure outside of the racetrack, stay 6 feet/2m away from others, recommended to wear a mask outside the home if possible, do not touch your face, and wash hands/sanitize frequently.
The health of our horse people is of paramount importance, but the group that post the greatest risk to continue racing, are the drivers and the Start Car driver and Starter. Please handle these groups with great care and respect and encourage others to do so too. Always wear your mask, keep your hands sanitized, and wear gloves when coming into contact with frequently touched areas such as water taps, crossties and stall door latches.
As per Government guidelines the Woodbine Mohawk Park site will be closed to all spectators. Owners and Media are not permitted at this time. Only essential personnel will be granted access.
General Rules of Paddock Operation
The Paddock shall be disinfected after each racing, qualifying and training day. Sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the paddock. Entry into the paddock shall be limited to essential personnel only. Non-essential personnel will not be granted access to the site.
Every person entering the paddock shall undergo screening and temperature checks at the Security Check Point. This will be the ONLY point of entry for all Woodbine staff, regulatory officials and racing participants.
All communications should be carried out electronically where possible to limit in person contact.
There shall be no loitering in or around the entrance to the paddock, as all COVID-19 protocols on physical distancing shall be adhered to.
The paddock kitchen shall remain closed. All essential personnel must bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages until further notice. There will be no microwave in the paddock. Racing participants are encouraged to bring their own supply of drinking water during the extreme warm temperatures.
Masks (or face covering nose and mouth) are mandatory at all times for racing participants. It is strongly recommended racing participants also wear gloves when coming into contact with frequently touched areas such as water taps, cross ties and door latches.
Essential Paddock Personnel Includes:
- Paddock Judge, Horse Identifier, Saddle Pad Attendant, Parking Lot Attendant, Outrider, two Starting Car Persons, Security, Blacksmith, Veterinarians, TC02 Tech, Test barn Techs, Property Services Labourer, Trainers, Grooms, Drivers, Judges, Official Racetrack Photographer.
- Owners are not permitted at this time as per Provincial guidelines for sports without spectators.
- Only trainers with an entry will be permitted, unless entering a claim that night.
- No one under the age of 16 shall be permitted onsite until further notice.
- Only the Paddock Judge & Equipment Inspector will have access to the Paddock Office.
- The grandstand will remain closed, other than the Race Office and Bookkeeper.
- There are NO food or beverage operations in the Grandstand until further notice.
- Grandstand washrooms are closed. Paddock facilities will be cleaned as per protocols.
Hand cleaning and sanitization stations
have been added to all key areas.
Race Night Operations:
Post times to be communicated from Race Office. Races will be spaced at 25 minute intervals. All horses must report to the Paddock as per their one hour retention time.
Physical Distancing:
Racing participants are instructed to get in and get out quickly and efficiently.
Horses in the old portion of the paddock shall be placed in every other stall to ensure physical distancing is being practiced. Horses racing out of the new paddock expansion shall be placed in stalls side by side, as these stalls are much wider, and the wall between stalls raises over 8ft high. Handlers of all horses must ensure they are keeping the appropriate distance from the handler of the horse beside them and wear a face mask and gloves at all times.
Horses shall only be allowed to go one warm up trip. Trainers wishing to go two warm trips must go first warm-up at home/training center. There shall be no extra warm up people in the paddock. Trainers must warm up their own horses. Each horse racing shall have a maximum of one handler. Trainers racing multiple horses must have grooms taking care of multiple horses. All horses and their handlers must leave the paddock half an hour following their race, unless the handler is tending to horses in a later race. Horses who have been post race tested may leave the paddock 45 minutes following their race.
The drivers' locker room, lounge and showers shall remain closed at this time.
Drivers are to wear face masks and gloves at all times, except when driving during the race. While waiting between races, drivers should maintain physical distancing protocols. Upon the driver’s last race of the day, he/she should leave the paddock immediately after notifying the Paddock Judge.
Lasix and CPMA Test Barn Procedures:
Lasix shall be administered in the two stalls at the southwest corner of the old paddock. These stalls will be fenced off, so that non-lasix horses do not have access to these stalls. Trainers shall unload their horses at the southwest door, and their horse will be administered its Lasix. Once it receives its Lasix the horse shall be taken back to Barn eight. There shall be no loitering in or at the entrance of Barn eight. All Handlers must either be outside in an open area practicing physical distancing or waiting in their vehicle until it is time for their horse to report to the Paddock.
Post Race testing:
Following each race, two horses shall be tested. Blood shall be drawn on all test horses after 30 minutes if the horse is unable to provide a urine sample. A Woodbine security guard shall be stationed outside of the test area to ensure all horses and their handlers are entering and exiting the test area in an appropriate fashion. The security guard will also supply anyone entering the test barn a new mask and gloves.
- Physical distancing to be practiced at all times. when entering the test barn with a horse. Attend the opposite side of the horse, from the technician.
- Remain vigilant and respectful of the Racing Forensic Technicians at all times.
