Like No Other: The Return of the E.P. Taylor Turf Course

TORONTO, August 7, 2026— The excitement around Woodbine is palpable ahead of racing’s return to the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course, with some of the sport’s biggest stars sharing that same enthusiasm.

“It’s part of the character of Woodbine; it’s part of who we are in North American horse racing, and so I’m very much looking forward to getting that back,” said champion jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson.

The sweeping 1 ½-mile racecourse is scheduled to host its first contest back on Sunday, August 9 following an extensive renovation project that began after the 2025 King’s Plate.

Reopening day cannot come soon enough for Wilson, whose connection to the E.P. Taylor Turf Course runs deep, from childhood memories along the rail to memorable moments in the saddle.

“I used to come to the races quite often when I was a kid, and I remember being on the apron at the wire and watching the big races. Seeing the turf course and the horses right there was just fantastic,” said Wilson.

“I don’t remember what year it was, but one of the key things I remember is the Rothmans International back in those days and watching the best horses from Europe come over and race. I was just a kid from Brampton who got to come to Woodbine and watch some international stars.”

Years later, Wilson created a memorable moment of her own, capturing her first stakes victory on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course aboard Classic Stamp in the 2005 Grade 2 Canadian Stakes for owner William Sorokolit Sr. and trainer Darwin Banach.

“As a kid, and as a jock, I’ve had some of my greatest moments on the E.P. Taylor.”

The thrill of competing on the course named for Canadian Thoroughbred racing legend E.P. Taylor is not lost on Kevin Attard, either.

“Racing on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course is always special,” said Canada’s champion trainer of 2024. “The configuration of the course and the way it’s regarded here and around the world is something you truly appreciate.”

For Attard, who won the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes with Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee in 2019 and Full Count Felicia in 2024, the return of the celebrated turf course enhances the experience for more than horse people.

“It’s great for fans to stand at the rail and have the chance to see and hear the horses racing to the wire,” he said. “Any chance I have to bring people to the races, I tell them to stand near the finish line when there’s a race on the E.P. Taylor.”

Like Attard and Wilson, the E.P. Taylor Turf Course holds a treasure trove of memories for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The 17-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s Outstanding Trainer has enjoyed several signature moments on the surface, including consecutive Grade 1 Woodbine Mile victories with Tepin in 2016 and World Approval in 2017.

However, it’s not only the victories that come to mind.

“One of my craziest memories from the E.P. Taylor goes back about 15 years. I had a horse running, and he was going to win, but a plane flew over the track, he jumped at the plane’s shadow, and we lost,” said Casse with a laugh.

Unexpected endings aside, the trainer who has saddled over 26,000 starters during his outstanding career knows as well as anyone that every turf course has its own personality.

The sprawling E.P. Taylor Turf Course, he noted, requires a unique approach for those in the irons.

“You have to know how to ride it,” said Casse. “I get a little kick out of some riders who are on it for the first time. When they turn for home, they start riding, and I kind of chuckle because it’s a long way home. It’s three-eighths of a mile. That’s a long time for a horse to stay on one lead. There’s definitely an art to riding it.”

Wilson, who has enjoyed tremendous success over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, described what makes it so distinctive.

“It definitely creates, as has been said many a time, a European feel and a European style. Because it’s so wide open and the stretch run is so long, it creates such a fair course,” she said.

“It gives horses coming from well off the pace a chance to get themselves into gear and make their run. I think that fairness—the equal opportunity it provides every runner to give their best—is what attracts so much international attention, including from the United States.”

The return of the revamped E.P. Taylor Turf Course, complemented by the bet365 Inner Turf, restores one of Woodbine’s greatest advantages among North American racetracks.

“You go to New York, and once you drop below $30,000 claiming, you’re not going to get many opportunities to run on the grass, which is unfortunate because turf racing is exciting,” said Casse. “The horses finish closer together, the fields are bigger, and the racing is more competitive. For the welfare of Woodbine and Ontario racing, having two turf courses is extremely important.”

Creating more turf opportunities for horses of every class is something Casse believes benefits everyone.

“It’s not just about the elite horses because they’re all important,” he said. “Whether they’re Grade 1 winners or $10,000 claimers, they’re all important to our sport, and they’re most important to their owners. For those horses to be competitive and earn money is good for everybody.”

Horse people, horseplayers, and fans alike are eagerly anticipating the return of racing on the E.P. Taylor, which will welcome back stakes competition on King’s Plate Day, Saturday, August 15.

The acclaimed surface will again welcome some of the sport’s most prestigious turf events, including Woodbine’s four Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races—the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes, Grade 1 Natalma Stakes, and Grade 1 Summer Stakes, on Turf Champions Day, Saturday, September 12.

The E.P. Taylor Turf Course will also provide the setting for the Grade 1 Canadian International on Saturday, October 3.

“Definitely looking forward to having races back on it,” said Attard. “Hopefully, we can add some more wins on it, and fans get to see some more great finishes.”

Since opening in 1994, the course has served as the stage where countless horses, jockeys, and trainers have cemented their racing legacies.

In doing so, it has earned standing as one of the finest turf venues in the sport, both in North America and beyond.

Just ask Casse.

“I tell everybody who will listen to me that it’s definitely the best turf course in North America, maybe the world.”

The E.P. Taylor Turf Course reopens on Sunday, August 9 with an 11-horse field in a seven-furlong Allowance Optional Claiming event, the seventh race on the card.

Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine