The Canadian International Stakes is a

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

stakes race for

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

s three years of age and up on

Turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

. It is held annually in October at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The current purse is Since its creation in 1938, the race has undergone many changes including the conditions,

track surface The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are: * Turf, the most common track surface in Europe *Dirt, the most common trac ...

, distance, location, and name. The first renewal was run as the Long Branch Championship, held at the

Long Branch Racetrack Long Branch Racetrack was a horse-racing facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. It was situated in Etobicoke, then a township, just north of the village of Long Branch and just west of the city of Toronto. It operated from 1924 until 1955 at a loc ...

in Etobicoke. and was restricted to Canadian-bred three-year-olds. In 1939, it was renamed the Canadian International Stakes and was restricted to Canadian-owned horses. In 1940, the race was opened to horses of all ages, though the owner still had to be a Canadian resident. In 1954, the eligibility was revised to ages three and up with no residence restriction. The race name was modified slightly from 1966 to 1980 when it was known as the Canadian International Championship Stakes. From 1981 through to 1995 the race was known as the Rothmans International for its sponsor, the Canadian subsidiary of

Rothmans International plc Rothmans International plc was a British tobacco manufacturer. Its brands included Rothmans, Player's and Dunhill. Its international headquarters were in Hill Street, London and its international operations were run from Denham Place in Denham ...

. Since 2003 it has been sponsored by Pattison Outdoor Advertising. Inaugurated in 1938 on the dirt at Toronto's Long Branch Racetrack, except for consolidation during World War II it remained there until 1956 when the track closed its doors. Moved to Woodbine Racetrack in 1956, in 1958 it became a turf race. On dirt: * 1938–1941 : miles at

* 1942–1945 : miles at

Dufferin Racetrack Dufferin Park Racetrack was a racetrack for thoroughbred horse races located on Dufferin Street in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was demolished in 1955 and its stakes races moved to Woodbine Racetrack as part of a consolidation of race ...

* 1946–1952 : miles at Long Branch Racetrack * 1953–1954 : miles at Long Branch Racetrack * 1955 miles at Long Branch Racetrack * 1956–1957 : miles at

On turf at Woodbine Racetrack: * 1958–1986 miles * 1987–1993 miles (Out of Chute, inside of main track) * 1994–present miles (One full circuit, outside of main track) Since 1958, winners have come from breeding farms in Canada, the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France and Argentina. The Canadian International has been contested by many of the greatest horses, jockeys, and trainers in thoroughbred racing history from around the world. Its success as a North American race drawing an international field helped inspire the creation of the

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, ...

races in 1984 which were held at Woodbine in 1996. The Canadian International has been won by many notable horses. The most renowned renewal was in 1973 when the Canadian International was the final race for

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. His lengths victory is the widest winning margin in the race's history. Other famous winners include

Bunty Lawless Bunty Lawless (1935–1956) was a Canadian Thoroughbred racehorse who in 1951 was voted Canada's "Horse of the Half-Century". Racing career Racing during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Bunty Lawless competed for purse money that was very s ...

, voted "Canadian Horse of the Half Century", who won in 1938 and 1941. In 1974, Dahlia was the first European-based horse to win the race, becoming the first horse to win Group / Grade One stakes in England, France, Ireland, Canada and the U.S. Since Eclipse Award voting began in 1971, eight winners of the International were named Champion turf horse for that year: Secretariat (1973), Dahlia (1974), Snow Knight (1975), Youth (1976), Mac Diarmida (1978), All Along (1983), Singspiel (1996) and Chief Bearhart (1997). In 2005, the purse for the race was increased to $2 million to help attract European horses who did not choose to enter the

Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...

. The purse was reduced to $1.5 million in 2011, then to $1 million in 2013 and to $800,000 in 2017.

Records

Time record: (Turf) * miles: 2:40.00 –

Dahlia Dahlia (, ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the Asteraceae (former name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, ...