- Hands sanitized on the way in and way out.
- Masks and gloves mandatory
Start Car:
Start Car Driver, and Starter will wear medical masks at all times.
The start car shall be sanitized and cleaned daily.
Racing Offices and Bookkeeper Racing Finance:
Race Office staff must ensure physical distancing is practiced. An extreme push shall be made to have trainers make their entries online. No more than one person shall be at the counter at one time. All others must wait outside of office doors with appropriate distance between each person. There shall be Plexi glass or plastic sheet between employees and horse people at counter.
Bookkeeper's Office shall only have one person in addition to the Bookkeeper at any time. All Others must wait outside office doors with appropriate distance between each person. There shall be a Plexi-glass window around desk.
Bookkeeper will only be open for business during LIVE racing hours only.
The protocols above apply to all Qualifying Races.
Training Mornings – Wed. & Sat. 7:00 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Training slots will be limited to 50 horses per two hour block.
- Trainers must sign-up in advance online using the online sign-up tool on a first come first serve basis. Contact Dylan Allain, Assistant Race Secretary with any questions dallain@woodbine.com.
- All protocols listed in the document are in effect for morning training hours.
(WEG)
OSAS has been very generously gifted a pair of Toronto Maple Leaf tickets which you have the chance to win by purchasing a raffle ticket. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased in person through Joanne Colville or Emma Christoforou and paid before the draw via e-transfer, cash, or credit card or email, call or text Joanne at osashorses@gmail.com or 905-339-6748. The game is on Saturday, April 13 at the Scotiabank arena. The Leafs are facing the Detroit Red Wings. The seats are in section 115, row 26, seats 13 & 14 and have a face value of $660. The draw for the winner of the tickets will take place on Facebook Live on Sunday, April 7. Special thanks to Renata and Dave Lumsden for the generous donation.
March 15th is the final day to place your order for our fundraiser featuring the delicious fudges and spice mixes from Phil's Fudge Factory. The flavours available are as follows: Chocolate Chocolate Coconut Chocolate Pecan Chocolate Mint Swirl Cinnamon Bun Cookie Monster Lemon Cheesecake Canadian Maple Pecan Peanut Butter Explosion Rolo Sour Cherry Tiger Eye For more information on the fudge, please click here to view their Spring Fudge catalogue. In addition to fudge, Phil’s is also offering an assortment of Spice Mixes, these include: Bacon & Chives Baked Crab Bake Spinach Bruschetta Buffalo Ranch Cajun Wildfire Chipotle Bacon Country Ranch Creamy Jalapeno Curried Garlic Dill Delight Everything Bagel Guacamole Herb & Garlic Honey Mustard Horseradish Bacon Island Jerk Mexican Fiesta Roasted Potato Spicy Veggie Spinach Supreme Tiramisu Tomato Basil Traditional Onion Additional information on the spice mixes may be viewed here . The spice mixtures are $5/per while the blocks of fudge are $13 each. We ask that payment accompany your order. Etransfers may be sent to: osashorses@gmail.com . Orders may also be paid in cash to Emma Christoforou at Flamboro or Mohawk. Any questions, please call or text Joanne at 905-339-6748.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 2024 stallion auction concluded on Saturday, February 10, at noon. We sincerely thank each and every stallion owner and farm who donated a breeding to support the official adoption agency for retired Standardbreds in the province. We’d also like to thank everyone who took the time to make bids on these 15 popular Ontario stallions. The results of this year’s auction are as follows:
A reminder that the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion auction starts at noon today (Monday, February 5) and includes breedings to stallions whose books have already closed as well as many other popular Ontario studs. One of OSAS’s mainstay fundraisers every year, the 2024 edition will close on February 10 at noon. This year’s auction is hosted by Easy Auction. To be eligible to bid, please register through the link here. Please note that if a bid is placed in the last 60 seconds of the auction, that stallion’s availability will be extended another 120 seconds, or until all bidding ceases. Bids must be made in increments of $100. If you have placed a bid Easy Auction will notify you by email if a higher bid has been placed. The successful bidders will be notified, also by email, when the auction closes. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required from every successful bidder. The winning bid, minus the deposit, is due to OSAS upon the birth of the 2025 foal. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach If you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Our gratitude to all who contribute to the stallion auction’s success year after year. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement. Photos – Control The Moment (courtesy Tara Hills Stud), My MVP (courtesy Winbak Farm)
The upcoming Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion will provide breeders the opportunity to obtain breedings to stallions whose books have already closed for this year as well as many other popular Ontario stallions. The auction will begin on February 5 at noon and close on February 10 also at noon. This year’s auction is being hosted by Easy Auction. To register and to bid please click here. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach OSAS wishes to thank all of the stallion owners for their generosity again this year and to all of the bidders who make this one of our most productive fundraisers year after year. Additional stallion breedings will be accepted up until date of auction. To donate or if you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding retired pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement.
