It has been announced that that on March 31, 2020 the Delaware Harness Racing Commission approved a plan to distribute purses from the final two weeks of the Dover Downs meet that were not contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ontario Racing today announced financial support in line with existing race cancellation practices aimed at the province’s Standardbred horsepeople in light of the COVID-19 virus pandemic which has resulted in the cancellation of live Standardbred horse racing in Ontario.

Standardbred Canada's (SC) Board of Directors met today and would like to provide an update regarding its ongoing advocacy on behalf of our membership facing financial hardship during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as offer support during this unprecedented disruption of normal business operations.

Since our initial posting, Standardbred Canada has received an influx of submissions from a number of prominent trainers for our popular and comprehensive nation-wide list of 2020 two-year-olds in training.

As referenced on the COSA TV interview on Wednesday night, driver Ron Waples had a knack for engineering upsets in big races during his long and illustrious career. One of those upsets came in the 1992 Breeders Crown courtesy Village Jiffy.

“I’m trying to do my best, whatever I can do… People are going to need to feed their horses, feed themselves. A lot of people don’t really have a safety net. I’m trying to address that in my own small way.

On Wednesday evening (April 1), Greg Blanchard hosted another roundtable discussion interview with three of harness racing’s most accoladed and most respected driving legends - John Campbell, Bill O’Donnell and Ron Waples.

The last track conducting live harness racing in North America during the COVID-19 pandemic has been forced to shut down.

“We’re still quite busy, with a stable of 15 horses. The only thing that’s really changed is the fact that we don’t race now. We still jog and train them. We’re still doing our thing week in and week out.”

Walter Case Jr. was a man who could just naturally make a horse go fast. Alcohol and drugs, however, were a large part of his undoing as a top harness driver. Seemingly on a straight path since being released from jail and suffering tragedy of his own, he would just love to be able to drive horses again....read on

Woodbine Entertainment has announced the set of procedures it has implemented for the care of Thoroughbreds in the backstretch area of Woodbine Racetrack during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Numerous horsepeople named in the recent federal indictments in the United States are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday afternoon (April 2).

As part of its mandate, the newly formed Ontario Racing task force, dedicated to addressing the financial impacts of COVID-19 (coronavirus) as it relates to the industry, will provide regular updates to the Ontario horse racing community.

Standardbred Canada's Nurse Mare Program is designed to assist in matching orphaned or rejected foals with nurse mares, and now the process is even easier.

It has been announced that the Southern Oaks Training Center will be hosting three qualifying sessions in April.

Owners of yearlings eligible to be nominated to the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) are being given an extension.

Trot Insider has been informed that the due date for Atlantic Aged Mares Pacing Series stakes payments has been pushed back.

The Quebec Jockey Club has confirmed to Trot Insider that all of its stakes payments will remain as scheduled.

Trot Insider has been informed that the due date for multiple stakes payments in British Columbia has been pushed from May 1 to July 2.

To assist harness horsepeople during the current circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Trotting Association has created a resource centre of valuable information for industry participants in the U.S.

“Not the circumstances anyone was hoping for, but I can guarantee when the next time the starter calls ‘two minutes’ and we turn our horses towards the gate we will all have a new appreciation for what we do. Stay safe everyone and see you all hopefully sooner than later.”

“At some point this is all going to turn around. We just don’t know where the end of the tunnel is yet because we’re still right smack in the middle.”

“I just wanted to see the horses (when Mohawk postponed racing due to COVID-19). The connection you make with them is something you could really never ‘out’ into words. Throughout my life, the one thing that has got me through everything, good times and bad, is the horses.”

Moving halfway around the world is a daunting enough leap of faith on its own. To do so during the onset of a global pandemic is surely orders of magnitude more nerve-wracking.

In the latest edition of 'Rewind,' Robert Smith retraces and recalls the 1956 opening of the New Woodbine Racetrack just north of Metropolitan Toronto.

With virtually all Standardbred establishments shut down indefinitely amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, one sector of the harness racing industry that continues to operate through the pandemic is the nation's breeding farms.

Standardbred horseman Dean Arnold Stevens, 71, passed away at Victoria Hospital in London, Ont. with his family by his side on Saturday, March 21, 2020.

