Ontario Derby

Ontario Derby

Grade III race
Norcliffe, painted by Bob Demuyser (1920–2003)
Location	Woodbine Racetrack Toronto, Ontario
Inaugurated	1972
Race type	Thoroughbred – Flat racing
Website	www.woodbineentertainment.com/qct/default.asp
Race information
Distance	1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs)
Surface	Tapeta synthetic dirt
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	Three-year-olds
Weight	Allowances
Purse	Can$150,000 (2015)[1]

The Ontario Derby is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in mid-October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A Grade III stakes since 2012, it is open to three-year-old horses. Raced over a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) on Tapeta, the Ontario Derby currently offers a purse of Can$150,000.

Inaugurated in 1972 as the Colonel R. S. McLaughlin Handicap, the race was renamed the Ontario Derby for the 2003 running. Originally contested at 1+3⁄16 miles, it was changed to its current 1+1⁄8-mile distance in 1992.

Speed record: (Through 1998, times were recorded in fifths of a second. Since 1999 they are in hundredths of a second)

• 1:48.30 – Ami's Gizmo (2016) (at current distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on Tapeta) – new track record^[2]
• 1:49.38 – Sand Cove (2008) (at current distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on Polytrack)
• 1:49.45 – Kiss A Native (2000) (at current distance of 1+1⁄8 miles on natural dirt)

Most wins by an owner:

• 3 – Sam-Son Farm (1974, 1987, 2013)
• 2 – Frank Stronach (1983, 1994)
• 2 – Frank DiGiulio, Jr. (1989, 2001)
• 2 – Minshall Farms (1995, 1996)
• 2 – Gus Schickedanz (1999, 2003)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 5 – Sandy Hawley (1972, 1975, 1977, 1989, 1991)

Most wins by a trainer:

• 4 – Roger Attfield (1976, 1986, 2005, 2008)
• 4 – Mark E. Casse (2012 ,2014 ,2018, 2021)

• List of Canadian flat horse races

• The Ontario Derby at Pedigree Query
• 2007 Ontario Derby at the NTRA