(1974) * miles: 2:25.60 –

Raintrap Raintrap (foaled 1990 in Great Britain) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Background Raintrap was a chestnut horse bred in England by his owner Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms. He was sired by Rainbow Quest who won the Prix de l'A ...

(1994) Most wins: * 3 –

Joshua Tree ''Yucca brevifolia'' is a plant species belonging to the genus ''Yucca''. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca. This monocotyledonous tree is native to the ar ...

(2010, 2012, 2013) * 2 –

(1938, 1941) * 2 –

Shepperton Shepperton is an urban village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, approximately south west of central London. Shepperton is equidistant between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Thames. The village is mentioned in a document of 959 AD ...

(1942, 1943) * 2 –

George Royal George Royal (1961–1981) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. Background George Royal was a bay horse foaled in Cloverdale, British Columbia. He was sired by Dark Hawk out of the mare Polly Bashaw. His great-grandsire was H ...

(1965, 1966) * 2 –

Majesty's Prince Majesty's Prince (foaled 1979 in Virginia, euthanized in 2009) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background Bred at John D. Marsh's farm in Gainesville, Virginia, he was out of the mare Pied Princess, a daughter of 1953 American Horse o ...

(1982, 1984) * 2 –

Desert Encounter {{italic title ''Desert Encounter'' ( da, Ørkenen Brænder) is a book written by the Danish journalist Knud Holmboe who had converted to Islam. ''Desert Encounter'' describes a trip across the Sahara made in 1930 by Knud Holmboe in an old Chevro ...

(2018, 2019) Most wins by an owner: * 4 –

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadians, Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing, race ...

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated w ...

(1950, 1951, 1953, 1975) * 3 –

Nelson Bunker Hunt Nelson Bunker Hunt (February 22, 1926 – October 21, 2014) was an American oil company executive. He was a billionaire whose fortune collapsed after he and his brothers William Herbert and Lamar tried to corner the world market in silver ...

(1974, 1976, 1977) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 4 –

Frankie Dettori Lanfranco Dettori (; born 15 December 1970), better known as Frankie Dettori, is an Italian horse racing jockey based in the United Kingdom. Dettori has been British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and has ...

(2000, 2004, 2012, 2021) * 3 –

Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...

(1942, 1943, 1944) * 3 – Ryan Moore (2013, 2014, 2015) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 –

Gordon J. McCann Gordon J. "Pete" McCann (1908 – January 18, 2000) was a Canadians, Canadian Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was born in East York, now part of the city of Toronto. Known to his family as Gordon, in racing circles he was nicknamed Pete. Pete ...

(1941, 1951, 1953) * 3 –

Horatio Luro Horatio A. Luro (February 27, 1901 - December 16, 1991) was a thoroughbred horse racing trainer in the United States. Luro was born in Argentina as one of nine children into the wealthy family of rancher and meat packer Adolfo Luro. The family h ...

(1956, 1957, 1971) * 3 –

Maurice Zilber Maurice Zilber (c. 1920 – 21 December 2008) was a French thoroughbred horse trainer born and raised in Cairo, Egypt to a Turkish mother and a French- Hungarian father. He trained horses in Egypt from 1946 to 1962, and then moved to France wher ...

(1974, 1976, 1977) * 3 –

Michael Stoute Sir Michael Ronald Stoute (born 22 October 1945) is a Barbadian British Thoroughbred horse trainer in flat racing. Career Stoute, whose father was the Chief of Police for Barbados, left the island in 1964 at the age of 19 to become an assis ...

(1996, 2014, 2015)

Winners

* In 1969 Tradesman won but was disqualified and placed last. * In 1992 Wiorno finished first but was disqualified and placed third.

References

{{reflist

External links

Ten Things You Should Know about the Canadian International at Hello Race Fans!
Grade 1 stakes races in Canada Open middle distance horse races Turf races in Canada Woodbine Racetrack Recurring sporting events established in 1938 1938 establishments in Ontario Horse races in Ontario

Records

Winners

See also

References

External links