It has been announced that the Olympia of Palm Beach Training Center, formerly known as the South Florida Trotting Center, currently has stall space available and is planning on conducting qualifying races.

After careful and extensive consideration, the Hambletonian Society, in conjunction with the Meadowlands, the Red Mile, Little Brown Jug Society and other industry clients, partners and stakeholders, have concluded that the April 15 payment deadline for stakes and early-closers will remain intact.

Due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Woodbine Entertainment has made the decision to suspend the upcoming April 15, 2020 Standardbred stakes payments. The suspension of payments is for all Woodbine-administrated stakes events, which includes Flamboro Downs' Confederation Cup and Grand River Raceway's Battle of Waterloo and Battle of the Belles.

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2020 ballot. A total of 30 people and horses comprised of 15 Thoroughbred and 15 Standardbred candidates, have been selected to appear on the voting ballot.

On Wednesday, March 25, officials with the Meadowlands Racetrack addressed how the track will be handling horses that were trained by trainers that have been indicted.

Ontario Racing’s newly formed task force, created in response to the many challenges horse racing and its horsepeople are currently facing, is requesting information to help assist in its decision-making process for Standardbred industry relief.

“As racehorse owners and enthusiasts, we have a deep love for the sport and for our horses. There are so many theories about injuries – it’s a constant concern – and there’s so much to learn, but yet very little has been done in this area in order to so.”

With the events and closures as a result of COVID-19, including the announcement of racing stoppages in all provinces, Standardbred Canada will postpone the 2020 Regional Driving Championships and National Driving Championship, and reschedule at a later date.

Reactions and feedback pertaining to the recent federal indictments in the United States continues to be received, as the Hambletonian Society and the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association are the latest organizations to comment on the matter.

It has been announced that Standardbred Owners Association of New York President Joe Faraldo has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

On Sunday, March 22, Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson took part in a live interview to discuss the current state of horse racing at Woodbine Entertainment and in the province of Ontario amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Standardbred Canada (SC) is communicating daily with Equestrian Canada (EC) and is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite the return process for equines (including Standardbred racehorses) to Canada from the United States.

Standardbred Canada (SC) empathizes with all those who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and is fully aware of the severe financial implications of this suspension of business operations.

Due to the current situation with COVID-19, the ASHA Board of Directors met and agreed on changes to the stakes payment schedule.

Woodbine Mohawk Park would like to inform all horsepeople that cheque pick up in the bookkeeper’s office will not be available until further notice.

"We had probably 30 three-year-olds ready to qualify and stakes races were scheduled to start in April so it’s going to be an issue. But there are way bigger issues for us as a country to handle right now than my problems."

On Thursday, March 19, Woodbine Entertainment announced that live racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park would be temporarily suspended after the track’s evening program of racing.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has announced that in light of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, all active horseperson licences will be extended for one year.

With the announcement of the unprecedented changes to Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the question looms if something similar is planned for harness racing's major events.

On Tuesday, March 17, the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) advised its members and partner organizations that live harness racing would be put on hold effectively immediately due to the province declaring a state of emergency.

The Central Ontario Standardbred Association has issued an important notice to COSA members that are currently out of the country.

Trot Insider has learned that trainer Rene Allard was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Reaction to the federal indictments in the United States continues to come in, as multiple racing organizations have commented on what occurred on Monday, March 9 south of the border.

Woodbine Entertainment has released the lists of eligible horses for its 2020 major stakes, including the 77 colts that are eligible to the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup.

In light of recently announced changes to procedures and rules, announced by the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), and effective March 2, 2020, Standardbred Canada, the official Record Keeping Body and Registry of Standardbred racing and breeding in Canada, wishes to remind all participants in Ontario of some very important information.

Standardbred Canada (SC) is coordinating a 'microchipping tour' to facilitate the microchipping of all Standardbred racehorses by the end of 2020, as mandated by the Board of Directors, and to be consistent with the United States Trotting Association.

Starting in March 2020, the AGCO will no longer be accepting paper forms, cash or cheques for horse racing-related licences and registrations.

If you have/are experiencing issues refreshing pages on the Standardbred Canada website, please check in with this notice for more information.