OSAS’s annual stallion auction, an anchor of our fundraising efforts every year, will kick off on February 5 th and run through to February 10, 2024. We are grateful for the breedings already pledged; the full list of names will be announced shortly. Anyone wishing to donate a breeding, or with questions regarding the auction, should reach out to osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. We’re pleased to announce that this year’s auction will be hosted by Easy Auction. Terms and conditions remain as in previous years.
We are very pleased to use a beautiful photo of Tymal Tempo to spread our Christmas message this season. Now known as Teddy, the five-year-old gelding was recently adopted by Marie-Eve Drouin who graciously allowed OSAS to use her photo for our 2023 holiday image. Teddy is Marie-Eve’s first Standardbred and she is thrilled with him. “I love him to pieces, he is the sweetest and most gentle horse I know,” praised Marie-Eve who began riding when she was seven and living in France. Teddy is currently in training. “I ride him Western and English, he is versatile and his strides are beautiful. I wish to show him eventually. He’s amazing in the ‘in the flat’ classes,” she noted. Bred by Tymal Farms, the son of Kadabra was raced by Julie Walker and earned just over $23,000 in his career which saw him face the gate 18 times. His last start was in April of 2022. A full brother to Haveoneforme ($361,784) and Tymal Riggs ($191,000), Teddy hails from a family of trotting royalty. His second, third and fourth dams are all O’Brien Award winners in Filly At Bigs (2002 - 2tf), Mombasa (1996 – 3tf) and Mygal Haw Lea (1996 – Broodmare of the year). This past year has been a busy one for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society with many horses like Teddy finding their forever homes. We wish all of our supporters a joyous holiday season and extend special thanks to our fantastic foster farms, wonderful volunteers and extremely supportive board. Peace and Joy to all and sincere wishes for a healthy and happy 2024.
A live draw was held Monday (December 11) evening to announce the winning bidders of the 2023 Santa’s Second Chance Raffle which featured 21 baskets packed with incredible gifts including tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs and a full harness. The proceeds of this popular event go to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society which facilitates the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The results are as follows. Basket Winner Basket 1 – Makes Scents To Me Adele Rossi Basket 2 – For Her Judy Graham Basket 3 – Lucky Lotto Crystal Legace Basket 4 – Dog Lovers Sue Brooks Basket 5 – Chocolate Lovers Shayne Simms Basket 6 – Game Night Robin MacKay Basket 7 – Show Stopper Jenna McNiven Basket 8 – Movie Night Don Pearson Basket 9 – Girls Night Monique MacLean Basket 10 – Equestrian Lovers Brian Laking Basket 11 – Self Care Linda Feth Basket 12 – Preserves Monique MacLean Basket 13 – Hockey Night Blake MacIntosh Basket 14 – On The Go Cathy Walsh Basket 15 – Little Italy Monique MacLean Basket 16 – Harness Racing Kim Marks Basket 17 – Date Night Monica Goss Basket 18 – Spreads, etc. Norah Parks Basket 19 – Bakers’ Basket Monique MacLean Basket 20 – Equine Care Kim Marks Basket 21 – OSAS Swag Fran Brethour Our sincere appreciation to everyone who took the time to purchase tickets and also to those who donated items to be raffled and congratulations to the successful purchasers. We will be in touch to get your basket items to you. A huge thank you to Emma Christoforou for organizing this wonderful fundraiser with assistance from Jean Posthuma and Joanne Colville. Emma’s goal for this year’s event was $7,500 which she far surpassed as the raffle raised in excess of $8,300. Note – full descriptions of all of the items in each basket can be accessed here.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to announce the return of the very popular Santa’s Second Chance Raffles, the proceeds of which go to support the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The raffle features a total of 21 gift baskets full of a wide variety of items (including Leaf tickets and a full harness) sure to please even the toughest person to buy for on your list. The tickets are either $2 or $5 depending on the value. You may buy as many tickets as you like and place them in the basket(s) of your choice. Tickets are available for purchase up until midnight December 10, 2023. To pay for the tickets, please send an etransfer to: santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com and include how many tickets you want to buy and which basket(s) you wish to place them towards – each basket is numbered – in the memo. Please provide your first and last name, as well as your phone number on the ticket if you are not part of the Facebook page which is where all of the available baskets may be viewed. ( Santa’s Second Chance Raffles on Facebook). If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, that will be at your expense. There will be a live stream video via Facebook of the draws on Monday, December 11, 2023, time to be announced, likely early evening. Thanks to everyone who participates and supports OSAS this holiday season and kudus to everyone who contributed towards this year’s incredible offerings.
OSAS has welcomed nine new Standardbreds over the past few weeks including trotter Dia Monde who earned in excess of $446,000 during his racing life. Trained by Tom Durand throughout his career, the now 10 year-old gelding competed in several top level stakes events and was very competitive in the Ontario Sires Stakes as well. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the son of Deweycheatumnhowe was a $70,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg. He is a half-brother to millionaire Looking Hanover and his second dam is the trotting matriarch B Cor Tamara. Dia Monde will enter training before being available to adopt.
